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🌱 Join us at ORFC in the Field 🌱

4 - 6 January 2023

ORFC 2023 Online Programme

This three-day programme offers 70 sessions with incredible speakers from more than 100 countries. It includes a mix of online-only talks and sessions which are being live-streamed from the in-person ORFC in Oxford. All sessions will be recorded and available to watch on playback. Book tickets now.

View a PDF of the full programme

 Keep scrolling for the list of sessions. Please note the times in the online programme below should display in your local time zone.

We gratefully acknowledge the work of our global partners who have helped put together this programme: La Via Campesina, Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP), Real Food Media, the Agroecology Fund.

Farm Practice
Workshop

Speakers

Matt Swarbrick

Jo Kidd

Jon Perkin

Chair

Ben Raskin

Languages

English

12:00 - 13:30 GMT
Wednesday, 13 January

Decision Trees: Building Woody Perennials into Your Farming System

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. LIMITED SPACES: 500

Join us for a practical workshop, sharing experience and knowledge on how to make the most of trees on farms. We explore design, tree choice and potential markets.

This is an opportunity for farmers and advisors to exchange ideas and experiences about which agroforestry practices have worked, or not, when planning and implement tree and shrub planting on farms. 

Two short presentations from people who've started out in agroforestry…

Panel Discussion

Speakers

Helmy Abouleish

Patrick Holden

Julie Brown

Johanna Saxler

Chair

Nina de Winter

Languages

English, Français

13:00 - 14:00 GMT
Wednesday, 13 January

Economy of Love: Associative Economics as a Model for the Future

Is it possible to change the world domination of a profit-driven industrial-style economy that respects neither people nor planet? This session aims to explore viable, social and fair economic models for farming and supporting short-chain local food systems from the ground up. The possibility of getting closer to true-cost accounting and really equitable and transparent ‘farm to fork’ systems.

Right Livelihood Award winner and president of the Biodynamic Federation, Helmy Abouleish, presents a radical…

Panel Discussion
13:00 - 14:00 GMT
Wednesday, 13 January

Exploring the Tools that Will Deliver Lasting Change: Labels, Verification, Organic Certification: Is There a Best Option?

What does it take to deliver meaningful impact on our food production systems? Why is certification important and what other tools are there that will help facilitate better and best practice? We consider a range of approaches that aim to deliver lasting, positive change.

We know that agricultural practices are pivotal when it comes to mitigating the climate, nature and health crises we face, but debate rages about which ones are having meaningful impact. So…

Workshop
13:00 - 14:30 GMT
Wednesday, 13 January

Commons Off the Land: Sharing Infrastructure, Tech, Process and Knowledge to Build Food Sovereignty Country by Country

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. LIMITED SPACES: 500

The Open Food Network (OFN) is a global community of people who are passionate about supporting communities to build short food supply chains and resilient food systems that address the needs of all beings. One of the services provided by this community is a platform co-op providing an open source IT infrastructure enabling new, ethical supply chains.

OFN has been deployed In 19 countries by networks of farmers, growers…

Panel Discussion

Speakers

Debal Deb

John Letts

Sir Bob Watson

Chair

John Vidal

Languages

English, Español

14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Wednesday, 13 January

Why We Need Biodiversity: Guarding Against Future Pandemics

Only a decade ago it was widely thought that tropical forests and intact natural environments threatened humans by harbouring the viruses and pathogens that lead to new diseases in humans like Ebola, HIV and dengue. Today, a number of researchers think it is actually humanity’s destruction of biodiversity that creates the conditions for new viruses and diseases like COVID-19 to arise. These viruses have profound health and economic impacts in rich and poor countries alike…

Panel Discussion

Speakers

Tony Greenham

Anna Van Der Hurd

Sue Walker

Chair

Joshua Humphreys

Languages

English

14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Wednesday, 13 January

Redirecting Private Finance for the UK’s Post-Brexit Agroecological Transition

As the UK exits the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy, foundations associated with the Farming the Future collective have been exploring new ways to deploy investment capital from their endowments to supplement their grantmaking in order to help finance a more rapid transition to agroecology. As part of this, the New Economics Foundation and Croatan Institute have been working collaboratively on a new initiative called “Redirecting Finance,” to explore obstacles and opportunities associated with bank…

Workshop
14:00 - 15:30 GMT
Wednesday, 13 January

Ecological Land Cooperative (ELC): A Q&A about Access to Land in the UK

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. LIMITED SPACES: 100 (Full)

Are you thinking about applying to be a farmer with the Ecological Land Cooperative? Come to this Q&A session to get a better understanding of what’s on offer and meet the ELC team. We have plots available at our site in Cornwall and are actively seeking more land to create other farming opportunities. We are looking for passionate landworkers and ecological entrepreneurs to get started on our residential…

Panel Discussion

Speakers

Lynne Phillips

Adrian Steele

Rebecca Laughton

Chair

Vicki Hird

Languages

English

15:00 - 16:00 GMT
Wednesday, 13 January

Making Farm Policy Fit for an Agroecological Future in the UK

The new crop of farm support schemes – from Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS) to productivity and Animal health and welfare are all getting finalised and piloted after some delay. The ELMS will be piloted in England in 2021 and so details should be available on what Defra will be paying for, who is eligible, how the payments and scheme will work on the ground, and how ‘whole farm’ the scheme will be. Do they…