Life on the land; it’s the dream of many but the realisation of the few. In Our Wild Farming Life we share the story of our journey from the busy south east of England to the Highlands, leaving behind our jobs, family and friends to follow our dreams of living a more self-sufficient existence. The leap led us into small-scale regenerative farming, building a business from scratch in a corner of Scotland deemed marginal at…

Extreme and unprecedented drought is being experienced across the globe, even in areas once thought to be safe from the harshest effects of climate change. In this session we bring together two Indigenous farmers and activist leaders, Alfredo Cortez from Guatemala, and Gerald Miles from Wales, to share experiences from recent droughts and discuss strategies for building resilience.

In the midst of a global, multiple crisis the global movement for food sovereignty - of which La Via Campesina is an active part - is organising a new moment of discussion to build a strong counter-response at different levels (local, national, global) in alliance with other movements fighting for climate justice and the rights of workers, youth, women, gender diverse. Twenty-five years after the concept of Food Sovereignty was shaped, the moment is now…

Beneath tents and umbrellas around the world, farmers sell the fruits of their labour directly to consumers. However, upon closer inspection, it is evident that much more is going on. Market managers intentionally pursue creative policies to incentivize attendance by consumers who otherwise may not feel welcome: the elderly, children and mothers on public assistance. They also mitigate risks for farmers by preparing them for the rigours of commerce through training. When present, the skillset…

We are in the midst of an energy and cost of living crisis that is putting enormous pressure on agroecological food and farming businesses. Some businesses will not survive, others will need substantial support. As a movement, this is our time to come together and look at how we can support each other through these difficult days. This session will explore the details of those challenges and look at how food and farming businesses are…

A long history of land enclosure both here in the UK and globally has left a legacy of deep societal disconnection from the land, and denied countless communities their right to pursue land-based livelihoods. But just as mass land dispossessions and the creeping enclosure of the commons are phenomena that are still ongoing today, the struggles for land justice and reclaiming our connection to the land are equally widespread. This session will shine a light…

The UN reports that the only way we can meet the global target of 1 billion restored hectares in the next eight years and avoid ecosystem collapse is to support people across the world to engage in localised ecosystem restoration. Join this lunchtime session and explore how we can leverage online learning to support a peer-driven, participatory global ecosystem restoration movement.

Pastoralists are people all over the world who keep herds of livestock – ranging from alpacas to yaks - in mobile systems, producing food on the move, providing organic manure and recycling crop residues. They are amazingly efficient protein producers, conserve biodiversity and regard their animals as family members that they keep in ways that can be considered cruelty-free: without separating mothers from offspring, allowing them dietary choices, and freedom to move. Join an international…

There is often a perceived conflict between animal welfare and sustainability. There is a belief that slower growing breeds are less efficient and so less sustainable; extensive systems have a decreased output per unit of environmental footprint so intensive systems are preferable; or that we should replace ruminants with monogastrics and apply intensification principles. In this session we will explore some of the misconceptions, trade offs and areas of positive practice that are being developed…