Community Farming Alliance CFA

Look on this page to connect with other farmers, gardeners, and food folk to grow healthy food, villages and systems. Grow seeds now!

NEW - Community Farming Alliance -Open Source

The Idea: community members and neighbours growing sustainable, healthy, affordable food for local residents. Local food production removes the fossil fuel which goes transportation, processing, packaging and retail of most food from mainstream grocery stores. As well these shared spaces act as a meeting place where people, ideas and ecological systems intersect (e.g. good work, carbon sequestering, a healthy ecosystem, fresh air, oxygen, a place for children to explore and be, a place for adults to relax, habitat for wildlife, abundance, welfare, and health). It is also an experiment for creating a sustainable ecological human habitat.

Ideally, aim for a space or  location with a two+ year agreement from the landowner. Based on principles of low imprint and low impact, this Transition Town affiliated food security network aims to develop local skills and livelihoods for any who want to grow food.

Community Farming Alliance members volunteer their time:

• Collecting bulk organic matter
• Layering organic matter
• Shovelling soil/shaping beds
• Compost building
• Germinating and planting
• Building renewable systems (e.g. composting toilets, planting fruit trees, living fences)
• Harvesting
• Beekeeping
• Wild-crafting
• Processing
• Marketing
• Selling produce

In return they will receive a share of the harvest = to 1 share or box per week, or thirty percent gross profit, and / or cuttings, seeds, plants. 

Other ideas to explore:

Pocket markets - Small but regular and portable fresh food markets servicing the local neighbourhood. All vendors welcome. Vending license may be needed (if of significant size, public). Similar in concept to street markets in France. Produce sold at pocket or in-house markets for an affordable price (e.g. $1.-1.25 for kale). Community farming alliance members farm and get 30% of gross product.

Proposed income breakdown = 100%
Farmers - 30% (could include members of that community, school, ...)
Investment, seeds, materials, taxes, etc… - 40% (initially)
Carbon Balancing - 10%
Community building or donations (food banks, elderly, low income) - 20%

Rooftop gardens – Build a garden site on the rooftop of a local building. For example, community centres, cultural centres, housing cooperatives, senior’s centres, strip malls. These are ideal locations as the land is away from traffic, it is easily accessible by community members, provides a demonstration space and enhances local community interaction.

Other – Composting toilets, vertical growing, street level gardens, public houses, planter boxes, water filtration aspects at bus stops and as art/gardens (John Todd), community garden boxes, guerrilla gardening, co-housing sustainability.