Gloucestershire Regenerative Environment and Agriculture Transition
Welcome to our special Financing Regen newsletter.
With so many opportunities popping up, we couldn't wait a whole month. Read on to find out about some loans and grants, a GREAT-funded opportunity to start a horticulture enterprise, and the latest videos on finance for agroecology.
Grow veg! Start a new CSA
GREAT is funding a further four farms or groups to receive long-term support to set up new Community Supportive Agriculture schemes in Gloucestershire.
The CSA Network will offer fully funded guidance for 12-18 months as you set up a new horticulture enterprise.
Deadline for applications: Sunday 24th April 2022.
Funding and finance
Click the logos for links
Dean Organic Fund
As of the 27th January 2022 the third round of the Dean Organic Fund is open to applications, with up to £200,000 of interest-free loans available for small businesses operating with organic or agroecological principles.
Loans for Enlightened Agriculture Programme
LEAP offers a mix of affordable loans and grants, side by side with a comprehensive mentoring programme and hands on approach.
LEAP can provide a critical next step for community-based agroecological enterprises that have relied on grant funding to date and who have had nowhere to go to finance their onward development.
Gloucestershire Nature + Climate Fund
GNCF is a new initiave under development, led by Glos Local Nature Partnership and Gfirst Local Enterprise Partnership. It will leverage financial contributions from the private and public sectors for investment in the natural environment. It will be an independent not-for-profit broker for environmental enhancement projects.
The fund is still under development, but you can read a little more and contact the project manager via their new website.
Agroecology Fund
The Agroecology Fund (AEF) is an international multi-donor fund supporting agroecological practices and policies. Suited more to regional or national movements that enable locals to secure their own food sovereignty, the fund is nevertheless an opportunity for partnership-led systemic change.
Take a look at the latest videos speically curated from YouTube. Added especially to complement this Finance Special are:
Developing local blended finance opportunities: recorded from a workshop by FWAG SouthWest Gloucestershire at RAU, Feb 2022
Releasing additional income from regenerative farming: recorded from a talk at Groundswell 2021
Financing agroecology: form tweaking to transformation: recorded at Oxford Real Farming Conference 2021
STOP PRESS!
Webinar tonight: Can Regenerative Agriculture transform global dairy? FAI Farms event, 6pm - 7pm tonight (9th March 2022). Register HERE.
Agroforestry event tomorrow: Sandfield Farm, Sedgeberrow (WR11 7QS) with Emma Harrison on Thursday March 10th at 10am. It will finish with a lunch at 12.30pm.
The Woodland Trust officer Jeremy Evans will discuss: what site conditions to consider; the best planting structure and stock; match funding opportunities to support a scheme and increase chances of success. If you would like to attend, please email Jo Leigh - Joanne.Leigh@fwagsw.org.uk.
