Soul Farm organic veg project offers shares in bid to expand

A not-for-profit small scale farm near Falmouth that grows seasonal veg wants to expand by becoming community owned.

Soul Farm started five years ago in a walled garden on the Trefusis Estate just outside Flushing.

Root veg, salad stuff and greens are grown over four acres at two sites and the produce goes into veg boxes, to local restaurants, or to foodbanks.

It is now offering people in the area an opportunity to become co-owners by buying community shares.

It plans to build a new polytunnel to increase winter vegetable production and train and hire new team members.

Alex Tyler, one of five employed staff members, said the ethos behind the "no-dig" organic farming is to get good food to people regardless of background.

"The idea they can then be part of that, making it happen and be in on the decision making is really cool," she said.

Sarah Macqueen has been a volunteer at Soul Farm for four growing seasons.

She has seen it develop from producing enough for about 30 veg boxes a week to currently up to 120 boxes.

She said: "Community shares is also about making the community more aware about what it entails to have good food on your table.

"There's such a disconnect between what people eat and where it comes from."

There is a sliding-scale model for the veg boxes so those who can pay a bit more can subsidise those on a lower income.

Co-founder and director Laurence Jarrett-Kerr said a sustainable food movement and market gardening seemed to be growing in popularity.

"It was very popular back in previous centuries in Paris and along the Thames in London and it is having a bit of a resurgence," he said.

"I think people are recognising there's a lot of produce that can be grown on a human scale, probably even more efficiently than on a tractor scale."

Anyone buying community shares in Soul Farm gets interest payments as opposed to dividends, with about 70 investors from the Falmouth area so far.

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