The preparation stage of the project is under way; a fantastic group of volunteers has come together to form the future Board of NCA, a growing/environment group and a marketing group. So this is the time that some of the things that we didn't have time fully to think through before the project started, have been bubbling up to the surface and demanding our attention.
I want to mention three such issues in this post: (i) "ownership" issues, or the respective roles of EAFL and NCA; (ii) how the school farm project fits with the CSA, and (iii) whether NCA is the right name for the new co-op.
Ownership: in some of the meetings of NCA's various groups, and in conversations outside of those meetings, it became clear that some of the voluntary supporters were unsure how much say they, as opposed to EAFL, had in the important decisions about how the projects should be delivered. I think there were two reasons for this.
Firstly, in a previous post I described how, although the project ideas came from Transition Norwich's food group, it ended up being EAFL's staff who put together the detailed funding proposal with its budget and business plan. So there was a suspicion that that (long and impenetrable) document set out all kinds of detailed plans that only EAFL understood. I've just circulated a 2-page summary of what the business plan and budget do stipulate - compared to the much broader areas which have yet to be defined. Hopefully that will help to reassure everyone that NCA is very much the master of its own destiny.
The second reason is that EAFL's role in the management of the project has been ambivalent. On the one hand, EAFL's staff are there as expert advisers and facilitators for NCA. But on the other hand, EAFL is legally the recipient of the Lottery funding and therefore responsible for ensuring that the project succeeds - which can give the impression that EAFL is in charge. However, EAFL are very clear that the project can only succeed if NCA take full ownership of the project. We aim to relate to NCA as consultants and advisers. If we ever forget that, let us know!
Visioning session: we're currently trying to arrange a "visioning session" for NCA. The aim of that session will be for everyone involved in NCA to set out what they want NCA to deliver, not only in terms of vegetables but in terms of how the land is managed, how the organisation is managed, how it looks after its customers and its staff, and so on.
The school farm and the CSA: so far, most of the people who've come together around the CSA are excited about the CSA, but haven't given so much thought to the school farm. Yet it's clear that, for the school farm to continue into the long term, it needs to have a group of "champions" who will make sure it thrives. So either we need to persuade the CSA activists to see the school farm as part of the CSA, or we need to find a second group of activists who are passionate about the school farm.
Getting the name right: in the funding bid we used Norwich Community Agriculture as a working title for the new co-op. And when the "board" group last met to talk about incorporating the co-op, I asked whether we were happy with that name, and those present nodded it through without much discussion. But since then a few people have questioned whether it's the right name. It might sound too abstract to attract some of the people who we want to become its customers. Chris L has found a branding expert who has kindly offered to contribute a couple of hours of his time. Once we've done the visioning session, some of us will meet with him to see if there's a better name out there.
Other things that have happened over the last few weeks: The marketing group have made plans for a logo and a website. The board group have agreed a legal structure and are close to signing the incorporation documents. The growing group has agreed a job description for the farm manager and Jason has developed a plan for tree planting. Radio Norfolk covered the Hewett school market garden (Oct 25th). Irrigation and insurance issues are being progressed. And the flour mill has arrived!
