Getting started

Essential reading from the Soil Association to support the development of CSA projects:

• A Share in the Harvest - CSA action manual [PDF, 1.5MB]

• A Share in the Harvest appendices [PDF, 985KB]

• Cultivating Co-operatives toolkit - organisational structures for local food enterprises [PDF, 5.3 MB]

• Pig ignorant? A Soil Association guide to small scale pig keeping, 2^nd edition, by Jim Pettipher
   
• CSA and organic buying groups leaflet & poster Copies are available to promote your CSA or organic buying group. For copies email: adaniel@soilassociation.org.

• Seting up an organic buying group A short guide on how to set up a buying group for your office, neighbours, friends etc [PDF, 205 KB]

• Horticultural Cropping Tool  The Soil Association has developed a basic vegetable planner using Excel to help you with initial planning for crop and business planning. For more information about the cropping tool contact : Ben Raskin T: 0117 314 5185 
  E: braskin@soilassociation.org

Useful guides

For community groups

• Programme for a public meeting [PDF, 40 KB]
   
• What next after the public meeting [PDF, 171 KB]
   
• Looking for land - contact your local farmers, parish council, local council or look on the Landshare website

For farmers

• Defining your proposal [PDF, 146 KB]

Further reading

• Cultivating Communities - features 11 case studies [PDF,1.5 MB] 
   
• Sharing the Harvest - an inspirational and extremely comprehensive book on CSA - known as the CSA bible. A must read!
   
• Food Coops Toolkit Sustain, our partner in the Making Local Food Work programme, has published a food co-ops toolkit to help more communities set up their own food co-ops and buying groups.