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	YOU ARE AT: HOME » LOCAL FOOD » SELL LOCALLY Selling your produce directly into the local market can help strengthen and diversify your farm business. The benefits of local marketing include: Added value produce Greater control over what and how much you grow Fewer grade-outs: less wastage Customer contact, support and feedback Examples of how farmers can develop local food links Box schemes – a producer or distributor delivers a box or bag of produce direct to customers, or to community distribution points Farmers' markets – local producers who live within a certain distance of the market location sell their products direct to shoppers in a traditional market Farm shops and farm gate sales – producers selling direct from their farm: from converted barns to honesty boxes at the farm gate Producer cooperatives – local farmers group together to share services and market produce Community supported agriculture (CSA) – local people group together to support a local farm. These ventures take many forms. People may buy a share in an existing farm, pay in advance for a share of the harvest or set up a new community venture such as a neighbourhood allotment or commonly owned orchard. Visit our CSA pages... Local shops – play a key role in local food economies Food cooperatives – local people group together to buy food in bulk from wholesalers or direct from local producers There may also be opportunities to join a local producer cooperative to provide joint marketing and branding. For detailed information on developing local markets for your business see the Local Food Information Library or the Soil Association guides below: 1 - Local marketing options - an overview of the local marketing options available to farmers, including farmers' markets, box schemes, CSAs, and public procurement 2 - Choosing crops for local markets - advice on planning what crops to grow, depending on your market, land and machinery 3 - Growing crops for local markets - what crops to choose, when to plant them and marketing your produce 4 - Harvest and post-harvest handling - advice on harvesting crops and storage Going public - an introduction to supplying the public sector - detailed and illustrated technical guide providing a general introduction to selling into the public sector

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