VICFA was the great idea of former Asset Property Manager Christina D. Howard. The idea is to promote farmer to consumer trade to help people save money and get access to quality produce.
Back in 2014, Howard was working as a real estate agent. She took care of the sale of a property with its vegetable farm.
When asked why the owners are selling the place, she was informed that they couldn’t compete with retail corporations when it comes to selling products. As a real estate professional, Christina knew that there would be a significant reduction in the amount consumers pay if they were to direct their business to sellers.
The VICFA Blog
After a couple of months, Christina was able to sell the property and decided to share her experience with other people. She did so through a blog. She detailed how people could benefit greatly if they were to go directly to farmers for different produce.
After a couple of weeks, Christina talked to more farmers and local producers about the issue of competing with retail corporations using imported goods from other countries.
Consumers Heeding the Call
The VICFA blog served as a wake-up call for many residents living in Cheriton Cross. VICFA blog entries circulated social media with more and more people tuning in. By 2015, more than half of Cheriton Cross’s population were engaging with the farmer to consumer trade. Christina and the blog she built made a big difference in the Cheriton Bishop village and now, it is one of the biggest blogs in England.