Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

Cropshare at Organiclea

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

Organiclea: A worker’s co-op in East

London. We grow food, we sell food, we

inspire others to do the same.

Cropshare: The opportunity for gardeners

and allotment holders to sell their surplus

fruit and vegetables

“…An outlet to share crops with. There's

nothing like it, nowhere else.”

C ropshare grower

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

The S ellers– Parent: teacher: professional gardener: editor:

retired: community worker

– Growing 4 years; 40 years

– 1 5 regular producers

The Outlets– Street stalls

– Midweek box scheme

The Buyers• East London Residents

• Range of incomes

• Retired: employed: unemployed: students

• About half are growers, half not

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

June to August 2011

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

The S ystem

75% of Stall C ustomers say that ‘ultra local’

produce is one of the most important aspects of

the stall

• S talls: pay for what we sell

• Box S cheme: can generally incorporate surplus so plans

and ‘orders’

• Producer receives 60% , Organiclea 40%

Cropsharers sign a Wholesome Food Association pledge

“...a low-cost, grassroots alternative to organic certification

for those growing and producing food for sale locally. It is

not a set of enforceable standards and it is cheap to be

part of. Growers pledge that they are sticking to a set of

organic principles and agree to open their space to anyone

wishing to visit and see their conditions. “

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

Admin: on the S aturday stall

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

Admin: monthly tallies

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

What do we all get?

•Produce gets used; avoids waste

•Financial

•Increased sense of community

•Pride

•Positive interactions

•Growing skills

•Health

•Sharing cooking and growing skills

“For many years we've

been sharing our skills,

but up to now not

gaining financially.

Cropshare brings the

potential for financially

benefiting from our

growing”

C ropshare grower

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

Challenges

• Takes time to administrate and co-ordinate

• Small quantities; checking growing sites

• Difficult to plan ahead: focus is on surplus, not commercial

growing

• Confusion of allotment holders – is it legal?

• Growers not easy to communicate with

• Less ‘new’ growers involved

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

The Future

• Seek funding for ‘community’ aspect

• Create pathways for ‘new’ growers learning through other

Organiclea projects

• Match experienced current cropsharers with new growers

• Streamline systems; keep it informal

• Arrange seller/buyer visits

Producing and distributing food and plants locally,

and inspiring others to do the same.

Cropshare Guidance for Cropsharers:www.organiclea.org.uk

Selling Allotment Produce

www.organiclea.org.uk (click on resources – publications)

Cropshare Guidance for workers:

box@organiclea.org.uk

Wholesome Food Association:http://www.wholesomefood.org/