Norwich FarmShare - A Growing Community

Aim

Growing a scaleable solution to the food and climate crisis while building a resilient local community in Norwich

Imagine each week your family’s fruits and vegetables come from a small farm near your house. 

Imagine that those fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients than the ones from the supermarket, so that you and your family feel fitter, healthier and happier. 

Imagine knowing that those fruits and vegetables are grown in a way that regenerates the soil, makes it more fertile each year and serves as a haven for birds, bees and other wildlife. 

And imagine that you can go to that farm whenever you want and help out, make friends and work together towards a beautiful, sustainable future... 

Well this is all already well underway at Norwich FarmShare, and we need your help to share it with more  people.

Our Journey 

It all began in October 2008 when 50 people met to discuss the failings of our current food supply in Norwich. Norwich FarmShare was launched two years later and we began growing chemical-free food for our members on a piece of land in Postwick, near Norwich.

Over these last 14 years some 800 Norwich residents have been part of our growing community - learning about ecologically-sensitive farming methods, enjoying local seasonal food, and sharing knowledge, expertise and a wholesome, happy experience together.

We have since relocated to a beautiful three acre, south-facing piece of land in Whitlingham, cycling distance from Norwich city centre, where since 2018 we have been growing vegetables for 140 households in the city, as well as cultivating berries, flowers, and more recently a hive of bees and a small family of owls!

We have also established two new community gardens at Mile Cross Library and St. Francis Church, so that people in other areas of the city can get outside, have access to land and learn to grow with their neighbours.

Why we need your help!

We want to expand the network of people who can benefit from the food and community we are growing at FarmShare, which means increasing our yield (particularly through the winter), making it easier for people to collect their veg, and offering discounted shares to low-income residents.

What we would need:

A paperpot transplanter to speed up planting seedlings - £2500

Lightweight tilther to save time and energy looking after our soil with the least disturbance possible - £540

Two new lockers in other areas of the city so that new members can collect their veg locally - £1200

Discounted Solidarity Shares for 15 low-income households - £1000.

Whether or not you’re able to pledge any money to help us reach these goals, we’d always love to see you down at the farm!

This project successfully funded on 12th April 2022