Locally Grown Organic Produce: Amazing, Ethical, Fresh Food

Knowing where and how our food is grown should be an important part of our lives but for most it isn’t. Reclaiming a connection to your food is a positive step for us as individuals and the communities that we live in.

Slade Farm is an Organic Farm sitting between St Brides Major and the picturesque Heritage Coast in the Vale of Glamorgan. The food that is produced is grown and raised to Organic standards in a system that produces its own nutrients meaning that the food is truly sustainable.

Why Choose Locally Grown and Reared Organic Produce?

1. Flavourful Freshness:

When you buy locally grown produce from Slade Farm Organics, you're getting food at the peak of its flavour. Just-harvested vegetables not only taste better, but also retain more nutrients compared to produce that has travelled long distances. Buying seasonal food also reduces our carbon footprint. Supermarket veg brought in from South America can have up to 28 times the carbon footprint of veg grown here in Wales.

2. Supporting Local Farmers:

By purchasing from Slade Farm Organics, you're supporting local farmers and strengthening the community. When we set up the veg bag scheme we established it as a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. Why is that important?

• It looks after the farmer by binding in the members to the success and failure of the crop.

• It looks after the community ensuring that people have a consistent source of highly nutritious food.

• It looks after the land by ensuring commitment to Organic and Agroecological principles.

By becoming a member of our schemes, you help sustain small-scale agriculture and keeps money circulating within the local economy. Being an asset to the local community is what it is all about. We build on that through working with local school children and community groups to promote a connection to the land and our food.

3. Environmental Benefits:

Our way of farming and growing is to work with nature. We are not attempting to mass produce food. Consequently our impact on the land that we occupy is much less than industrial farms. We don’t use pesticides, herbicides and fungicides that damage the ecosystems that we all rely on. Likewise, we don’t over stock the ground and we don’t over produce waste products that can’t be used in the system. If you are supporting local farms with our ethos, you are actively contributing to a better environment that is encouraging and growing biodiversity.

Discover Slade Farm Organics

At Slade Farm Organics, we consider a commitment to organic farming practices and sustainability as central to our identity. Some people who shop with us value that, others just like the way the food tastes. Our farm shop is open every Thursday from 2-5 (expanding to 2-7 from the end of May) and every Saturday from 10-2. Make a plan and come and see us if you have the time.

1. Fresh Organic Vegetables:

With over 8 tonnes of fresh organic vegetables produced every season (May-December), Slade Farm Organics offers a wide variety of seasonal produce to get you working in the kitchen. From salad bags to juicy tomatoes, our vegetables are bursting with flavour and nutrients.

We offer weekly veg bags filled with a selection of our finest organic produce that comes from here on the farm. When you prepare a meal with Slade Farm Organic veg it is a direct connection to the land here in the Vale of Glamorgan.

2. Monthly Organic Meat Deliveries:

In addition to our Organic vegetables, Slade Farm Organics also offers monthly Organic meat deliveries to the local community. We rear rare breed Organic beef, pork, and lamb using sustainable and ethical farming practices. It’s a slow process that can’t be rushed.

Organically reared meat tends to be richer in essential nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, offering a healthier option. We also create organic sausages and burgers from our meat, perfect for summer BBQs! Ultimately, choosing organically reared meat is not just a culinary preference but also a conscientious decision towards sustainable agriculture and personal well-being.

3. Organic Welsh Flour

Yes, we grow organic wheat on the farm that is then milled at two Welsh water mills, Y Felin in St. Dogmaels and Felin Ganol. The Wheat that we grow is a heritage variety, a landrace called Hen Gymro (Old Welsh), that is perfect for home-made breads. When buying our organic flour, you are not just supporting our farm, but two traditional Welsh mills too.

Reconnect With Your Food!

Buying locally grown organic produce from Slade Farm is a conscious choice to eat healthier and to live more sustainably. We dedicate ourselves to producing food the way it should be. Visit our farm shop, book a monthly meat delivery  or try one of our veg bags.

The Awesome Accessible Veg Project: Cultivating Care in Communities

In 2021, we set about evolving our veg scheme to incorporate accessibility. The Accessible Veg Project was set up in collaboration with some academics who are long term friends of the farm. The project, organised by T-Grains, received financial assistance from UWE Bristol, Cardiff University, WWF Cymru and Food Sense Wales. Born from the collaboration between researchers, Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms, and food aid partners, this project aimed to bridge the gap between food-insecure households and nutritious vegetables.

Please note, Community-supported Agriculture (CSA) farms are part of an agroecological model. People, planet, and producer are at the core of this value system.

The Accessible Veg Project

What we wanted to do was integrate households that might not usually access our veg scheme into our local CSA. These schemes, usually accessible to paying members, offer a weekly assortment of fresh vegetables during the harvest season. However, for some that may not be possible, due to costs of other factors, we wanted to challenge that.

For the trial period funding of the Veg bags came from the research resources. However, CSA participants needed to explore different, sustainable ways to fund the cost of the bags once the project period ended. (Read on to discover how Slade Farm Organics achieve this).

Fresh organic vegetables are important to all in promoting health and well-being, The Accessible Veg Project sought to make that resource accessible to all. Through the project, participants received weekly veg bags free of charge, or for a small contribution, accompanied by informational resources, recipes, and opportunities for farm visits and volunteering.

Cultivating Community

We were making it up as we went along, in many ways, so proper evaluation was really important. Pre- and post-veg bag interviews with participants provided valuable insights into the impact of CSA membership on diets, food security, and overall well-being. Although the dropout rate underscored existing barriers to accessibility, the project remained committed in its dedication to the overall challenge. Splice Child and Family Project stated, ‘We have provided delivery to each family, many do not have transport and would find it hard to access the farm to collect their veg boxes.’

The project was never just about vegetables however, but about building and nurturing a sense of community. Learning more about what was going on at the farms and how vegetables are grown, through various forms of communication, many participants reported feeling connected to the cause of the farm. Indeed, they felt like they were part of the community.

The Accessible Veg Project Findings

In a report written by Dr Caroline Verfeurth and Dr Angelina Sanderson Bellamy the impact of the project on the lives of participants proved extremely positive. In addition to receiving access to fresh produce, participants in the project working with the CSA farms felt connected to a larger cause, even if they could not visit the farms themselves. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, in a world where loneliness levels continue to rise, participants became part of a community. Whether they engaged with the delivery personnel or participated in group chats on social media platforms, they felt a sense of belonging and solidarity.

Likewise, receiving a weekly veg bag improved the food insecurity of participants. Fewer participants found it difficult affording their weekly food shop. Fewer participants went hungry or skipped meals. Indeed, receiving the veg bag significantly improved the well-being of participants. For the full report findings, please click here.

Where Do We Go from Here?

One of the project's pivotal moments was the workshop convened with CSA and charity partners. Here, stakeholders shared their experiences and explored avenues for sustainable collaboration. CSA farms, including Ash and Elm Horticulture, Galsbren, Henbant, and Slade Farm Organics, showcased their commitment to fostering solidarity and inclusivity within their communities. Partnering with local charities such as Splice Child and Family Project and Siop Griffiths further amplified the project's reach and impact.

Slade Farm Organics continues to work with Splice Child and Family Project to provide the Accessible Veg Project to our local community. Funding for the project comes from the paid weekly veg bag scheme itself. Weekly veg bags cost between £18 - £23. Our aim is to target an average cost of £20 per bag. Therefore, any excess payments received for our organic weekly veg bags by wealthier households, is then used to fund the veg bags for the lower income families. A true sense of community! So, if you wish to order a weekly Organic Veg back and learn more about our scheme, please click here.

Conclusion

The legacy of The Accessible Veg Project serves as a beacon of hope and possibility. Its success demonstrates the transformative power of collective action and underscores the importance of centring community voices in efforts to address food insecurity. As we continue to cultivate connections and cultivate change, may we draw inspiration from initiatives like The Accessible Veg Project to sow a future where nutritious food is truly accessible to all.