AN EXCITING new food project in Chagford is looking forward to getting 'planted', after securing a field to house a community-supported fruit and vegetable garden.

Chagfood, formed following a community meeting earlier in the year, will be the first scheme in Devon based on local food marketing known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) — and Chagfood hopes to be the first horse-powered CSA project in England.

The CSA scheme encourages communities to actively support farmers, who are producing their food. It works by selling weekly vegetable box shares to subscribers who sign up for a year at a time.

The group will start with the fertilisation of its new three-acre field over the winter.

Local resident Ed Hamer, who is also one of the growers, said: 'We are relieved that we have eventually found the right piece of land after six months of searching, however, now it's time for the hard work to really start.

'We will be sowing in a green manure to build fertility on the field over the winter.'

The group will also be using its Dartmoor cross Welsh Cob, Samson, to plough the field and help with pulling up the weeds.

Mr Hamer said: 'From next spring we intend to be using Samson for light cultivation, hoeing and transporting vegetable boxes from the site to the village.'

By then, the group hopes it will have heard back from the Local Food Grants programme on the success of its application for funding.

The group has asked for a grant of £36,000 to cover the running costs of the scheme for the first three years.

It will also be placing a planning application for two polytunnels with the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

Mr Hamer added: 'The future success of the scheme is entirely dependent upon the outcome of these two decisions, however, we are confident that we have the right combination of experience, enthusiasm and public support to make it work.'

Mr Hamer said CSA consumers immediately reduce the number of links in the supply chain, cutting transport, retail and marketing costs.

He said: 'As a result CSAs are consistently able to compete with the supermarket organics for both freshness and affordability — dispelling the myth that local organic food is only available to a select minority.'

Mr Hamer said members of the scheme would be invited to work on the farm for one day a month, with the aim of getting them more involved with where their food is coming from, and encouraging them to help with seasonal tasks such as weeding, soft fruit picking and harvesting.

He said: 'Once everything is in place, we hope to be sowing seedlings in the polytunnels early next year, with our first crop of vegetables available to the scheme members by next April.

'The new field means Chagford residents will finally have access to local ecologically produced fruit and vegetables — whereas before residents could only find food in supermarkets.'

The scheme was born out of increasing local demand for ecologically-produced, seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables from Chagford's residents.

Grower for Chagfood Chinnie Kingsbury said the project's aim was to create a community garden that is both useful and beautiful.

She said: 'The garden will be somewhere people can reconnect with the land and experience the joys of growing their own food.

'Once everything is sorted, we would like to have one or two members who would come and do some extra hours.

'The actual concept of the project is that the garden will develop through the community.'

There are still a few places left for members to sign up for a weekly vegetable box from next spring.

The group is welcoming letters of support for its planning application to the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

Anyone who would like to get in touch to find out more can email [email protected]">[email protected]