How a community agriculture project benefitted from an e-cycle project

The E-Move project, which is funded by Welsh Government, operates in five different areas around Wales, including Swansea. In this blog, Tom O’Kane, a beneficiary who works at the Cae Tân Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project on the Gower peninsula, talks about how accessing an e-cargo cycle helped him.

Upclose shot of man's face, he is smiling and wearing a straw and stood in front of a red tractor.

Tom loaned an e-cargo bike from our E-move project in Wales. Here he is pictured at Cae Tân, a community-supported agriculture project in Swansea. Credit: Tom O'Kane.

I’ve just come to the end of my three-month loan of an e-cargo cycle from Sustrans, thanks to the E-Move project which operates in the Swansea area.

I work on a small, community farm called Cae Tân, which is a community-supported agriculture (CSA) project that grows vegetables for 130 local households in the Gower area.

We harvest the veg that we grow once a week and then deliver it to a local hub where people come to collect it.

Community agriculture is more than just supplying food to people – we’re creating something bigger, we’re re-formulating how the local food system works.

E-Move giving people access to opportunities

The e-cargo cycle and the opportunity to access one through E-Move was fantastic.

It has given me a great opportunity to try an e-cycle and find out how they can replace the car for commuting, plus it was a great help transporting stuff about at work.

The majority of my work-time car use is taken up by commuting.

There are three really steep hills between Cae Tân and where I live, and even though I do a really physical job, having the e-cargo cycle meant that it was a pleasure to take the bike.

We end up transporting a ton or more of veg about a mile away for members to pick up.

The e-cargo cycle did an amazing job of getting me, my gear, and my tools back and forth to the fields every day.

Whilst at work, we’re often moving seed trays between fields, and then there’s the weekly harvest.

Active travel and the advantages of modal shift

I’ve really enjoyed biking rather than driving, so having come to the end of the loan period we’ve ended up converting one of our own bikes to electric.

We’ve thrown a rack on it, too - not quite an e-cargo cycle, but a cheap alternative that does the job!

Thanks to our local E-Move Officer, Paul, and everyone at Sustrans for allowing me the opportunity to make use of the project.

Thanks as well for making it such an easy process to sign up to – I’d really recommend that anyone who’s eligible for the project gets in touch with Sustrans.