Creating Sustainable Agriculture & Tiny Homes at Stanford Hall

Inside the CSA’s very own wattle and daub round house. The opening at the top allows air to flow through leaving the inside much cooler than the outside.

Dig for victory. That was what we were once told all those years ago and dig for victory we did. Every inch of garden, allotment, public park and even some school grounds were turned over to urgently produce enough food to feed the nation. However, whilst the need to grow food has not lessened, many people today have become completely disconnected from how their food is produced. Worse still, many people who are interested lack a garden or outside space to even give it ago. Thankfully across the country we are seeing the emergence of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects and I had the great pleasure of recently visiting the one at Stanford Hall.

Intercropping is an important aspect at the CSA to avoid the monocultures of modern industrial farming.

So, what is a CSA? The aim is to bring producers and consumers closer together through direct purchases without all the usual middlemen. By connecting them as part of a stable community: incomes are increased, people eat healthier, locally produced food and feel a connection to how that food is produced. Beyond that the aim is to farm is a more natural and sustainable way to reduce pressures on land and help maintain diverse and intact soil ecosystems. All with the shortest possible supply chains that keep the carbon footprint of these activities to a minimum.

Large amounts of flowering plants provide plenty of food for pollinating insects.

The Stanford Hall CSA is now approaching five years old and is situated upon approximately ten acres of land that had previously been used for sheep grazing. The owners of Stanford Hall, Nick & Lucy, had taken an interest in permaculture and wanted to undertake a new project that involved more regenerative practices. There is a core team of four paid growers and then a number of volunteers who give up as much time as they are able to the project and all of which share in what is produced.

The harvest of apples looks like it will good this year.

For those who can’t get involved physically it is possible to become a member by paying a weekly fee which entitles you to a share of what has been harvested in the past seven days. This of course will vary week to week but ensures a sustainable income for growers. Members are not just spectators either and are kept involved as part of the decision-making process of what is planted. Despite the small amount of land is can currently support up to seventy paid members in addition to the CSA’s other commitments.

Mulching has been important for certain crops during this unusually hot and dry summer.

Kale is one of the many things grown at the CSA.

Beyond the simple production of food, the CSA also plays a key role in public outreach and education, holding relationships with several local schools. Not only do they supply fresh fruit and vegetables for the school cafeteria, but the schoolchildren are also brought onsite to see how the food they eat is produced. A recent example is the Bean Project, exploring how we can grow haricot beans in the UK, something we as a nation consume a lot of and yet almost entirely import. The children helped with the harvesting and processing of part of this one-acre project before being served locally made baked beans at Stanford Hall. Much better than what you’d get in a tin.

The goats are able to graze on the wilder parts of the CSA.

The team at the CSA built a simple duck pond to supplement the meat and eggs they get from their chickens.

Whilst crops have been the main focus there are also some animals onsite. Currently the site has goats, chickens & ducks and it did previously have pigs. The birds require little maintenance and produce a regular supply of eggs, but there aren’t any plans currently to bring in anymore pigs due to the amount of work and extra feed required to keep them. The goats will also soon be moved onto another project to produce milk and dairy products. However more recently several beehives have been established onsite with the aim to not only produce honey for sale in the future, but also to support the pollination of the plants.

Zack inspects one of the beehives.

Honey production is in its infancy at the CSA but good progress is starting to be made.

The Veg Shack at the Bushcraft Show was created to sell their produce and showcase their good work . Amy, who was running it, is involved in the everyday running of the CSA and also helped setup MAC Tiny Homes.

The Veg Shack’s pakoras proved to be popular all weekend.

As the project has grown so has the need to setup buildings to accommodate the people onsite and this in turn has led to a new business – MAC Tiny Homes. The Tiny House movement is social as well as architectural, focusing on downsizing and living in a more sustainable, eco-friendly way. The perfect fit to the work of the CSA which itself is working to help people live in a more natural and communal way of life.

The latest tiny homes to be built onsite.

The company was founded in late 2020 with support from Nick and Lucy and got fully underway in 2021 with Jack and Lowell designing and building the initial order. The first one was built over the course of about 4-5 months as they worked out the kinks in the process such as procuring the necessary cedar wood and working out how approach the internals to maximise living space. While cedar is currently difficult to source it makes for the best material as it is lightweight, highly rot resistance and finishes well.

Jack, Lowell & Zack showed a group of people from the Buschcraft show around the CSA and the tiny homes.

Jack explains how the tiny homes are built.

During a lull period they also set to work on the impressive wattle and daub building used by the CSA. This traditional mud hut was free to build as it utilised readily available materials on site, predominantly clay soil, but it was very labour intensive. However, they turned this to their advantage but running workshops with volunteers who could assist in the build whilst learning skills themselves.  

Despite their small size they are well designed to maximise the living space inside.

More complicated elements such as spiral staircases look impressive but add to the construction time.

The next tiny home only took three months to build, this time with the help of new team member Zack, and the hope it to further reduce this to two months based on what they have learned so far. The key is keeping the design simple and avoid adding too many complicating elements, though ultimately it will depend on what the customer wants. Local and other eco-businesses are also involved in certain aspects such as internal fittings and windows & doors.

Each tiny home has its own individual feel and variations. Some very large planks were used in the construction of this one.

Jack’s original tiny home was the inspiration for the company founding. It was on display at the Bushcraft Show all weekend.

In terms of who the customer is, the main aim is to supply it to people who will live in them all year around. Whether that is for young people who otherwise can’t afford their own home or a pensioner wanting to downsize in their retirement, the builders want to produce homes that people will truly cherish and possibly even pass down. Though of course there will be those interested in commercial reasons like running an Airbnb.

The wattle & daub round house, built during a lull period in building the first tiny home.

Lowell discusses how it was built with one of the tour members. You can clearly see the wooden support structures that the mud is layered on top of. More work is planned for the walls and floor to create a smoother final finish.

Prices start from £35k for a first fix and from £50-60k for a second fit with kitchen and bathroom. Prices well inline with what other tiny home makers ask for but Jack, Lowell & Zack hope the superb quality of their sustainably sourced materials and of the build itself will be their main selling points to potential customers.

The kitchen area has also incorporated wattle and daub in its build, although it is not yet finished.

Overall, there’s a phenomenal amount of effort and talent on this small plot of land, from growing large quantities of high-quality food to building with traditional techniques there’s plenty to both be excited about and be involved in.

You can find out more about how you can get involved with the CSA by visiting their website:

https://www.stanfordhallcsa.co.uk/

And if you are interested in purchasing a tiny home then do reach out directly to the company by either emailing Hello@mactinyhomes.com or giving them a ring on 07402 455865.

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