Newtonards accessible vegbox

What: A local retail and membership model pilot that enables people living in the low income community in Newtonards to access organic vegbox from local organic farm Westwinds at 50% discount. The pilot will run from 19th July until Christmas 2024. 

Where: Newtownards, Northern Ireland

Which of the six approaches this pilot takes: Local retail, horticulture strategy

Demonstrating: 

• The uptake and appeal of subsidised veg boxes.
• A sense of wellbeing as a result of access to pesticide free fruit and veg.

Story: Farmer, Barry Ferguson, whose family have farmed in the same place since the 1880s, is gradually converting his father’s family farm to organic. In 2023 he launched a CSA and veg box scheme which ran for a year. Barry was conscious that his veg boxes were primarily reaching people on higher incomes and not people living on the estate which borders the farm. 

Working with Bridging the Gap Barry has launched a pilot making veg boxes more affordable to people experiencing a low income in the local area.

From July 2023, people in Newtownards have been able to become members of a weekly vegbox scheme. Members will receive a share of the farm’s produce based on what is ready for harvest that week. People experiencing low incomes can access a 50% discount on the standard price of the box to ensure that everyone is able to access healthy and sustainable food at a price that fits their budget.
Leading the pilot CSA initiative supported by Bridging the Gap. Barry said:

“Part of the vision for our small family farm is to get back towards what the job of farms was a couple of generations ago, i.e. producing and supplying fresh food directly to our local community. The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) approach which we have adopted on one field on the farm isn’t about making profits and developing big business, but more about producing food at a tiny scale and without agrochemicals with and for our local community.”  

Through the pilot, Ben Vista Farm will be able to supply up to 30 families with a weekly selection from the forty varieties of veg they have planted. 

“From talking to people in and around Newtownards there is a clear demand for fresh, organically grown, seasonal vegetables, but often the organic produce is hard to find (or is just not available), costs significantly more than conventionally grown veg and isn’t always the freshest having come from Spain, the Netherlands and even further afield.”  

Project Partners:

• Ben Vista Farm
• Biruk Sahle, Hahu Organics

Supporters:

• Nourish NI

Next steps: Establish a cooperative on the land with local people and extend the box scheme as the farm grows.