Listed here are some of the proposed business activities and rural enterprises of the ALI that we plan to develop at Red Pig Farm. The management and governance of businesses operating on the farm is described in our company business and rural enterprise bye-laws which balance our desire to encourage entrepreneurship while also maintaining the principles of co-operation, reciprocity and integration.

ALI Energy Services Company (ESco)

The ALI ESCo will provide services in consultation, feasibility studies and implementation of renewable energy technologies from an agroecological perspective and pioneer an action research project into the viability of such an approach to evaluating and managing renewable energy initiatives as a means of contributing to regenerative rural development.

In establishing the most sustainable and regenerative woodland management strategies for Red Pig Farm we want to explore innovations in biomass production and processing within the context of the principles our agroecological land management practices.

To enhance the market conditions that would favour a localised biomass production model we will work with local community groups to establish a model of Energy Services Company (ESCo), to supply and distribute woodfuel products from Red Pig Farm and other local woodlands thereby maximising the benefits for the local economy.

 

ALI Natural Building Company

This enterprise will utilise timber and material from the land and locality to build the planned infrastructure at Red Pig Farm and the proposed mobile cabins that will serve as the temporary low-impact accommodation for the residential members.

This enterprise will be a licenced ALI business. Registered as a workers co-operative limited by guarantee members of the ALI we have the opportunity to join this company and participate in building projects.

Led by Sara Tommerup, all construction design will follow specific principles of natural building with regard to materials and technique. Specialising in straw bale buildings, cob, timber frame and rocket mass heaters the company will also create revenue streams for the farm by taking on building projects both regionally and nationally and through the construction and marketing of the mobile wood cabins.

The ALI Natural Building Company will also build and maintain a wood processing and carpentry workshop at Red Pig Farm with a small scale saw-mill powered by the on site hydro-electric generator.

 

Local Food Distribution: Black Mountain Food Hub

Using newly developed Open Food Network software we will create a local organic food distribution enterprise linking other local producers with consumers in local towns and villages. Based on the model pioneered by Stroudco and the Dean Forest Food Hub we will provide a web platform for an online farmers market with local pick up points for customers to collect their weekly order of local produce. We will charge a mark-up of just 15% keeping costs low through our online ordering system.

Led by James Scrivens, co-founder of the Dean Forest Food Hub, a local “Black Mountain Food Hub” will be relatively simple and inexpensive to get started. We intend to establish this as a model of social enterprise utilising a multi-stakeholder co-operative governance structure balancing the interests of the workers, producers and consumers and encouraging greater co-operation and participation in the local food system.

We are also collaborating with an emerging Llandeilo CSA project currently in negotiations with Roger Hallam of Organics-to-go, a 4 acre market garden business with the view to buying out the business and transferring it into co-operative ownership.

 

Regenerative Biochar Systems: “The Needfire of the Soil”

We believe that the application of charcoal in food growing and agroforestry systems has many outstanding short term and long term benefits for agroecosystems management.

We will carry out research into the possible advantages of its application in water catchment systems and agroecosystems contributing to the growing depth of research into this agroecological technique.

We will utilise ways to capture and use the waste gases and excess heat produced in the making of “biochar” to the benefit of the other rural enterprises at Red Pig Farm, ensuring that the charcoal we produce is a by-product.

Furthermore, by working closely with the ALI ESCo we will research the feasibility of providing biochar producing heating systems for local farms and housing.

We will establish the organisation as a co-operative consortium thereby allowing for a number of charcoal producers to work with us and share the administrative, marketing and distribution infrastructure. Using the Agrochar “brand” we will then market 5Kg and 10kg bags for horticultural use at approximately £3-£5/kg and wholesale to farms £1.10/kg with a minimum order of 500kg.

 

Mycogeneration

Utilising the existing facilities at Red Pig Farm, Mycogeneration will develop the capacity for the cultivation of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms for local and national markets while researching areas of applied mycological such as mycoforestry, mycoagriculture and landscape mycorestoration.

Initially the business activities will focus on the cultivation of oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) and shitake(Lentinula edodes) mushrooms supplied locally fresh and dried for regional and national markets. Alongside this we are excited about marketing a brand of immune enhancing tea utilising a blend of turkey tail mushroom (Trametes Versicolor) birch polypore (Piptoporus Betulinus) and selected herbs and spices.

These particular species grow well on birch wood and fortunately the natural regrowth in the woodland is predominantly birch. Shitake also grows well on birch and we estimate that with a 500 log inoculation operation with a four year rotation we could obtain a revenue of over £3000 per year.

We will also construct two grow rooms in the first two years of the project using a log and turf roof structure based on a traditional design known as a Burdei, common in Eastern Europe. This is a low cost design amenable to the insulative and humidifying requirements for mushroom formation. Once we test a method of producing mushrooms using these grow rooms we plan to sell the production model to other farmers. Building the grow rooms and then supplying the substrate or inoculant on a contractual basis.

Heating is a requirement during the process of mushroom production. We will therefore utilise the heat capturing technologies developed through Agrochar thereby demonstrating a synergistic benefit between these two rural enterprises.

 

Fermentum

A fermented/probiotic food products start up, marketing sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented foods, condiments and beverages. Using the new to food processing barn we will prepare the fermented food products and store them in specially design underground storage units that will maintain a constant temperature.

Once fermented we will decant the product into smaller containers for local, regional and national markets.

Working with Claymedia based in the Forest of Dean we will also sell custom made fermentation crocks in 5l, 10l and 20l sizes with a retail value of £25, £40 and £55 respectively.

We aim to use traditional methods of food fermentation and we will also run courses in traditional food preservation techniques.

 

Perennial Futures: “Seeds and Rootstock for Perennial Cultures”

Through our research into the efficacy of applying perennial crops in agroecosystems we intend to actively promote permaculture as an ethical design framework and an innovative approach to ecosystem management. We will focus on the cultivation and distribution nitrogen fixing shrubs and trees and supply particular types of perennial vegetables. We will then actively market these species to farmers and growers with advice and statistically backed research.

Perennial Futures will also be the enterprise through which we actively promote permaculture as an ethical design framework and an innovative approach to ecosystem management, creating a showcase forest garden at Red Pig Farm and run permaculture design courses.

 

Tan-y-Garn “Eco Heritage” Campsite

Red Pig Farm lies below the ancient Iron Age hill fort of Y Garn Goch. We hope to attract visitors to the area that have an interest in the cultural heritage of the region within the context of the Fforest Fawr geopark that consists of the western part of the Brecon Beacons national park. To this end, we plan to create an “Eco-heritage” campsite to that will facilitate the objectives of the geopark to encourage sustainable tourism.

The campsite will also help to facilitate our educational aims to share skills and knowledge of low impact development and agroecological land management practices by providing accommodation for participants during the length of a given course.

We will apply for the minimum 10 space campsite licence situated in a secluded part of the woodland. The visitors will be serviced by a state of the art composting toilet and solar shower. They will have access to a designated fire pit and barbeque area and be able to choose to pay for meals from the communal kitchen or order their own locally produced food through the Black Mountain Food Hub.