5 July 2012 Last updated at 06:25 ET

Oxford's mobile local food co-operative opens

The greengrocer van will stop off at 15 locations around Oxford

A new co-operative that grows and sells food in Oxford has opened.

Organisers of Cultivate want to increase the amount of locally-produced food consumed in the city, which according to figures is currently 0.2%.

The five co-founders raised £82,000 to set up a mobile greengrocer van and grow fruit and vegetables from a five-acre plot near Wallingford.

The van will regularly stop off at 15 locations around Oxford and also sell produce from local farmers.

One of the co-founders, Julian Cottee, 26, said it had been "a pretty hard graft" to get to the point of launching both the farming and the retail sides of the initiative as they were "complete newbies".

The team raised the money from 230 investors and secured an arable field in Little Wittenham.

Half of the produce sold comes from that field with the other from small farm holdings.

"We hope to boost locally-grown food in Oxford," said Mr Cottee, "and be a means for small farmers to get to market".