In a corner of the Shropshire countryside a unique experiment is taking place. Fordhall Farm, one of the pioneers of organic agriculture, is the setting for the first Community Land Trust in this country. But it’s a race against the clock to raise the funds needed to prevent the land being sold to developers.

As one looks across the farm, the squat, ugly features of the Muller factory that borders its land serve as a constant reminder of the threat that is hanging over it. Farmed by generations of the Hollins family, it was Arthur Hollins who returned the farm to traditional methods after the WWII boom in chemical fertilisers. Creating first a successful yogurt producing business, and then moving to organic meat, poultry and egg production the farm thrived. However by the mid-nineties pressure from developers to sell the land began to leech money away into legal costs and the farm went into decline.

In 2003, in direct response to this threat, the next generation of Hollins set up the Fordhall Project. Its aim was not only to turn around the decline, but to develop Arthur’s ethos even further. Headed by Charlotte (Project Leader, 23) and Ben Hollins (Farm Manager, 21), with Sophie Hopkins (Project Manager, 23), the project has been given until July 2006 to raise the £1 million necessary to buy the land.

One of the most unique things about Fordhall is the way this money is being raised. The land is being bought by a Community Farm Land Trust, which individuals can buy shares in (with the cheapest at £50), and so have their say in how the farm is run. The shares themselves do not generate a profit, removing the motive for speculation, and therefore creating a solid sustainable base for the funding. With the Community Land Trust owning the land, it is rented back to Fordhall Farm. The land owned by the trust will be protected by a covenant ensuring that it is used for farming purposes, thus eliminating the threat of future development. The trust is run by the board of directors includes a seat for Shropshire Wildlife Trust, and one for those who work Fordhall, the rest being occupied by shareholders. It is, in essence, a model for creating a sustainable, community orientated mode of farming.

As well as livestock farming the farm has a farm shop selling their own produce along with a selection of other local and organic foods. But plans for the future go even further. The aim is to create a place thoroughly rooted in the community, providing educational and recreational opportunities for all. There are plans for an education centre with seminar and resource room, a bunkhouse, for visiting groups, tea rooms, and the further development of the nature trail that snakes across the farm.

You can help by buying shares, talking to your friends, writing letters to newspapers, generating publicity for this bold experiment. Get involved with a genuinely radical project and help define a new, sustainable future for agriculture.

For more information contact:
 project@fordhallfarm.com

And see:
www.fordhallfarm.com
www.communitylandtrust.org.uk