Policies that govern farming and land management in England are undergoing one of the biggest shifts in a generation. This comes at a critical juncture for biodiversity, for climate and for the future resilience of farm businesses.

The availability of raw milk can be very beneficial to a local community as well as a valuable part of a small scale, agroecological and/or mixed farm, but taking the leap into starting a raw milk dairy can be daunting.

Isolated pockets of agroecology are developing in the UK, particularly
in South West England. The area surrounding Dartington, in rural Devon, offers a unique example of an agroecological lighthouse in the making. By lighthouse we refer to a site, or many sites combined, and possibly an entire territory, that is demonstrative as well as practical in terms of commercial farms and farmers applying agroecological principles, and contributing to the local food system.

It seems everyone agrees we need a massive increase in vegetable and fruit production and consumption in the UK: for healthier kids and adults; to become more self-sufficient and stop exporting our global footprint; as a core part of the transition to agroecological farming systems; to rebuild local food economies - the list goes on. But how should this be supported and what are the lessons from innovators already doing this?

With farming policy deferred to the nations, and a Welsh government that has put a renewed emphasis on building a sustainable and vibrant local food production environment, are there lessons to be learned from Wales? This session considers why new enterprises are emerging today, and how horticultural enterprises can champion local, regional and national identity.

Nature is being financialised. From climate change mitigation to the biodiversity crisis, mainstream environmentalism is turning towards nature commodification as the solution. The hope is that private investors and state actors will release badly needed resources into ‘nature positive solutions’ - if that exercise returns a profit.

Join Plantlife for a meadow-making workshop. Participants will learn how to create or restore a wildflower meadow on their land, and learn about the value of meadows and other species-rich grasslands for nature, sustainable farming, carbon storage and climate change resilience.

It is no longer enough to simply conserve what we have. The living ecosystems that sustain us are unravelling, and are in urgent need of restoration. In this need, humanity can find a new role as 're-weavers' of diversity; a keystone species for ecological resurgence. Taking up this new mantle will require us to undo not only the ecological harms of industrial colonialism, but also the psychological, social and political damage that has caused us…

This is a follow-on session from Thursday’s workshop in the Story Museum’s Magic Common Room. The workshop will be limited to 12 places for those who have attended the previous session on systemic mapping and would like to deepen their understanding.