On the one hand the agroecological farming movement petitions for transformation in the food and farming sector. Yet on the other hand, there is the sense that this can happen whilst we retain our familiar western mindsets and beliefs, our ways of knowing, feeling and communicating. Can we really have outer transformation without a parallel inner one?

Traditional orchards have declined by 81% since the 1900s. They hold great value for biodiversity (offering food as well as refuge), for climate change resilience, and for the local community. With a growing interest in craft cider in the UK, small-scale makers are proliferating - reclaiming old orchards, innovating low-impact methods in cultivation and production, and supporting each other in a movement that prides itself on creating natural products with a real connection to the…

A herbal ley is a complex mixture of grasses, legumes and herbs which, when well-managed, can offer benefits for wildlife, livestock, emissions and soil. In this session you will hear from the Cotswolds Seeds and FarmED team about the benefits of multi-species herbal leys, seed mix selection and how to establish and manage new swards.

A transition to agroecological, climateresilient food and farming systems requires new grain systems, from seed to field, to baking and retailing. Our current agricultural system is almost exclusively focused on productivity and consistency, unintentionally creating an unjust and unhealthy grain system from soil to gut.

The connection between the farming community and wider communities has often been weak. For the food system to meaningfully change to an agroecological model, all communities need to work together towards a shared vision. A number of Sustainable Food Places (SFP) members and our partners have sought to bridge that gap using a partnership approach, facilitating spaces where fruitful dialogues between farmers and their communities can happen. This approach is also a successful methodology to…

This participatory session invites landworkers, activists and organisations interested in supporting agroecological transformations to come together to discuss how we can strengthen our collective movement ecology to have the biggest impact.

What happens if landowners entrust their land to more distributed and diverse forms of ownership and governance than a single bloodline? Might a culture of diversity lead to even greater resilience?

This workshop is for all nonmanagement level employees, trainees, freelancers or volunteers in food growing / agroecology / regenerative agriculture / land care sectors. This will be an opportunity to meet and connect with others, share struggles and strategies and find out what the Growers’ Union has been working on over the last year. There will be an opportunity to contribute to our ongoing workers’ enquiry, add a song to the playlist and find out…

Do you talk to plants? We certainly do and some of them literally will not shut up! Come and have a chat with two super stars of the plant world, the Solanacea SistAs. They are ready to bend your ear about all manner of things but they are keen to tell tales of witches, shamans, medicine folk of the globe and their more ethereal practices. Meet the Hot and Sassy Carolina Reaper-Sol and the Lovely…