Sutton Community Farm grew out of a need to increase access to fresh healthy produce and provide a shared space for the community to cultivate skills. With food accounting for 25% of our ecological footprint, rising diet-related illness and over 800 people on the allotment waiting list, the farm was set up by environmental charity BioRegional in 2010 on a disused smallholding on the Woodcote smallholdings to enable the local community to get fit, healthy and sustainable through healthy diets and lifestyles. Since then we’ve had over 400 volunteers, including weekly sessions for local disability college Orchard Hill, Community Service team and youth offenders. Activities have ranged from: growing and hand-milling heritage wheat, running workshops on making earth ovens, permaculture, bee-keeping and biodiversity. We’ve also linked with employment schemes such as Future Jobs to equip people with work experience and growing skills. We aim to encompass the One Planet principles – enabling everyone to live a healthy, happy lifestyle using their fair share of the earth’s resources. Here’s how we’re doing this:
| Zero carbon | Our vegetable produce 80%less greenhouse gasses than supermaket equivalents |
|---|---|
| Zero waste | Our veggies have almost no packaging and come in 100% recycled bags. We also compost waste at the farm. |
| Sustainable transport | By growing locally and linking with other local producers we help to reduce congestion and transport emissions |
| Sustainable materials | We grow using organic principles, avoiding harmful chemicals, we also re-use materials on site. |
| Local and sustainable food | The farm is a small step towards a sustainable local food system. |
| Sustainable water | We recycle rainwater to irrigate our veggies< |
| Land use and wildlife | We've found over 68 types of wildflowers on site as well as a pair of nesting skylarks, a kestrel and we have beehives too |
| Culture and heritage | The farm is about reconnecting people with the land and re-creating a culture of tasty, seasonal food |
| Equity and local economy | £1 spend on farm produce generate 84% more for the local economy than £1 spent in a local supermarket |
| Health and happiness | A diet filled with fresh local veggies is good for people, planet and plate ! |
http://sutton.netuxosandbox.co.uk/our-story
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