An organic farm in West Yorkshire is looking to collaborate with local residents on a scheme to provide the community with affordable, healthy and fresh produce.

For the last eight years, Swillington Organic Farm, in east Leeds, has been part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Network – a growing association of farms working in partnership with members, who pay a seasonal or yearly subscription in return for a share of the farm’s harvest.

Michael Leddy is leading the future of Swillington Organic Farm in a shared farming arrangement with landowner Jo Cartwright, who is winding down for retirement.

When Jo first joined the CSA network in 2007, there were only seven other farms in the country involved, but now there are around 150. It is a growing movement which also helps farm businesses operate, develop and mitigate some of the many financial challenges currently facing the agriculture industry.

Michael Leddy, who is leading a shared farming arrangement in West Yorkshire.

placeholder image — Michael Leddy, who is leading a shared farming arrangement in West Yorkshire.

The farm has 55 members, but needs around 90 to make the scheme viable. Michael said: “I know our CSA members by name, I know their kids and what type of food they like. When I was growing for wholesale, we produced more food, but it was faceless. I have a connection to where my food is going, people come with their kids and they learn where their food is coming from. One customer has an autistic son who was a fussy eater. She tells him I have grown it and he loves it.”

Regularly harvested at the farm are potatoes, carrots and parsnips as well as gooseberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, apples and pears from the orchard. There are also opportunities available to volunteer at the farm, which Michael is keen to cultivate after discovering first hand how difficult it is to get the experience needed to access courses, jobs and apprenticeships.

He said: “I am on a mission to train other growers and offer volunteer opportunities. I don’t come from a farming background and didn’t realise at the time how lucky I was to get this job and how common it is for people to have to volunteer for a year or two to get experience before they are considered ready for a job.

“One of the best things about shared farming is I have Jo for mentorship and support, and an existing business rather than starting from scratch and on my own. I would have had to save for ten years to get the capital together and then gambled it all on starting a business. This is a much better option for me.”

Families visiting Swillington Organic Farm, in east Leeds, to see where their food comes from.

Already having a farm infrastructure allows Michael the freedom to try new methods, experiment and grow new varieties of produce.

He is building a new polytunnel to sow more tomatoes, peppers and aubergines and is working with The Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme to increase and retain the varieties grown in the UK. Other plans include taking a three-acre field to grow more vegetables, allowing the current field to be fallow, introducing rotational growing and using cover crops to keep weeds down rather than plastic sheets.

The current flock of 148 Hebridean sheep are soon to be joined by a flock of Kerry Hills and last year the farm reared turkeys for Christmas for the first time in years.

The farm also rears pigs and chickens, with a shared farming opportunity available for the poultry side. “Other than being able to make a living”, says Michael, “the end goal is to offer training opportunities for people who want to come into farming and move to year-round self-sufficiency.”

For details, visit swillingtonorganicfarm.co.uk/farm-shares