Porty sows seeds for its own farm

A COMMUNITY farm could be created in Portobello, allowing residents to produce their own vegetables, eggs and meat.

The project, developed by local group Pedal, is designed to be run entirely by local volunteers who can grow and rear around 25 per cent of their shopping list in return for working on the land.

Unlike the well-known Gorgie Community Farm, the Portobello version intends to mass produce vegetables and rear animals in a more "hands on" fashion.

Organiser Eva Schonveld said Pedal was asking locals what sort of development would suit them best, but they hoped to start building on the as yet unidentified site in the new year.

The 43-year-old said: "We came up with the idea because so much food is brought in to Portobello from other areas, and we think we'd be financially and environmentally better off if we grow our own.

"It's an ambitious project because we'd be looking to create a lot of vegetables and eggs, and rear a few animals. To do this we'd need quite a few volunteers. It's possible that we might hire a farmer to oversee the site, but we'd like to see residents growing their own and benefiting from the land."

Portobello is thought to spend around 16 million each year on food and drink, including 450 tonnes of fruit, 350 tonnes of vegetables, 300 tonnes of bread and 700,000 eggs.

But Ms Schonveld said they had come up with several ways to slash household costs - or at least pump the money back into the local economy.

She said: "If people aren't looking to grow and rear their own, perhaps because they don't have the time, they might be able to buy the produce from our own community farm.

"Or we might sell some of the produce to local traders to sell on. Whatever is decided, it's about benefiting Portobello.

"On the farm we'd like to grow spuds, lots of salad foods and vegetables. We want to rear hens for eggs and perhaps have a few pigs and cows."

Jobs for volunteers on the farm will include everything from feeding chickens and driving tractors to planting, picking and harvesting the produce. Ms Schonveld also pointed out that they were hoping to create a venue on the farm for local events and celebrations.

She said: "If we can't find one large site for the farm, we'd consider three smaller ones. The farm will need funds and time to work, but we're hoping as many people as possible will muck in a bit."