Bath farmers spend life savings on eco-farm that could feed more than 400 families

Four young farmers have spent their life savings on 16 acres of land to build an eco-farm that could feed more than 400 families.

Middle Ground Growers have already spent £210,000 to purchase grassland in Bath but need to raise a further £95,000 to complete their farm.

Co-founder Hamish Evans said the group hopes the campaign will inspire a cultural change in farming and the UK's relationship with food.

"It's a really beautiful, meaningful livelihood that stemmed from a kind of ecological grief," the 23-year-old said.

"Our farm is about connecting people back to the land, as part of the local food movement.

"It is about creating different cultural norms through different eating habits and a lifestyle that minimises the impact on the environment."

Middle Ground Growers is made up of: Mr Evans; Xavier Hamon, 35; Olivia Rhodes,31; and Sammy Elmore, 28, and a host of volunteers.

Money raised through their fundraiser will go towards helping the group complete their 16-acre site at Weston Spring Farm.

Donors are also offered the chance to name an orchard tree for an environmentally-conscious gift this Christmas.

So far, more than half of the funds have already been raised, and Mr Evans said the support has been "overwhelming".

"I think people can get behind it because our farm will provide local, healthy, affordable food that is grown in a way that does not destroy things," he said.

"There is usually some resistance to major changes like this, but we have not had any backlash."

The funds raised will cover the costs of tools and equipment to build a five-acre, no-dig market garden, a solar barn equipped with a 12-kilowatt solar panel system - as well as to restore ponds and wetlands.

A regenerative ecological farm uses special farming and grazing practices to help restore degraded soil diversity and rebuild the natural area.

The farm will produce a range of seasonal fruit and vegetables, including acres of apple, pear, damson and greengage trees, and there are plans for a nuttery to grow walnuts and hazelnuts.

Middle Ground Growers currently sell seasonal veg boxes from their two-acre plot in Bathampton for 70 families every week.

However, they hope their new farm will expand this to more than 400 homes around Somerset.

The contents of each box change according to what vegetables are in season andincludes fresh eggs produced by the farm's 48 free-range hens.

The chickens, which the team refer to as their "co-stewards of the land",benefit the farm's ecosystem by keeping the grass down and adding manure to the composting system.

Mr Evans admitted that changes to food production are a "complex issue", particularly around affordability for lower-income households.

He added there needs to be more education about the importance of food beinggrown locally but "shaming people for their diets" is not the way forward.

The farm runs educational programmes and workshops to try to combat this by teaching people about seasonal food production and ecological farming.

"People shouldn't be blamed or made to feel bad because that won't make anyonechange," he said.

"The education has got to be inclusive, so we can learn together and inspire change rather than forcing it through guilt or fear.

To find out more about the project, visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ecological-farm-for-bath#start.