kindling farm business plan

Eating Better

Investing in community-led farming.

For a decade and a half the Kindling Trust has been playing a part in reshaping farming and how our food is grown to make it more accessible to communities and reduce its impact on the planet.

We spoke to them about their inspiring work connecting communities through nature and food growing around Greater Manchester and their exciting purchase of a farm cooperative.

Creating thriving community enterprises

The Kindling Trust have been working to transform the local food systems within Manchester for over a decade, with many successful projects being carried out across the city. They run a thriving growing space in Stockport ( Woodbank Community Food Hub ) - designed to engage the local community - where they offer people a space to learn how to grow food, as well as hosting a huge array of fantastic community events, from bonfire cooking nights, to bat walks, to fermentation workshops. They run a FarmStart programme on this site to train up a new generation of regenerative farmers and growers, and offer other accredited courses on growing food too. In 2015 they set up their sister organisation, Veg Box People , to increase access to organic produce in the city centre - they continue to deliver veg boxes of fresh, locally sourced, and delicious produce to over 400 people across Manchester.

Supporting an agroforestry movement 

During the spring and summer of 2021, the agroforestry team at Kindling worked with local communities around Manchester to graft 12,000 heritage fruit trees. Half of these trees are destined for the farm itself, and will become part of the agroforestry system there, with crops growing between rows of trees to create a symbiotic relationship between the plants. The other half of the trees have been donated to community growing projects across the North West, with many going to the hundreds of volunteers who helped to graft them.

Developing a model farm

Building on 14 years of experience in establishing and running practical food and farming initiatives, they are at the next stage of a long-term plan to create a fairer and more sustainable food system for all: Kindling Farm .

Kindling Farm is a 77 acre farm between Manchester and Liverpool, purchased by the organisation earlier this year after a successful community shares campaign that has raised over £1m with 600+ investors. Kindling Farm is a cooperative with members who meet every year to decide how to run the farm - it is direct democracy in action. Until the 1st July this year, they are running another community shares campaign to welcome more members to join this fantastic initiative.

Through Kindling Farm they will increase access to healthy sustainable fruit and vegetables for communities, provide training and support for new and existing farmers, use the most wildlife- and climate-friendly farming techniques, and, crucially, create a space for communities to engage in sustainable food and farming in ways that are useful and relevant to them.

“I got involved in Kindling Trust because we need farms like this all over the country, to directly challenge the exploitative parts of our food system and bring power back to our communities, to create more resilience in food and farming communities, and to give people space to learn.” -  Lizzy Haughton, Kindling Trust

To find out more about how you can become a member and invest in the future of food and farming, head to https://www.ethex.org.uk/invest/kindling-farm-2

Kindling Trust is taking part in Eating Better alliance member LEAF ’s Open Farm Sun­day . On 11th June 2023 this annu­al farm open day gives vis­i­tors the oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn more about farm­ing and the coun­try­side. Learn more about Open Farm Sunday and visit a local farm!

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Kindling Farm

Sustainable farming - community shares.

Forecast return

Kindling Farm are buying Barn Hey, an established 77-acre farm and transforming it into a large-scale community-owned farm using sustainable farming practices to produce healthy and organic food for all.

Match Funded

From 10th May 2023 the next £50k of community investment is matched £1 for £1 by the Community Shares Fund an initiative in partnership with Co-op & Community Finance.

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The Vegetarian Society invests in Kindling Farm

30th June 2023

Read more about why The Vegetarian Society decided to make a £50,000 investment into the Kindling Farm share offer:  https://www.ethex.org.uk/news/the-vegetarian-society-invests-in-kindling-farm  

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Manchesters Independent Media

Kindling Farm’s Community Share Offer is about ‘growing hope’ in fair and sustainable food production

By Conrad Bower | 7 April 2021 News

Using ‘pioneering’ farming techniques the Kindling Farm initiative aims to ‘challenge the dominant industrialised’ agricultural model. The Community Share Offer aims to raise money to buy a farm, with a potential return for investors.

Manchester based charity the Kindling Trust have launched a Community Share Offer to raise money to buy a farm on the outskirts of Salford that they say will use “pioneering” farming techniques to counter our current “industrialised and unsustainable food system”.

The share offer , launched on 3 April, aims to attract enough community minded investors to raise between £390,000 and £650,000 for the 128 acre farm. Getting off to a flying start, the offer has already reached 31 percent of its goal and needs to raise the rest before 3 July 2021, when the offer closes.

The Kindling Trust have been working on challenging the dominant industrialised food system for over a decade and say they have been working towards making Kindling Farm a reality over that time. When the Trust was approached by a farmer with a farm to sell that suited their needs, they took the next step of setting up a Community Share Offer to allow the Kindling Farm co-operative to raise the money to buy the farm. Due to it being a co-operative, all investors in the share offer will also own a slice of the farm. Helen Woodcock, co-founder of Kindling Farm, says they started this project to: “Establish a farm owned by you, its community. Kindling Farm is about coming together to find practical solutions to the ecological crisis we are in. It is about hope, it is about social change and it is about creating a farming blueprint for our future, right here in the Northwest of England.”

The farm plans to use the practice of agroforestry, which combines the cultivation of crops alongside the growing of food producing trees. This creates a more diverse ecology for the farmland than the standard monoculture model of growing single crops that predominates in modern farming, and is dangerously degrading soil across the globe. The US Department of Agriculture says agroforestry has the potential to protect topsoil, livestock and crops; increase crop productivity; increase water use efficiency; and reduce the energy and chemical inputs needed for crop production. The problems caused by modern agriculture methods is a prime driver for Woodcock who says: “In response to an industrialised and unsustainable food system, Kindling Farm will value the growers and producers of our food and create a farming blueprint for the future while looking after the land and the wider environment in the North West. Kindling Farm is about growing food, but it is also about growing hope. It is about creating a food economy rooted in fairness and sustainability; one that values the farmers and producers of our food, respects and nurtures the land and wildlife, and puts the health and well-being of our communities at its heart.“ Kindling have already made a start developing their agroforestry system. Using a grant from the DEFRA Green recovery Challenge, they have already grown 12,000 fruit and nut trees. Half of these are destined for local community orchards around Manchester, with the other half destined for Kindling Farm once it is established. At this stage of the purchase process the Kindling Trust is unable to reveal the exact location of the farm, which lies to the west of Salford, at the request of the farmer. The cost of purchasing and establishing the farm is based on independent reports, including those by property advisors Savills UK and Co-op Culture. The Community Share Offer also has the support of the Community Share Booster Programme (CSBP), which means that the first £100,000 raised  is match funded. So every pound donated by the public, up to this figure, will be matched by another pound by the CSBP.

The minimum investment asked for in the share offer is £200, and they project up to a 3% return on the initial investment in three years. That return projection is made according to their business plan progressing as stated, but there is also the possibility the value of the initial investment could go down due to unforeseen circumstances. The investment proposal for the farm states that the farming model adopted will be unaffected by the amount they raise. Abi Baguley, a Kindling Farm Director, says: “Only by reaching our minimum target for this community share offer can we establish the Kindling Farm. This investment will allow us to secure a loan, purchase the farm and get farming straight away” If the maximum target is raised this will enable the farm to go ahead with less borrowed from the bank, and will increase the possibility of a positive return on investments. Whichever amount is raised, Kindling Farm aims to start challenging the dominant system of agriculture and begin farming in 2022/23.

Find out more about the Kindling Farm Offer – click here

For the investment page for Kindling Farm – click here

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Reporting interests include social justice, the environment, and human rights. A staunch advocate for the scientific method and rational debate for understanding the world - he believes only greater public understanding and engagement with the problems affecting society, can produce the progressive change we need. Co-founder of The Meteor.

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• Looking For Land
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Business Models for Agroecology

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Support and Advisors

This section of the toolkit looks at how community farms can be financially viable. Below are three case studies, and a guide to support the development of a farm business plan. The Resources link provides example business plans, and example farm-start up costs. The Support and Advisors link provides information on organisations that can help you with business planning, and with farm business development and planning.

This guide, the Business of Community & Co-operative Land Ownership has been written for community groups, charities and co-operatives seeking to buy and manage farmland. It looks at typical sources of income, typical costs, and gives example income and expenses. The guide is intended to provide groups with information to support the development of their business plans, and can be read alongside the guidance on financing land purchase.

Case Study: Ecological Land Cooperative

The Ecological Land Co-operative is a community benefit society which develops affordable starter farms for new entrants to agroecology. It has farms across England and Wales.

Case Study: Kindling Farm

Kindling Farm is a spin-off project from the organisation Kindling Trust, which has been working from Manchester for many years to establish a sustainable food economy. Kindling Farm was established in 2016 to purchase farmland and establish an agroforestry farm which would supply organic fruit and vegetables to Manchester.

Case Study: Whistlewood Common

Whistlewood Common was established to demonstrate that practical local responses to big global threats are possible. It has provided a multi-purpose agroecology facility with education, food growing and the development of appropriate micro-enterprise amongst its primary benefits. The latest initiative (Spring 2022) is a wheelchair accessible community garden.

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20 Tips You Should Consider When Creating Your AG Business Plan

by FCSC | May 28, 2024 | FCSC Blog , Industry Insights

Embarking on an agricultural venture, whether it’s running a beef ranch out East or managing a large produce business, is both thrilling and daunting at the same time. Creating an effective, sustainable, and profitable business plan from which to run your entire company appears overwhelming at first glance. However, our Farm Credit of Southern Colorado team is here to help you create a solid business plan or recreate one you already have in place to improve upon. We fully understand the myriad considerations of starting or enhancing your agricultural enterprise. From navigating legal structures to defining your goals and objectives, establishing governance strategies, and making crucial decisions, we’ve got you covered every step of the way.

Let us make the development of this critical document easier for you! We’ve put together a guide that walks you through all the intricacies of organizing a new plan and ensures your journey toward viability is smooth sailing.

How to Create a Helpful Business Plan for Your Farm

A well-crafted business plan is one of the most important foundational pieces of planning for success in the agricultural realm. Whether you’re drafting your very first business plan or revamping an existing one, it’s essential to cover all your bases to be well-prepared for all situations. Here are some key points to consider covering within your plan:

1. Operational Plan: Map out your vision, your mission, and the strategies you will use to achieve your goals. A clear roadmap will guide your actions and keep you focused on your goals.

3. Set Goals and Budgets: Creating a business growth strategy can be more manageable when you start from where you would like your business. Goals give you focus, create budgets, and help you understand if your plan is reasonable. They can also validate whether you’re on the right growth path.

4. Licenses and Certifications: While every farming operation’s certification and license will differ depending on the type of product they produce, it’s crucial to complete your research and ensure you are fully certified and licensed where you need to be. Ensure there is a yearly check-in for reestablishments of all documentation as well.

5. Company History: Record all the pivotal moments in your business from its origins to the present day to organize milestones, accomplishments, and the work of influential figures into a cohesive narrative. It is helpful to record your farm’s progress and story.

6. Inventory: Markup a consistent monthly or quarterly game plan to check in and count your farming inventory. Make sure to include physical count, spot checking, cycle counting, and new product ordering, amongst any other item nuances you may have in your operation.

7. Establish Sales and Distribution Channels: Identify the most suitable sales and distribution channels for your agricultural products to calculate your potential net profit. Explore options such as direct business-to-consumer, partnerships and networks with distributors, and growth paths to get into larger markets and supply chains.

8. Financing Opportunities: Find ways to obtain financing, grants, or loans to further your growth and expansion. Identify potential sources of income and create a comprehensive budget to support your business goals, including forward acquisitions and other growth options.

9. Emergency Protocols: A guide that includes roles, responsibilities, relevant contact information, and resources available in the case of emergency. This plan should consist of assessing damage, protecting property, minimizing damage or business disruptions, and determining the appropriate actions after the incident.

10. File Records: Keep proper records of finances, transactions, inventories, and other vital information to track progress and make informed decisions. Accurate recordkeeping is critical for compliance, financial analysis, and strategic planning.

11. Risk Management: Identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them, protecting your business from unexpected challenges. Engaging and managing risks will help protect your assets and business continuity.

13. Mental Health: Prioritize self-care and well-being to ensure resilience and sustainability. Farm work can be demanding, and maintaining mental and emotional well-being is essential to long-term success.

14. Field Transition Plan: Define follow-up procedures and plans to ensure a smooth transition of ownership and operations. Succession planning is essential to preserve the legacy of your business and ensure its continuity across generations.

15. Environmental Stewardship: Create a map to implement sustainable farming practices, conserve natural resources, and promote biodiversity. A solid hold on your business’ sustainable operations is crucial to appeal to the current customer market in this greener age.

16. Environmental Preparedness: Due to weather and environmental factors like droughts, freezing temperatures, hail, pests, and diseases, you must be prepared to plan and react to each. Adapting to climate change and reducing environmental risks requires careful planning and adaptation that fits your personal business needs.

17. Knowledge Expansion: Ensure you have a game plan encouraging you and your employees to expand their knowledge bases and improve their expertise constantly. Focusing on further education is the steppingstone to sustainability and diversification within your organization.

18. Growth Strategy: Conduct a detailed outline that lists your actions to expand operations, increase revenue, and boost market reach. You’ll want to evaluate the financial, market, and industry positions to establish clear objectives to help your business develop over time.

19. Labor and Workload: Farming can be physically demanding and labor intensive, requiring long hours, especially during critical periods such as planting or harvesting. Managing and coordinating workers’ energy can be difficult, especially in large operations.

20. Marketing: Create a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote your product or service, reach your target audience, and generate sales. Effective marketing strategies will help you build brand awareness, attract customers, and generate revenue. Utilize social media platforms to target your audience directly.

With Farm Credit of Southern Colorado by your side, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge, resources, and support you need to thrive in the competitive agricultural landscape. Our team is here to help not only with the ag financial and ag insurance side of things but also with your farm’s business planning and operational logistics. We take pride in also being an educational resource for our customer-owners, so never hesitate to ask for assistance ! Let’s embark on this journey together and pave the way for your local agricultural venture’s success.

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How To Start Onion Farming Business [PLAN]

Do you need help starting an onion farm? If YES, here is a sample onion farming Business Plan.

Onion is one of the most popular vegetables in the world. Cultivation on a commercial scale requires a lot of planning. The thorough planning process is worth it because, in the end, it is highly rewarding.

This vegetable crop is consumed by a vast majority of people across the world. This presents endless possibilities to the farmer which is why we present you an onion farm BUSINESS STARTUP GUIDE.

ONION FARMING BUSINESS STARTUP GUIDE

This sample is written to serve as a guide to the entrepreneur.

As an aspiring farmer, you want to start on the right footing. This will help you plan and design your own business plan.

Here is how to start an onion farm.

Executive Summary

Candace Williams Farms Inc. is an onion farm located in Cleveland Ohio which grows a variety of onion varieties for the American market.

Major varieties include Ruby, Warrior, Blush, Pocono, Dawson, Yukon, Tucannon, Grand Perfection, and Genesis. Others include Maximus, GVS-36290 F1, Montclair, and Purple haze species.

We are a registered agro-business that plans to deploy best farming practices and techniques in growing high-quality products for the market. We understand that to achieve our aims, we must get experienced hands in the industry.

These consist of people who have contributed in no small measure to the development of the agricultural sector.

Although we are a new company, we will be making use of the best equipment and production technology.

Our Products

Our predominant products will be the different onion varieties such as Genesis, Maximus, Montclair, Purple Haze, Pocono, and Ruby. Others include Dawson, Blush, Warrior, Grand Perfection, and GVS-36290 F1.

Other products we will produce aside from our primary products include tomatoes, cucumbers , red salad onions Chinese cabbage, and okra.

Apart from onions, these products are considered secondary and will be produced on a much smaller scale.

Our Mission

We are a farm business that seeks to join the league of major players in the vegetable production industry.

Our sights are set beyond the domestic market. We intend to produce for both the domestic (short term) and the international market in the long term.

Our vision for Candace Williams Farms Inc. is to establish an onion farming business known for quality products.

We intend to expand our production capacity within the first 2 years from the date of commencement. This will see a subsequent yearly increase until our target is met.

This will enable us to meet local demand as well as export to the international market.

Target Market

Our target market is diverse and spread across different cities, states, regions, and countries. There is a huge market for it as almost everyone uses onions and other vegetables.

As a new business, we are determined and prepared to channel our efforts into the production of quality products that will minimize the supply gap in both the domestic and international markets.

Competitive Advantage

Commercial agriculture is a strategic industry. This is because there is a lot of support for entrepreneurs.

Due to this support, several onion farming businesses have sprung up over the years. Some of these have been in the business for a considerable amount of time. These businesses have gained vast experience and a wide network.

Our advantage is that we are coming into the business with a deep understanding of the dynamics of the industry.

Our workforce is highly qualified and experienced. They are ready to bring their wealth of experiences to bear on the job. We are also willing to leverage our understanding of the supply and demand channels.

This will enable us to easily blend in by making use of contacts we have.

Sales Strategy

Onion farming can be delicate because these are vegetables with a limited shelf life. Also, farmers incur losses due to the perishable nature of these vegetables.

To stem this problem, we will be investing in a processing plant. This is a measure to help reduce losses incurred due to the perishable nature of our products.

While supplying fresh onion crops to the market, we will maximize our profits by also making processed onion available. The good news is that a large market exists for each of these.

Some of our vital sales channels include hotels, grocery stores, restaurants, and agro-merchants. These are important relationships we value as a business and will exploit these to attain our targets.

Sources of Revenue

As an onion farming business, our income stream will not be restricted to the sale of onion alone. Our other agricultural products will also contribute to our income stream too.

Sales Projection

Every new business will need to survey to find out its sales potential. This allows it to measure how profitable it can be when it eventually launches. We have also conducted this survey for our business.

A three-year duration was used for this study and showed positive profit potential.

A summary of the details are contained in the chart below;

• First-year $550,000.00
• Second Year $1,400,000.00
• Third Year $6,000,000.00

This is an onion farming BUSINESS STARTUP GUIDE that shows some basic steps of what a good business plan should contain.

As expected, this is just a sample to guide you in writing your own onion farming business plan. It is important to take your time and never rush when writing your business plan.

It is important to have a deeper understanding of the opportunities as well as challenges that you may encounter during the course of your business.

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KINDLING – Part II – Many faces of the Soviet Union

I vividly remember the 13 American journalists and two State Department/AYCPL veterans on the ride to the Dallas International Airport for  a night departure to London and into the mysterious Soviet Union.  We were laughing but nervous about the adventure.

We arrived in London early in the morning.   I read countless booklets during the night from my fellow travelers that proved valuable later.  I loved the accent of the “Bobby” policeman who told us how to get a “Lift.”  Ernie Stallworth, Bangor Maine columnist and my eventual USSR trip roommate and a female African American reporter from the Baltimore Sun , who became a Soviet hit, and I, rented a taxi-lift and we literally sped around London for the entire day.  Seeing Shakespeare’s tavern, Westminster Abby and  the crows feeding at the London Tower.  The fare for the day was around $80 that we all split.  The “cockney” taxi/lift driver’s accent was memorable, along with his many stories.

Arriving back at Heathrow  airport we were escorted out on the tarmac where there was a Russian jet with two uniformed Soviet  soldiers standing guard  with the nation’s “Hammer and Sickle” emblazoned on the plane’s tail.  We were headed for Moscow.

We arrived late at night and the streets were dark and ominous. It was raining hard in October as we rode a bus to the IN-tourist hotel, a government owned and  operated facility.  Ernie and I became roommates and we shared a small room with narrow short bunks;  both tall,  we had our feet extended over the end of our beds. A uniformed lady sat at the floor entrance at a desk supervising the floor. It was pitch black in the room when a Russian voice suddenly came on and woke us up.  I thought to myself, “The indoctrination has begun.”  What really happened was the last guest left the radio on and the station came on the air very early in the morning.

The hotel was well located, with a restaurant, ball room, and bar open at night, all serving us well as our Moscow home base.  We would travel by train to Leningrad, today St. Petersburg, on the “The Red Arrow” express, another nighttime trip.  The longest journey was to Siberia where a 1,000 volunteer youth labor crew was constructing a hydroelectric dam and power facility.  They had a huge party for us and we were the first Americans that many had ever seen or met.  We danced,  drank vodka and exchanged presents.  It was a great night for American diplomacy.  We flew in on an older twin-engine plane.  The following day, now in November it started to snow.  In Siberia that was big trouble, we could have been stranded for days. But, out of the blue came a small sleek jet that whisked us back to Moscow.  They kept good track of us everywhere.

Each day we would all meet for breakfast; coffee was boiled with the grounds,  the ham was fatty and it was explained that the pigs in Russia were fattened on garbage, created the poor quality of meat.  In America we fatten our pigs/hogs on corn, resulting in fine tasting pork.

Meals were interesting because they came in various courses. We never knew when the meals were completed. My best meal was Borsch soup in Siberia.

In Moscow at night we would gather in the hotel bar that was crowded with German construction workers building an oil pipeline to Germany.  Two blonde female bartenders were hard pressed to attend to the crowded barroom so when we finally got a Heineken beer I tipped the barkeeper well.  We were told not to tip but that was faulty information, the Russians loved to get tips.  After the tip all I had to do was raise my arm and we had more beer.  The Germans apparently didn’t know tipping made for better service, then and now.

Each day we would board buses and attend programs, visit schools with indoor firing ranges and MIG cockpits,  collective farms and state farms, auto factories and  viewed the Russian crown jewels stored within the Kremlin walls.  On the entire trip we were always escorted by professional Komsomalia communist interpreters and  a KGB suited agent. Over the six week period we became  friends with the interpreters.   They couldn’t figure out why we wanted to visit Russian churches.  Most were boarded up and there was little Christianity in the godless nation.  I’m told that it has improved. We visited a synagogue where aging, dignified, long bearded rabbis were still allowed to worship.

Visiting a hydroponic farm, I was given a large red tomato.  I gave it to our bus driver and he was thrilled.  At a dairy farm they were feeding the milk cows sugar beets because of a lack of hay.   Because of the cold climate most of their food comes from root crops, especially potatoes that could be made into vodka that was in abundance.  The Russia don’t sip, they chugalugged the whole glass.

I never saw a horse in the entire country and of course there were no fences because the Soviets had done away with private property. The state owned and operated everything and everybody.  Everyone had a job rating and pay scale.  Highest paid were factory workers and timber jacks, lower paid were doctors and at the bottom were journalists.  Top pay was around $600 dollars in equivalent rubles.

Riding with my favorite interpreter on the bus,  I  saw one person walking a dog, the first dog to be seen.  I said,  “There’s a dog.”  He replied, “We don’t need them.”

To Be Continued – The Red Arrow Express to Leningrad.

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MoSCoW Prioritization

What is moscow prioritization.

MoSCoW prioritization, also known as the MoSCoW method or MoSCoW analysis, is a popular prioritization technique for managing requirements. 

  The acronym MoSCoW represents four categories of initiatives: must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have, or will not have right now. Some companies also use the “W” in MoSCoW to mean “wish.”

What is the History of the MoSCoW Method?

Software development expert Dai Clegg created the MoSCoW method while working at Oracle. He designed the framework to help his team prioritize tasks during development work on product releases.

You can find a detailed account of using MoSCoW prioritization in the Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM) handbook . But because MoSCoW can prioritize tasks within any time-boxed project, teams have adapted the method for a broad range of uses.

How Does MoSCoW Prioritization Work?

Before running a MoSCoW analysis, a few things need to happen. First, key stakeholders and the product team need to get aligned on objectives and prioritization factors. Then, all participants must agree on which initiatives to prioritize.

At this point, your team should also discuss how they will settle any disagreements in prioritization. If you can establish how to resolve disputes before they come up, you can help prevent those disagreements from holding up progress.

Finally, you’ll also want to reach a consensus on what percentage of resources you’d like to allocate to each category.

With the groundwork complete, you may begin determining which category is most appropriate for each initiative. But, first, let’s further break down each category in the MoSCoW method.

Start prioritizing your roadmap

Moscow prioritization categories.

1. Must-have initiatives

As the name suggests, this category consists of initiatives that are “musts” for your team. They represent non-negotiable needs for the project, product, or release in question. For example, if you’re releasing a healthcare application, a must-have initiative may be security functionalities that help maintain compliance.

The “must-have” category requires the team to complete a mandatory task. If you’re unsure about whether something belongs in this category, ask yourself the following.

If the product won’t work without an initiative, or the release becomes useless without it, the initiative is most likely a “must-have.”

2. Should-have initiatives

Should-have initiatives are just a step below must-haves. They are essential to the product, project, or release, but they are not vital. If left out, the product or project still functions. However, the initiatives may add significant value.

“Should-have” initiatives are different from “must-have” initiatives in that they can get scheduled for a future release without impacting the current one. For example, performance improvements, minor bug fixes, or new functionality may be “should-have” initiatives. Without them, the product still works.

3. Could-have initiatives

Another way of describing “could-have” initiatives is nice-to-haves. “Could-have” initiatives are not necessary to the core function of the product. However, compared with “should-have” initiatives, they have a much smaller impact on the outcome if left out.

So, initiatives placed in the “could-have” category are often the first to be deprioritized if a project in the “should-have” or “must-have” category ends up larger than expected.

4. Will not have (this time)

One benefit of the MoSCoW method is that it places several initiatives in the “will-not-have” category. The category can manage expectations about what the team will not include in a specific release (or another timeframe you’re prioritizing).

Placing initiatives in the “will-not-have” category is one way to help prevent scope creep . If initiatives are in this category, the team knows they are not a priority for this specific time frame. 

Some initiatives in the “will-not-have” group will be prioritized in the future, while others are not likely to happen. Some teams decide to differentiate between those by creating a subcategory within this group.

How Can Development Teams Use MoSCoW?

  Although Dai Clegg developed the approach to help prioritize tasks around his team’s limited time, the MoSCoW method also works when a development team faces limitations other than time. For example: 

Prioritize based on budgetary constraints.

What if a development team’s limiting factor is not a deadline but a tight budget imposed by the company? Working with the product managers, the team can use MoSCoW first to decide on the initiatives that represent must-haves and the should-haves. Then, using the development department’s budget as the guide, the team can figure out which items they can complete. 

Prioritize based on the team’s skillsets.

A cross-functional product team might also find itself constrained by the experience and expertise of its developers. If the product roadmap calls for functionality the team does not have the skills to build, this limiting factor will play into scoring those items in their MoSCoW analysis.

Prioritize based on competing needs at the company.

Cross-functional teams can also find themselves constrained by other company priorities. The team wants to make progress on a new product release, but the executive staff has created tight deadlines for further releases in the same timeframe. In this case, the team can use MoSCoW to determine which aspects of their desired release represent must-haves and temporarily backlog everything else.

What Are the Drawbacks of MoSCoW Prioritization?

  Although many product and development teams have prioritized MoSCoW, the approach has potential pitfalls. Here are a few examples.

1. An inconsistent scoring process can lead to tasks placed in the wrong categories.

  One common criticism against MoSCoW is that it does not include an objective methodology for ranking initiatives against each other. Your team will need to bring this methodology to your analysis. The MoSCoW approach works only to ensure that your team applies a consistent scoring system for all initiatives.

Pro tip: One proven method is weighted scoring, where your team measures each initiative on your backlog against a standard set of cost and benefit criteria. You can use the weighted scoring approach in ProductPlan’s roadmap app .

2. Not including all relevant stakeholders can lead to items placed in the wrong categories.

To know which of your team’s initiatives represent must-haves for your product and which are merely should-haves, you will need as much context as possible.

For example, you might need someone from your sales team to let you know how important (or unimportant) prospective buyers view a proposed new feature.

One pitfall of the MoSCoW method is that you could make poor decisions about where to slot each initiative unless your team receives input from all relevant stakeholders. 

3. Team bias for (or against) initiatives can undermine MoSCoW’s effectiveness.

Because MoSCoW does not include an objective scoring method, your team members can fall victim to their own opinions about certain initiatives. 

One risk of using MoSCoW prioritization is that a team can mistakenly think MoSCoW itself represents an objective way of measuring the items on their list. They discuss an initiative, agree that it is a “should have,” and move on to the next.

But your team will also need an objective and consistent framework for ranking all initiatives. That is the only way to minimize your team’s biases in favor of items or against them.

When Do You Use the MoSCoW Method for Prioritization?

MoSCoW prioritization is effective for teams that want to include representatives from the whole organization in their process. You can capture a broader perspective by involving participants from various functional departments.

Another reason you may want to use MoSCoW prioritization is it allows your team to determine how much effort goes into each category. Therefore, you can ensure you’re delivering a good variety of initiatives in each release.

What Are Best Practices for Using MoSCoW Prioritization?

If you’re considering giving MoSCoW prioritization a try, here are a few steps to keep in mind. Incorporating these into your process will help your team gain more value from the MoSCoW method.

1. Choose an objective ranking or scoring system.

Remember, MoSCoW helps your team group items into the appropriate buckets—from must-have items down to your longer-term wish list. But MoSCoW itself doesn’t help you determine which item belongs in which category.

You will need a separate ranking methodology. You can choose from many, such as:

• Weighted scoring
• Value vs. complexity
• Buy-a-feature
• Opportunity scoring

For help finding the best scoring methodology for your team, check out ProductPlan’s article: 7 strategies to choose the best features for your product .

2. Seek input from all key stakeholders.

To make sure you’re placing each initiative into the right bucket—must-have, should-have, could-have, or won’t-have—your team needs context. 

At the beginning of your MoSCoW method, your team should consider which stakeholders can provide valuable context and insights. Sales? Customer success? The executive staff? Product managers in another area of your business? Include them in your initiative scoring process if you think they can help you see opportunities or threats your team might miss. 

3. Share your MoSCoW process across your organization.

MoSCoW gives your team a tangible way to show your organization prioritizing initiatives for your products or projects. 

The method can help you build company-wide consensus for your work, or at least help you show stakeholders why you made the decisions you did.

Communicating your team’s prioritization strategy also helps you set expectations across the business. When they see your methodology for choosing one initiative over another, stakeholders in other departments will understand that your team has thought through and weighed all decisions you’ve made. 

If any stakeholders have an issue with one of your decisions, they will understand that they can’t simply complain—they’ll need to present you with evidence to alter your course of action.  

Related Terms

2×2 prioritization matrix / Eisenhower matrix / DACI decision-making framework / ICE scoring model / RICE scoring model

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Kindling Farm Progress in 2022

Understandably, the question we get asked most is ‘Have you found a farm yet?’’ And, always, as I take a breath to answer, I feel a real longing to be able to give you that significant news. But (incredibly, I feel) your response always reminds me that the progress we are making is significant; whether that’s the farms we’ve looked at and what we’re learnt, fruit trees we’ve grafted for the agroforestry system or our work to grow the markets in preparation for establishing the farm. 

We have visited and considered a number of farms over the last 6 months and even went so far as getting a valuation done for one of them and we have learnt loads that is helping us with our ongoing search. You can read more about this on our website in the last farm search update .

However, we wanted this update to respond to the interest you have shown for the whole picture;  to fill you in on what we’re learning from the land agents, as well as about our wider work to establish Kindling Farm. We hope you find it interesting and as always please do keep the questions flowing, chatting with you this year has been an absolute pleasure.

Since the original farm fell through, the search for a farm for Kindling has been a mix of feeling like an overwhelmingly huge task, scrambling to get valuations completed to a frustratingly slow waiting game. We decided back in February that we needed to enlist the help of someone who had both the inside contacts and the capacity to actively seek out farms coming on to the market. Will Parry was recommended to us immediately by a trusted land agent who had done the valuation on Moss Side farm for us. We were told that with his knowledge, contacts and experience, if anyone could find us a farm - on or off the market - Will could.

This meant our involvement went from checking all the relevant websites as much as possible, staying in touch with local farmers  and ringing round the land agents to remind them we exist, to waiting to hear from Will. We did have a brief flurry of activity and meetings in May, as the original farm owner got back in touch. He wanted to see how we were and was still interested to see if we could come to an arrangement. However, continued discussion is needed at their end. 

Farms have come on to the market or we have been told the owners are thinking of selling, but for various reasons - similar to those discussed in the February update (e.g. distance, no buildings and therefore potential planning issues, price), we have not gone further with those farms.

According to Will (and other agents), the market for farm sales has been very slow. There are various opinions about why that is - from the ongoing uncertainties from covid and Brexit; to retiring farmers waiting to find out what the exit sum will be (and then it not being enough to sell up); to the government's recent approach to climate change being to encourage corporations to pay farmers to plant trees; to a dominant buyer with significant resources buying up land in the area. 

Interestingly, the low numbers of farms coming on the market seems to be particularly the case here. I say interestingly, because according to Will this isn’t necessarily bad. In other areas of the UK, where land is traded more regularly, it is perhaps thought of as more of a commodity and therefore will always go to the highest bidder. Here, farmers seem to hold on to their land more, which could be due to their relationship with their land. While that means less farms come up for sale, Will feels that the story behind Kindling Farm means that someone will want to sell to us, for our values and vision for farming.

And Will isn’t the only person of this opinion. Recently as part of our plan to spread the word, we’ve done several interviews for the mainstream farming press, including The Farmers Mart, Arable Farming Magazine and Farmers Guardian. Being that we are not (by most standards) what is thought of as mainstream, we were slightly nervous about these encounters, especially with our aim being to appeal to a retiring farmer reading one of these publications. However, we received a surprising and genuinely positive reception. 

The journalists loved not only our vision, but how they felt other farmers could benefit from what we’ve done and said we would be exactly what a retiring farmer would be looking for. The end of the feature in Farmers Mart (written by its founder and, according to a rural land agent we know, one of the most read publications among farmers), bought a real skip to our step: 

“The Kindling Trust and Kindling Farm really is a huge entrepreneurial success story, as a result of both hard work on the ground and equal diligence, commitment, planning and a little daring behind the scenes. I cannot wait until Helen, Chris and the Kindling Farm team acquire the farm and begin the next stage of their development. Watch this space.” Ian Wilkinson, Managing Director of The Farmers Mart

Part of what made Ian feel so inspired by our story - and which is a key chunk of our work that progresses us towards the farm - is that he visited our thriving Community Food Hub in Stockport. Ian was able to get a real taster of Kindling Farm, by: meeting our FarmStart trainees and seeing the fields and polytunnels bursting with tasty organic produce; seeing a few of the (9000!) heritage fruit trees we have been grafting over the last 15 months, waiting to be planted out in the community or at Kindling Farm; hearing about the weekly social prescribing session with Kurdish refugees (and all the delicious recipes they’ve been teaching us!); noticing the Open Farm Sunday banner and talking about the success of the packed community engagement programme; and passing the Veg Box People collection point on his way out. 

This leads me on to a hugely important part of our work to establish Kindling Farm. We have built a good strong market for organic fruit and veg in Greater Manchester over the years and our customers are crying out for us to produce more. But, as we tell the FarmStart trainees, however good a grower you are, building and maintaining customer numbers is crucial and continuous work. 

It’s been a pretty full on couple of years for organic food businesses. Nationally veg box customer numbers have been shooting up and down (during lockdown and as restrictions lifted), costs have rocketed with brexit and the cost of living crisis makes it a marketplace that not all small food businesses have survived. 

Our work to develop and retain our relationships with our customers gives us a strong foundation for the farm which is as important now as ever. Our model is more than one of trading veg, our customers believe in our vision for a more sustainable food system and are part of the story and reality of how we will get there. So it is crucial that we work with them and support them where we can. Over recent months this has included for example: working closely with Veg Box People to develop their marketing and attract new customers at their collection points; working with the University of Manchester chefs to menu plan; holding events with Open Kitchen and with Unicorn Grocers, as well as working to increase biodiversity at their site in Glazebury. All of our customers and their customers are key to the future of Kindling Farm. 

So I’ll stop there, before this progress summary gets even longer! There’s been a fair bit to be getting on with while the search for a farm continues, that will help us get Kindling Farm established. We’re learning loads along the way, that will not only help us buy the right farm, but will make sure that we establish a farm business with good strong foundations that will last for the long term and will mean others can learn from our lessons too.

I’ll finish with a final thank you. As we’re getting to meet more of you (at events both in person and virtually) we’re learning about who our members are; that you are people who understand how much is involved in creating a better food system and want to support and be part of that. So we want to say thank you for that and for all your encouragement. It makes this exciting, challenging (and not always straightforward) journey, a lot better knowing that you’re on it with us.