Leasing land to form food growing co-op

G-Man

Hi,
I am really interested in knowing if anyone else would be interested in forming a food growing coop to lease some land from a landowner and growing food on it as a club or co-op basis.

There is a lof of people interested in allotments, but to me I think they are a bit expensive, and there would be much more benefits in a group of like minded people

- forming a coop / club
- finding a suitable piece of land and doing a multiyear lease with the landowner,
- with club subscriptions perhaps paying the cost land and other expenses
- hiring the assistance of a "pro" gardener/horticulturist to monitor the garden during the week.. (could be the farmer)
- arranging a planting and working schedule
-deciding on what crops are to be done as mains

Coming together as club, we could still charge subs. but use the money to pay for the land, some ground development, water charges, and the assistance of a professional gardener. Members would be expected to commit some days per month to work. Work would be arranged based on what needs planting, weeding or harvesting..

There would be space for "maincrops" e.g potatoes, onions carrots whatever and also space for individual allotments for people who want something different. The land should be located within reasonable distance of the members area.

I have seen this work in a city in the south of france, a friend of mine is a member of such a a coop, she pays 250 euros per year, the coop use that money to pay for land leases and also hire a gardener for 2 days per week. The gardener takes care of monitoring the "farm" and arranges a lot of the heavy digging. She says she works one saturday every 6 weeks and has fresh and stored veg for the whole year.

I think this is good idea, allowing people to
- benefit in growing their own
- comradeship in a club environment
- mantain a garden without having to commit to weekly "chores"

I do see this as complimentary to dedicated allotments and also community gardens, but it gives a more structured support.

I want to explore this more with people who are interested with the idea to get this running in the next year.

Kev

gollyitsolly

Interesting concept. Dont we already have co-ops here? Would you not be entering the wholesale business area and all it entails? Tax man,health and safety,distribution? I know some allotments have their own market days when they sell their excess to locals. I agree the cost of private allotments in Ireland are exspensive. Your idea sounds good and sensible but Im not too sure if it would work here. France has a much better climate than us and a wet summer like this one could ruin you. Just my initial thoughts, but dont be discouraged!

Dr Galen

i've heard of this kind of thing as well OP. Think it'd be a great idea if you get the numbers involved. Finding and paying a decent price for the land might be the main difficulty, but once you do that then I'd say it'd be well on the way.

@gollyitslolly

Correct me if I'm wrong here OP, but I think what is suggested is that the club members take the spoils of the labour. It's not about selling for money to make a profit, but more about providing fresh fruit and veg for those who have subscribed.

G-Man

Spoils go to coop members. As a club or co-op we do not aim for profits, or to compete with regular market gardenders or stall holders...

Getting land near enough to an urban area ..Dublin in mind at the minute, but the idea could work anywhere.. there is a group of people willing to do it.

The sweet points I see
- Should be able to get land cheaper than that is subrented by allotment organisations. (250-350 eur /hectare agricultural price vs 3 - 5 eur /sqm allotment price).... like thats the order of a 100 out.

- as its a coop / club, no one person is responsible for the failure or maintenance of the crops
- a regular rota, gives people the chance to commit to working regularly there
- share the spoils at the end of the season.
- usual club or coop rules apply

I find gardening very rewarding, and want to grow more of my own food, mainly due to quality reasons.

I need to grind some figures and see where the sweet spot for numbers of members is.

Kevin

Dr Galen

very good Kevin. Thats what I thought you had in mind. There is a few of us talking about something similar at the place i have my allotment. We're thinking of getting an extra bit of land and using it for fruit growing along with a large scale potato growing experiment, as it's hard to grow enough spuds to keep you going for more than a few months.