*why £’s? Because we had a friend at CrowdfunderUK
** If you are using a mobile the you can see rewards for pledges using the support button at the bottom
The money from this campaign will build a community farm in service of:
-good food growing
-woodland planted
-sovereignty over our food, water and education
-space for people to contribute their time and resources in benefit of all
What is moy hill farm …
Each friday morning, we - those living and working at moy hill farm - get up extra early for the harvest. By mid afternoon the work is done; our timber packing shed full of amazing, healing, potent vegetables. 50 families will receive a box each; more will change hands at the market.
From the hill (Moy hill!) we can look out over the land, down to the ocean and the town of Lahinch. Starting nearby with a back garden in 2012, then a 1/2 acre community garden, to a loaned 1 acre site, we kept working and saving to create what is now moy hill farm: 17 acres bought in 2015 and run as a CSA (community supported agriculture) partnership.
Our mission is to feed local people, love earth and inspire. To progress in that direction we have and continue to work with whatever is necessary - soil, seeds, shovels and long days in the field; farmers, banks, politics (Fergal stood for election last year), NGOs, charities, schools and universities; as well as yoga, meditation, non-violent communication and community building practices. We grow food but also hold an open door for anyone to stay, work, learn, grow, heal.
moy hill farm is grounded in our work towards a better food system, yet is also part of a wider movement, part of what have been called Institutes for Technologies of Reunion. Many of those who visit or stay at the farm have minimal experience in vegetable growing, so what is it that gathers us together? One answer we hear is the openness to receive each other; another is the strong sense of mission and dedication to something beyond ourselves.
We are now asking people to help buy a 60-acre plot next to moy hill farm. While this has its practical gifts - more space for native trees, more land for good food, more nature under care - it also carries a message: we can do this.
We can grow our own food. We can drink clean water. We can give our children the gift of wild nature.
With this new land - even worked by hand and heart, from dawn to dark - we cannot feed the whole country; nor can we dismantle the pesticides-in-food industry overnight. It may be that the greater purpose of this farm is to inspire and support others in reclaiming food, water and educational sovereignty in their local area.
At moy hill farm, we are doing it. Not perfectly. But we’re trying, and sometimes, when the rain is soft, the children playing and picking berries, the adults (momentarily!) silenced by the exquisite flavours coming in from the fields, sometimes, we know it is changing, that a better way for our children and for ourselves is within reach.
If this resonates with you, please support our campaign and get in touch. Thank you!
More about moy hill farm:
We want more:
Good food growing and reaching bellies in the most delicious, nourishing way possible. Our farm manager is an ex-professional surfer and son of a pioneer organic grower, our chef combines technique with true love for flavour and potency. We care about things like: soil, wildlife, the ocean, renewable energy, animal welfare, the most vulnerable in society, and food good enough for our children.
With the new land we will expand from growing enough food for 50, to providing 150 boxes per week plus local markets.
Woodland planted. Our charity HomeTree has planted 12,000 native trees like oak, rowan, hazel and birch. This land is protected and will become a natural woodland ecosystem over the coming years - something we see as vital for supporting animal and plant welfare. If we are successful in this campaign we will plant at least 30,000 more trees, as well as an orchard large enough to put seasonal fruit on the tables of 150 local families.
Sovereignty over our food, water and education. We see and feel a foundation of vibrant food, clean water, and right education as a step towards lifelong happiness, health and purpose. We cannot expect those (often decent and caring) people in ‘government’ to match and create our desires, or to perceive the subtle rhythms of our land - it is up to us. Yes, we can do it. No, it won’t always be perfect. But as old men and women, may we gather and know that we did our absolute, bravest, boldest best to leave a better world for our children.
We frequently receive visits from educational institutions (Irish and UK universities, Steiner and conventional schools etc); resourcing more of this will be a key function of the new land.
Space for people to contribute their time and resources in benefit of all. Working with the land and producing vegetables are some visible elements of life at moy hill farm. Yet a more subtle work is happening here, work which outlasts any box of lettuce or sugar snap peas. That is the work of healing.
Each week dozens of people pass through the farm - activists, supporters, tourists, surfers, musicians, craftsmen, neighbours and those known as ‘shovel-brothers’. Some come to give their energy or technical knowledge, some bring their children to play, others share good times and food. Yet there are also those for whom the farm is a place to ‘take a breath’ - to stop, relax and come back to self-care. This has become known as ‘social farming’.
We recognise the need and usefulness of community in our individual and collective healing. May moy hill farm always hold space and resources for those who come seeking.
Even more information:
moy hill farm is a company by limited guarantee. This means the new community farm will not belong to us personally and (as the current farm does) will operate in a not-for-profit way. We chose the CLG model partly because it has been used successfully by other groups doing great work - such as the Irish Seed Savers Association and Cloughjordan Eco-Village - and partly because it appears the least obstructive and most transparent company structure available to us.
Important links:
moy hill farm business plan: Our business plan.
moy hill farm Constitution of moy hill farm company by limited guarantee.
CSA farms we aspire towards: CannelSide, Cloughjordan, Stroud CSA.
Films from the farm: Beyond the Break,
Our Surfing in films: Fergal 'Winter', Matt 'Coming up for air', Mitch 'Not all wandering is aimless'
Thanks for reading and supporting this project, without the continued support of so many hands it would not be possible. You can help by making a pledge and collecting a reward, also sharing this page and our message and call for help to those poeple it might also resonate with.
If you would like to get in touch you can email us on [email protected] or call Matt on +353 (0) 877059979 or Fergal on +353 (0)871301937