ORFC 2025 9 – 10 Jan
ORFC 2025 9 – 10 Jan
We are always hearing that, when it comes to food, people only really care about price. But is this really true? Last summer and autumn, the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) began its National Conversation about Food. Working with partners, FFCC set out to talk to citizens about what they really want from food. Through rigorous in-depth sessions and national polling the project asked about food’s relationship with health, farming, land use, nature, and…
The Black Farmer’s Market CIC is supporting new businesses and food producers to grow, reach new customers and audiences, and to work with experienced traders and business experts to achieve success. Market trading is low cost, no boss, flexible and high return – we are giving ambitious black food growers, with an entrepreneurial flair, the chance to turn clever ideas and sustainably grown produce into sustainable businesses. The Black Farmers Market aims to empower the…
Hear from members of the Farming and Land Use Network (FLUN) on their thoughts regarding progress to date on a transformation in agriculture to regenerative practices and agroecological systems and what more still needs to be done to support farmers, particularly ahead of a general election, to help them deliver the UK’s commitment to meeting key environmental and biodiversity targets by 2030 while producing healthy and sustainable food.
Members of the Pasture for Life-led, four year, Innovative Farmers field lab on bale grazing come together to share their insights into this outwintering strategy, including costs, benefits, impacts and lessons learned after several years of testing the approach. If you're a farmer currently trialling this approach and needing assistance for this current season or someone planning for next year, this will be an in depth and informative session on the subject.
In 2018, the UN general assembly voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas (UNDROP). This was a major achievement for La Via Campesina, as the movement had been working for 17 years to get there. The adoption process of UNDROP proved the capacity of the global peasant movement to negotiate within UN spaces and with governments towards a new legal tool. Strengthened by…
This session will highlight the huge potential hidden in public procurement for delivering healthy and sustainable food to communities, creating routes to market for agroecological farmers as well as the role of food partnerships in joining the dots between procurement and other local agendas. The session will kick off with an outline of the opportunities as well as common barriers in sourcing more local and sustainable food in public procurement. It will be followed by…
This session will explore how tapping into the spiritual aspect of nature can support food system transformation and improve the wellbeing of farmers, communities, and the land. Hear from experts and farmers on how reconnecting with our innate wisdom and rekindling our sacred relationship with nature can impact crop resilience, soil health, and community cohesion. Listening to nature connects the farmer to the land and guides the farmer’s decisions, such as when and where to…
At the end of our time together in Oxford, please join us to reflect on what we have learned and what we will take away from our 15th ORFC. There will be short summaries from leaders in the movement and the obligatory highlights video to ensure that any embarrassing dancing will remain on record forever!