ORFC 2026 8 – 9 Jan
ORFC 2026 8 – 9 Jan
There is lots of great practice in farming and food ‘across the water’ in Northern Ireland that is orienting us all towards a better food future. Exploring the intersecting roles of land, enterprise and community, we’ll look at opportunities, challenges and shared learning that we can take from Northern Ireland and germinate across the UK. With Carrick Greengrocers, Nature Friendly Farming Network, GrowIN and Belfast Food Partnership.
The Government’s Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes represent one of the most progressive farming policies in Europe. With 70% of UK land farmed, the ELM schemes aim to use this vast resource to deliver public goods that restore nature, mitigate climate change, and support resilient food production. This session will explore the future direction of ELMs with Jonathan Baker, Deputy Director of Environmental Land Management Schemes at DEFRA and include an in-depth Q&A, offering attendees…
The recent wave of farming protests that have swept parts of Europe have shown clearly how the discontents of a segment of farmers are increasingly expressed within a reactionary, right-wing rhetoric. At the same time, both white supremacist violence against migrant, racialised, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and state repression against popular protest, dissent and solidarity are escalating. How can those of us who want to develop an alternative to the imperialist, exploitative food…
The separation and intensification of grassland and arable production, and the consequent loss of traditional mixed farming systems has represented one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss in the UK over the last century. However, well-managed grazing is key for a wide variety of habitats and species, many of which are endangered. This session will look at some of the ways in which grazing animals can support nature recovery in the UK: by improving…
Land grabbing isn’t just a phenomenon that takes place in the Global South; it is very much a reality in Europe, too. Land prices are growing, companies from outside the agricultural sector are investing in land, and energy production as well as carbon offsetting schemes are competing with food production. Young people and new entrants struggle to access land, while farmers approaching retirement are structurally obliged to shut up shop. Frustratingly, the UK government remains…
From community allotments and farms of the UK to the grasslands of Maasai homeland, access to land, or exclusion from it, determines how communities function, how we produce food, eat, and our ability to situate ourselves in nature. This panel explores the intersection of land rights, nature, community, and food. We explore how traditional Maasai cultural resources have been used to resist enclosure of shared land, how perspectives from the global south might help shape…
Our climate, nature, animal rights and health emergencies require transitioning out of intensive livestock systems to agroecology. How can we ensure this transition addresses power imbalances, tackles injustice and provides the necessary protections to those most affected in such a transition? Join us as we delve into diverse perspectives including worker solidarity and just rewilding. This session will challenge us to think about how justice can be embedded in agricultural, nature, climate and planning policy,…
What can we learn from communities already facing the polycrisis from the frontlines of climate emergency, conflict, and historical colonisation? How might Indigenous wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge from these places at the edges offer critical and vital ways of addressing the polycrisis we are facing in the world today? What deeper design principles and practices can their experiences enhance the growing call for regenerative cultures in transforming food systems? Join us in this discussion…
Food and fossil fuels are more intertwined than we think — 15% of global fossil fuel use happens in our food systems. This panel addresses the critical challenge of breaking food systems’ reliance on fossil fuels and navigating a just transition to fossil-free food systems. We’ll explore the challenges, opportunities, and trade-offs across the supply chain. Join us as we identify both the low-hanging fruits and the toughest obstacles in phasing out fossil fuels for…