CSA Network UK - Community Supported Agriculture

22/10/2025

Funding opportunity in Wales

22/10/2025

This year has tested us all, from rising costs and erratic weather to shifting farm policy and the ongoing strain of keeping food both fair and local.

Yet across the UK, our community supported agriculture (CSA) farms have kept feeding people, building soil, supporting biodiversity and nurturing connection.

It’s no small thing.

Despite the pressures, CSAs continue to deliver public goods that supermarkets never could: fresh food grown with care, thriving ecosystems and meaningful work that brings people together.

Check out our Annual Report to see the stories, numbers, and people behind this year in CSA: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/rooted-in-resilience-how-csas-kept-growing-through-another-tough-year/

07/10/2025

🌿 Webinar happening tonight 🌿

Join the Agroecology Research Collaboration this evening (Tues 7th Oct) for a session on ADOPT (Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies), a fund within the UK’s Farming Innovation Programme that supports farmer-led, on-farm research and trials.

We’ll be joined by Tom Slattery, Farming Innovation Support Manager at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, who will explain how the fund works, what support is available, and how to apply.

If you’re a farmer, grower, or forester in England interested in testing new or existing agroecological practices, this is a great opportunity to learn more.

🕖 Tonight – don’t miss it!
🔗 Sign up here:

ADOPT - Agroecology Research Collaboration Webinar – Zoom, Tue 7 Oct 2025 - The Agroecology Research Collaboration warmly invites you to this webinar about ADOPT. ADOPT (

01/10/2025

We're hiring a development worker in Wales!

Thanks to funding from The Ashley Family Foundation, the CSA Network UK is looking for a new Wales-based, part-time team member to support Community Supported Agriculture development in Wales.

Hours: 8 hours per week for two years (funding secured)
Salary: £31,858 pa (pro rata)
Location: Home-based within Wales

The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 19th October so be quick: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/work-with-us/

We imagine this role might be taken by an existing CSA farmer with the relevant skills who is looking for a small amount of work outside their farm.

25/09/2025

"I took on a bare field site in Somerset just about two and a half years ago now.

So, we've kind of gone from nothing into something that I'm really proud is now feeding our community and working with lots of local families, local food banks and supplying some local wholesale as well."

Cam grew Offgrid Organics, a 5-acre, organic certified market garden and CSA, from a bare field to a thriving CSA that is feeding the farm's local community in Somerset.

One of the stepping stones was taking our online starter course, Grow Your Own CSA, which starts on Tuesday 30th September.

Cam says:

"Tom's Grow Your Own CSA course was fantastic. I learned heaps and heaps. Every week there was a different guest speaker. Each one of them brought so much knowledge to the table.

How open everyone was to sharing financial data, crop planning data, varieties like all the kind of details that are really important and really key was beyond helpful as an entry grower."

18/09/2025

Grow Your Own CSA, our 12-week online training programme with Tom O'Kane of Cae Tân CSA starts in less than two weeks!

Please SHARE so as many people as possible can benefit from this headstart into Community Supported Agriculture.

And if you're thinking about joining us, now is the time to book your place at https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/gyocsa/

The course covers everything you need to know to get started in CSA from business planning and finance to crop planning, tools and equipment to funding, working with volunteers to navigating planning permission - and more!

Tom O'Kane is a well-known and respected name in agroecology. In this popular course, he also brings in guest speakers to share their expertise.

CSA is about so much more than selling directly to a hyperlocal market. It's about working with your local community in a way that is *genuinely* mutually beneficial - supporting both the growers and the people who eat the food they grow

05/09/2025

Just over one week to go! Come join us at the Scotland CSA Gathering on Saturday 13th September.

Open to all farmers, growers and community organisers running a CSA or interested in running a CSA.

More information and tickets: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/regional-csa-gatherings-2025/

Please SHARE with anyone you think might benefit from this event!

03/09/2025

Five reasons to consider adding flowers to your Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme:

1. The hunger gap
The flower "hunger" gap differs from the veg hunger gap - so flowers can help top up your income when there's not much veg in the field or in storage

2. Shared risk & reward
You can pick what's there for customers (members) who understand that sometimes there might be a huge offering and sometimes a smaller handful

3. Reduce waste
If you grow flowers for other sales avenues, running a CSA can make use of the flowers that aren't going to be used for gifts or weddings

4. CSA members understand
Marketing your flowers to your CSA members as add-ons for veg boxes makes sense because they already value sustainability and locally grown

5. Local & organic matter
If we recognize that we urgently need to care for the earth in growing food - a bare essential - then the case is even stronger for the way we grow & sell ornamentals

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Our Scotland CSA Gathering includes a workshop on "Adding flowers to your CSA" led by Hannah Lamb of Yorkshire Edible Flowers.

Hannah will be sharing from her extensive knowledge of growing and selling flowers in the context of CSA. Dvdn as a standalone this would be a hugely valuable session!

If you're a grower or community organiser in Scotland, running or interested to running a CSA, come join us!

📅 Saturday 13th September

📍Lauriston Farm, Edinburgh

🎟️ £40-50

For more information and to book your place: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/regional-csa-gatherings-2025/

28/08/2025

Last week we had the privilege of joining in with The Organic Growers Gathering as both sponsors and participants.

We offered sessions on different models for community supported agriculture, community engagement and growing and selling flowers for CSAs.

We also learned lots about making agroecological growing work through sessions and conversations.

It's always valuable spending time with others with shared passion and mission.

🥬 In that vein, if you're running a CSA and you're in Scotland or Wales, come along to one of our in-person September gatherings: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/regional-csa-gatherings-2025/

🍎 And if you're ready to start your CSA journey, our bestseller online course Grow Your Own CSA with Tom O'Kane and other highly experienced CSA growers starts on Sept 30th and is now open for booking: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/gyocsa/

🌽 We're also running a two-day, in-person course led by Ed Hamer on Setting Up and Scaling Up your CSA on Nov 1st and 2nd at
in Comrie, Scotland: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/setting-up-scaling-up-a-csa/

Links for all are in our bio

Thanks especially to Hannah or , Gareth of and Ed of for sharing your expertise and wisdom at our sessions

🍎 And if you're ready to start your CSA journey, our bestseller online course Grow Your Own CSA with Tom O'Kane and other highly experienced CSA growers starts on Sept 30th and is now open for booking.

🌽 We're also running a two-day, in-person course led by Ed Hamer on Setting Up and Scaling Up your CSA on Nov 1st and 2nd at Tomnah'a Market Garden
in Comrie, Scotland

Links for all are in our bio

Thanks especially to Hannah of Yorkshire Edible Flowers, Gareth of Canalside Community Food CSA and Ed of Chagfood for sharing your expertise and wisdom at our sessions

26/08/2025

🌱 CSA Gatherings in Scotland & Wales this September 🌱

This September, CSA farmers and landworkers will be coming together in Scotland and Wales for two gatherings.

These days are about more than workshops or farm tours. They’re a chance to:
✨ Share experiences and ideas
✨ Learn from one another
✨ Collaborate and support each other
✨ Reconnect with why we do this work

With the increasing risks facing our food systems, the role of community-supported farming has never been more vital. These gatherings are about strengthening the networks that help us keep going 🌾

What’s included:
🚜 CSA farm tour
🛠️ CSA workshops
🤝 Networking and discussion
🥗 Shared food (lunch & evening meal)

📍 Scotland Gathering
Lauriston Farm, Edinburgh
📅 Saturday 13th September
💷 £40–50

📍 Wales Gathering
Ash & Elm, Llanidloes
📅 Saturday 27th September
💷 £40–50
✨ In collaboration with CSA Network, Social Farms & Gardens, Organic Growers Alliance & Landworkers Alliance

Let’s gather, share, and build resilience together. All are welcome 💚

More info and tickets: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/regional-csa-gatherings-2025/