Cultivating Community Farming and Good Governance

In the photo: Declan Scullion from the Tenth Glen Farm, Seamus from Harmony Trust, Tiziana O’Hara, CCF, Jo from the Edible Flower, Ashely and Laura Douglas from Azora Community Farm at Glenside Farm. Photo credited to Sabrina Scullion.

The Cultivating Community Farming is a programme of support for farmers and communities to develop their own ideas on how to use land, engage community and develop purpose-driven enterprises and co-ops.

This programme was born out a collaboration between Jubilee Farm and Co-operative Alternative. It was very evident that despite the success of the first community owned farm in the region, a dedicate programme on supporting emerging projects was necessary. Co-op Foundation invested in the idea and we started our journey in 2022. So far both Tiziana O’Hara and Jonny Hanson have supported 10 groups during their development via mentoring, workshops and visits.

On Saturday 20 May, the participating groups gathered at the Glenside Farm for a skill share workshop on governance. The groups explored why good governance is an essential part of their development with hands on activities. Tiziana O’Hara said “The Cultivating Community Farm project has supported groups with a common passion to farming, nature and communities. When we meet, we learn from each other experiences and build on the mutual support that it is more than ever required to open new spaces for communities to enjoy. By the end of the project, we will have collected enough data to measure the impacts of such initiatives in Northern Ireland and a report will be published. ”