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As part of our work to develop a network of CSAs throughout England under the Making Local Food Work programme, we are running a series of CSA training days over the winter months. All these events will take place in Leeds or Sheffield, and are free to CSA practitioners (local, organic lunch included!).
Although they will be useful as individual training events, I throroughly recommend you attend them all if you are able to. They are being led by experts in the various fields, and are designed to provide you with the technical knowledge and confidence to launch or expand your Community-Supported Agriculture project.
The first event, Business Planning for CSAs, is being run by Julie White and John Metcalfe, both social enterprise consultants who between them have decades of experience in providing business support to local food enterprises. Whether you already have a business plan or not, this workshop will help your project plan for the future and measure success.
Keep an eye open for an article covering the Raising Community Finance event, in this week's Farmer's Weekly, out on Friday!
If you would like to attend, for all enquiries and to reserve your place please go to http://www.soilassociation.org/Takeaction/Getinvolvedlocally/Communitysupportedagriculture/Newsandevents/tabid/373/Default.aspx. Places are limited to two per CSA.
Registration forms for the other events will be sent out nearer the time.
South West Region Training events programme
CSA horticultural mentoring event - 15 October 2009
11am - 3pm, Abbey Home Farm , Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
For South West and West Midlands CSA groups and growers, the day will include:
John Davenport - a very experienced grower from Herefordshire- will share his experience on Crop Planning, Labour and machinery needs
A chance to ask specific horticultural questions and link with other CSA growers
A tour of the growing areas at Abbey Home Farm
This is a free event for CSA groups and practitioners, with lunch and refreshments provided.
Booking is essential. For all enquiries and to reserve your place contact Ben Raskin on braskin@soilassociation.org
Northern Training Programme
For all enquiries and bookings for the following 5 events, please contact: Kirstin Glendinning on kglendinning@soilassociation.org
Please note that booking is essential. All events are free for CSA groups and practitioners, with lunch and refreshments provided.
1. Business Planning for CSAs – 31st October 2009
10.30am – 4.30pm at the Sheffield Quaker Meeting House, S1 2EW
John Metcalfe (Rural Futures) and Julie White (Growing Rural Enterprise) will lead this workshop to help CSA farmers and practitioners devise or review their business plan. We will consider:
• What makes a successful CSA
• How do we measure success in a CSA
• How to identify and record key business information
• What to include in a business plan
• What a business plan is, and is not
During the workshop you will write a one-page mission statement to help clarify your business objectives. If you have a business plan, please send it to Kirstin (kglendinning@soilassociation.org) when registering your place – this will be used for workshop preparation only, and will be kept confidential.
2. Community Finance for CSAs – 23rd November 2009
11am - 5pm at the Sheffield Quaker Meeting House, S1 2EW
'Community investment is the practice of communities investing capital in business ventures serving a social or community purpose. This is a unique opportunity to learn from community finance specialists Jim Brown and Paul Sander-Jackson (Wessex Reinvestment Trust) who will be delivering a one-off day event focussed on community investment for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects.
This event is invaluable for any land managers, farmers, growers or community groups who want to raise capital for their CSA without being dependant on statutory funding and/or bank loans.
The workshop will be as practical as possible – focusing on the development plans and interests of the participants and will include:
? What is community investment?
? Where does community investment fit into CSA?
? Capital needs of CSA
? Land tenure
? Shaping the relationships between communities and farmers/growers
? Choosing the right legal form
? Defining communities: size matters
For more information read Jim Brown's paper on Community Investment and CSA (download from the Soil Association CSA website), also see the recent Guardian article:
From shops to renewables, people are increasingly investing in projects that benefit their communities, Jim Brown The Guardian, Wednesday 2 September 2009
3. Marketing for CSAs – 23rd January 2010
from 10am - 4pm at Tiger 11 Community Centre, Beeston, Leeds, LS11 8ND
This workshop will be led by Rob Greenland (www.socialbusinessconsulting.co.uk)
Marketing is all about building relationships. It doesn't have to be complicated, and it needn't involve spending loads of money. But you do need to think things through a bit.
Monkey Business takes you through a step-by-step plan for marketing your local food business. We take you back to basics - asking you to think about what it is you offer, who you want to offer it to, and what they'll get out of it. Thinking those things through will help you to come up with some key messages - and then (and only then) you can think about what's often called "marketing" - websites, flyers, PR, word of mouth recommendations etc.
With lots of other people running similar businesses at the workshop, we're sure that you'll leave with plenty of good, do-able ideas for building long-lasting relationships with your CSA members.
4. Building Community and CSA Administration – 27th February, 2010
from 10am - 4pm at The Guild of Makers, Sheffield
Led by local food consultant Nick Weir (Stroud Community Agriculture, StroudCo, f3), this workshop will look
• How to run effective CSA meetings
• How to communicate with the whole CSA membership
• Administration systems for running a CSA smoothly
• Additional social activities to help build community in you CSA
It will be a very interactive session, involving participants in facilitated discussions…
5. Crop planning, pig and poultry-keeping – 27th March, 2010
from 10am - 4pm at Loxley Valley Community Farm, Sheffield
This workshop will look at three main topics:
1. Crop planning for CSAs
2. Rearing organic hens
3. Rearing pigs for pork
The day will involve some practical activities, so please bring appropriate clothing and footwear.
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