Find out more below about our ethos and organisation. For more about membership, head here.
A foundation in Transition Network
The principles of Transition Network underpin what we do: a community coming together to address big challenges by acting locally.
We are a non-profit cooperative.
Legally, we’re a cooperative. Having a formal structure that is recognisable by other organisations and in law makes it easier for us to enter contracts on behalf of the project. Each stakeholder is a member of the co-operative. In line with our legal obligations, we have a Board of Directors and Company Secretary and we hold an Annual General Meeting.
We use the money that we take as membership and from the sale of produce to buy tools, seeds, rent, insurance, materials, and to pay for some social events
We work on trust.
We trust each other to honour our membership commitments and to take only our fair share of the produce. We respect each other and our environment.
We use organic practices.
We’re not certified as organic producers but we use organic practices to grow our crops. We don’t use pesticides or chemicals. We aim to produce crops with minimal fossil fuel input and with maximum respect for the land.
Stakeholders work in teams.
- 10 teams look after the 20plots where vegetables and herbs are grown.
- A Fruit team looks after the orchards, soft fruit, and foraging hedge.
- A Polytunnel team looks after the salads, tomatoes, and other crops that grow under cover.
- An Infrastructure team looks after the buildings, structures, tools, and sanitation.
Teams stay with their assigned plots, but crop rotation ensures that each team experiences new crops each year.
Leadership teams provide guidance.
The stakeholder teams are supported by three leadership teams:
- Team Leaders. These people organise their teams to get the work of growing done.
- Expert Growers. These people decide what crops to grow, in what quantities, and on which plots, and help with issues of crop disease or poor performance.
- Steering committee. This group plans and oversees the overall project and liaises with our landlord, the public, and other organisations.
Volunteers keep us running.
Many stakeholders volunteer to take on additional responsibilities and activities on top of their growing. These contributions help us to function well and enrich our community. Just a few examples include taking care of first aid, compost heaps, water, manure, mowing, social events, communications, money … and many more!
We cultivate a community as well as crops.
It’s not all work at Highbridge Community Farm. We try to build a sense of community and regularly run social events to share skills and celebrate together.
We are self-sufficient in amenities.
We have a compost loo, drinking water, and gas to heat water for tea & coffee. We are near the river Itchen but we don’t use this for water. We store rain water and we take water from a managed pond on Highbridge Farm.
All our tools and equipment are provided and maintained by members of our community.
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