Community Supported Agriculture

1. Food4MaccDirect Community Supported Agriculture Local Food for Local People 8th December 2011 Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

2. Food4MaccDirect Community Supported Agriculture A partnership between farmers and consumers… where the responsibilities, risks and rewards of farming are more evenly shared… than in supermarket-dominated systems. Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

3. Food4MaccDirect Benefits of Community Supported Agriculture Consumers • consumers benefit from receiving fresh food from a known source • the environmental benefits of fewer 'food miles', less packaging and ecologically sensitive farming with improved animal welfare • a local economy enhanced by higher employment, more local processing, local consumption and a re-circulation of money through 'local spend‘ • spending £1 on local food in a local outlet generates £2.50 in the local economy vs. £1.10 when spent in a supermarket • educating people about varieties of food, it's production methods and costs • encouraging more sustainable farming and having an influence over the local landscape Farmers • a more secure income which improves business planning and increases time to concentrate on farming • a higher and fairer return for their products by selling direct to the public • increased involvement in the local community; the opportunity to respond directly to consumers' needs, receiving direct feedback • receive help with labour and planning initiatives for the future Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

4. Food4MaccDirect A few related facts… • 40% of all food is imported & 90%+ of fruit is imported • 3000 small and medium-scale farmers have gone out of business over the past decade, with 1 dairy farmer closing in Britain every day • 30 pig farmers have gone bust in the past year • If current trends continue, by 2025 over 40% of Britons will be obese due partly to increasing availability and promotion of highly processed foods and loss of skills in cooking raw ingredients • The food we eat in the UK – growing, producing and importing it – accounts for 30% of the UK’s carbon footprint • 4 giant supermarket chains control 80% of food retail and they have resisted legislation to give a fairer deal to farmers for the last 11 years Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

5. Food4MaccDirect What is Food4MaccDirect? Local Food forLocal People Seasonal Cheshire Veg BagsArtisan Bread and CakesFresh Local Meat & TroutReal Cheshire Cheeses Buy great quality produce from trusted local producersSupport the local economy and reduce your food miles Become a member to enjoy great value prices & events Our members order their produce in advance by e-mail then pick up from our producers in central Macclesfield. Full Membership: £24 per annum per household. Concessions and discounts available. 40 members have joined since we started in April 2011! Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

6. Food4MaccDirect What is Food4MaccDirect? • Food4MaccDirect aims to make it easier for everyone in Macclesfield to eat tasty, fresh, nutritious and affordable local food, sourced directly from local farmers and producers. • This will support the local economy and reconnect us with where our food comes from, moving us away from a global food system, dependent on cheap oil and imports. • We are a not for profit Community Enterprise run by a Board of 8 Directors • We operate as a membership organisation with 40 members currently buying produce through Food4MaccDirect from 11 producers • We formed a Company Limited by Guarantee which started trading in April 2011 • Since April we have operated profitably with sales of over £7,000 • Since October we have employed 5 part time staff in various roles Local Food for Local People Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

7. Local Food Food4MaccDirect Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

8. Food4MaccDirect Local People Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

9. Food4MaccDirect Producers and Farmers Perspective Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

10. Food4MaccDirect Consumers Perspective Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

11. Food4MaccDirect Our Guiding Principles • “Local” means our producers are ideally within 5 miles of Macclesfield, not more than 50 • A sustainable and environmentally sensitive approach, ideally organic and non-GM • We want to understand and improve the nutritional value of the produce • Local producers should use local raw materials (eg wheat) where possible • Use of fossil fuels (and derivatives) should be kept to a minimum • We will support existing and encourage new local producers • We will only go into production ourselves if a gap exists and we can successfully fill it • Consumers must be able to see how farms and producers operate • Anyone can become a member, regardless of income, so we will offer concessions • We will build community groups, bringing like-minded people together • We will be commercially viable, but non-profit making • Our survival will not be wholly dependent on volunteers on an on-going basis • Our membership fees and a small margin should cover our costs • Prices must be fair to our producers as well as good value to our members • We will only act as an intermediary between producer and our members when we can add value Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

12. Food4MaccDirect Food4MaccDirect Distribution Hub • We need somewhere to bring together, sort out and store our produce before it gets collected or delivered • We hope to have a distribution hub to enable us to do this, working with Cheshire Peaks and Plains • Once we have this facility, we should be able to expand the number of drop-off points • Other community centres, like pubs and village shops + schools, children’s nurseries etc. • Opens up the possibility of providing training in food preparation, baking etc. Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

13. Food4MaccDirect Food4MaccDirect Groups • Produce Group • Responsible for finding and signing up any new supplier, as well as on-going management of existing suppliers • Distribution Group • Responsible for how we get produce to customers, working with the Snow Goose and finding us a distribution hub • Commercial Group • Responsible for our financial health and overseeing our finance and admin systems • Marketing Group • Responsible for promoting F4MD in conjunction with F4M and managing the website, press etc. • Events Group • Responsible for fulfilling our obligations to our members, including “eat local” meals, farm visits, visits to cheese producers, bread making demos etc. All groups have a leader and a few members, who can be involved a lot or a little, depending on the time they can give. If you would like to be involved in one of the groups, please ask! Food4Macc Meeting 8th December

14. Food4MaccDirect Agenda 5 Questions: • What other local produce would you like? • How do we resolve “local” vs. “organic”? • What food should we produce ourselves? • How can we improve our service to members? • How can we get more producers involved? 5 Teams: 10 mins to discuss and then a quick feedback to everyone Food4Macc Meeting 8th December