Name: Grow Your Own CSA Training - Oct 2023-Feb 2024 - 15x 2 hour online sessions
Uploaded: 2023-07-17T09:37:42Z
Description: This 15-week online course is for groups or individuals who have or are in the process of attaining the growing skills needed to run a CSA.

Grow Your Own CSA Training - Oct 2023-Feb 2024 - 15x 2 hour online sessions

The CSA Network UK is the only organisation working solely to promote CSA - community supported agriculture - across the UK.We provide a national platform to promote CSA and map farms, enabling us to track the growth of the CSA movement in the UK.We give support and advice to CSA farms through events, networking, sharing experiences, skills and expertise.We provide information, resources, training and mentoring to individuals and communities wanting to start a CSA farm.We aim to raise public awareness of CSA and encourage policymakers to recognise its benefits.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Network UK

This 15-week online course is for groups or individuals who have or are in the process of attaining the growing skills needed to run a CSA.

Community Supported Agriculture is a profitable, sociable, and sustainable way to link land and community. We would like to see CSA projects thrive across the UK.The course runs from October to February, so growers have finished the main season &amp; can run through this training in time to set up a CSA the following season! You may also want to do the course to help you decide if CSA is for you.Each online session topic will last 2 hours. Sessions will run on the first three Tuesdays of each month, between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm, with a total of 15 sessions.The sessions allow us to explore a subject more in-depth or invite guest speakers with particular expertise. They are also an opportunity for students to share ideas &amp; raise questions.Before each session, we will send you a list of study resources. These will be a mixture of web pages, short films &amp; documents. In each session, we will also give you an assignment to complete. These assignments will form the basis of discussion when we meet.Whilst the online session will be 2 hrs, we suggest that you will need to give anywhere between 2 to 4 hours additional study time &amp; upwards per week, to work on your CSA plans as we guide you through the session topics. The more time you put in, the more you will get out.This course will ideally be supplemented by you receiving mentoring from various organisations. We will try to help you find this extra support.The course tutor (Tom) will also be available half a day every week to answer emails &amp; chat on the phone.Working from our own experiences, we will give you an overview of the main issues you will need to consider in order to set up &amp; run your CSA successfully.Tuesdays 5.30 to 7.30 Dates, Sessions &amp; Topics P﻿lease Note - this course is delayed by one week, so first date will be October 17thOctober 10th 	1 - What is CSA (Business planning part 1)October 17th 	2 - Have you got the skills base? (Business planning part 2)October 24th	3 - Finding &amp; assessing land qualityNovember 7th	4 - CSA structures (Business planning part 3) November 14th 	5 - Crop Planning &amp; growing for the hungry gap November 21st	6 – Site planning December 5th	7 - Business planning part 4 December 12th	8 – The UK CSA Network – how they can support you December 19th	9 - Financing the setup &amp; managing your finances through the season &amp; making successful funding applicationsJanuary 9th	10 - Planning issues for barns, polytunnels, parking &amp; toilets! January 16th	11 - Tools &amp; equipment for varying scales January 23rd	12 – Good working relationships February 6th 13 – Human resources 11.1 Engaging volunteers 11.2 Engaging &amp; retaining members/membership management 11.3 Hosting trainees &amp; supporting them to move on - passing on your knowledge February 13th 	14 – Engaging schools &amp; the community, food equality for all – risk assessments &amp; InsuranceFebruary 20th 	15 - Final evaluation The sessions have many expert guest speakers, including:Rhian Williams of Kirkstall Valley Farm Ruth Evans &amp; Jessie Kidd of Cae Tan CSA Hetty Ninnis of Newquay Orchard Andy Dibben of Abbey Home FarmLucie Taylor of the Community Land Advisory ServiceJade Bashford of the Real Farming Trust Tony Little of The Landworkers AllianceSuzy Russell of the UK CSA Network If you would like any further information on the course content or bursaries, please email csanetworkuk@gmail.comYour course co-ordinator – Tom O’Kane* 8 years setting up &amp; running Cae Tan CSA* 31 years experience in sustainable farming* BSc Organic Farming – Aberystwyth* International Certificate in Biodynamic Farming – Lynette West, NSW, Australia* Certificate in ‘The Human Context of Organic farming’ – KVL Copenhagen*11 years of experience mentoring community growers* Experience in setting up &amp; running community garden training programmesWhat people say about Tom’s course“Training at Cae Tan gave me a solid foundation in running a CSA. The help and support from Cae Tan in setting up Big Meadow was invaluable and made the process of setting up clear and accessible and gave me the confidence to get started.“Abbi Mason – trainee – now running her own CSA.-﻿------“I would recommend this course to others for its signposting to and generally well sequenced navigation through the many useful online resources out there. But more so for the opportunities to be inspired and guided by people already making Community Supported Agriculture work – especially for the one-to-one support – as well as for opportunities in building a support network with others aspiring to start their own.“Dan – course participant – now in a full-time hands-on training position.-﻿------“I think so far it’s been a very useful source of information when I had very little idea of sort of nuts and bolts of setting up a CSA. So as a course to give you an understanding of what you need, what you can do, what helps available it’s been great. Especially learning about the different organisations out there and people who can offer advice.”Tom Edwards – course participant – now a grower on a CSA.-﻿------“I think that the mix of delivery by people who are running a v successful CSA, plus the amazing guest speakers plus the one-to-one advice makes this course1) is ideal to guide students who are exploring options before they make major time, financial and emotional investment in a project,and2) great for people already with a start-up who are looking for affordable guidance and mentoring.The course has been really helpful in giving structure to my proposed CSA; ultimately, this has shown that many conceptual ideas I had are not practically workable in the form I had supposed, but equally, I feel like I have a lot of resources to seek for better options.”Emma Luo – course participant.-﻿------Full Course Fees £430 (CSA Network UK Members, £400)If you would like any further information on the course content or bursaries, please email csanetworkcomms@gmail.com

Agenda

Session 01 - 17th October 2023 - What is CSA (Business planning part 1)

Session 02 - 17th October 2023 - Have you got the skills base? (Part 2)

Session 03 - 24th October 2023 - 3 - Finding & assessing land quality

Session 04 - 7th November 2023 - CSA structures (Business planning part 3)

Session 05 - 14th November 2023 - Crop Planning & growing for the hungry gap

Session 06 - 21st November 2023 - Site planning 

Session 07 - 5th December 2023 - Business planning part 4

Session 08 - 12th December 2023 - The UK CSA Network – how they support you

Session 09 - 19th December 2023 - Finance, managing & funding applications

Session 10 - 9th January 2024 -  Planning issues ,buildings, parking & toilets

Session 11 - 16th January 2024 - Tools & equipment for varying scales

Session 12 - 23rd January 2024 - Good working relationships 

Session 13 - 6th February 2024 - Human resources, volunteers and  trainee

Session 14 - 13th February 2024 - Engaging schools & the community

Session 15 - 20th February 2024 - Final evaluation

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Grow Your Own CSA Training - Oct 2023-Feb 2024 - 15x 2 hour online sessions

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Grow Your Own CSA Training - Oct 2023-Feb 2024 - 15x 2 hour online sessions

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