The owner of a Salford farm is fundraising for a buyout she hopes will “put the farm in the hands of the local community forever” instead of land developers.
Janine McMahon, owner of Moss Lane Farm in Eccles, said more than £100,000 is needed to secure a commercial mortgage and allow plans for a community share offer to go ahead.
The 22-acre organic farm located in the heart of Chat Moss has become a popular destination for schoolkids on trips, community groups and businesses to learn how farming can be used to combat food insecurity and tackle global warming.
She said Chat Moss was “one of the biggest carbon sinks in the UK”, meaning its peat-rich land absorbs and stores planet-warming greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
The farm is part of a five-year conservation project with Lancashire Wildlife Trust and is working with researchers from the University of Manchester to restore sphagnum moss across parts of the site to retain water and reduce flood risk.
Despite the conservation work already underway, Janine said she fears that if the farm is not bought by the local community, it may have to be placed on the open market, where it could be sold for development that would go against the environmental aims of these projects.
“We won’t be passing it down the farm to our children now because we can’t sustain it moving forward,” Janine said. “So this is why we are campaigning for a community buyout.
“If we end up putting it on the open market in order to sell it, which is what position we’re in right now, it will get bought out by land developers because of our location.
“So we are campaigning for a community buyout so that the farm will stay in the community’s hands forever.”
Janine explained that an “amazing investor” had put £80,000 towards the funding goal for the farm.
With more than £100,000 still needed to secure the holding’s future, she has turned to hosting events in an effort to persuade local business leaders that investment would deliver a “real social impact.”
On Wednesday 27 May, teachers, real estate agents, local businesspeople and University representatives will flock to a Mediterranean restaurant, NYXE in Worsley, for an evening of food, live music and conversation about the future of the farm as Janine looks to attract support.
More information about the fundraiser and how to donate is available here.
