2010 - 2024

A farming journey, founded on the vital importance of meadows. The meadow is the mother of the farming system. We want to bring back this old saying with natural unfertilised meadows; to show you how to produce everything you need for a healthy life and sustainable business through increasing biodiversity using the meadow system. By feeding animals meadow hay you bring in micro- minerals and fertiliser to your land, enabling the creation of amazing produce,…

The power of pesticide companies and the drive for profit is hindering the efforts of campaigners and policy- makers when it comes to pesticide reduction. We will discuss the ways in which corporate influence on policy and science underpin injustice in global food systems. We will explore the topic of investors influencing, or withdrawing support for companies that are driving biodiversity decline and harming human health, and what we can learn from the climate movement…

Each of us has the power to change the food system three times a day- a truth obscured and mistold as a result of the systematic disconnect between kitchens and farms. The more we can do as farmers, chefs and food citizens to re-establish active lines of communication and cooperation, the more opportunities we can create for each other to feed into the transition to an agroecological food system. The session puts forward practical ways…

We shall discuss the pros and cons of natural burial. Can natural burial be rolled out across more farms as part of farm diversification? Is saturation level and proximity to existing sites an issue? We shall explore the topic of de-carbonising funerals and how natural burial can become mainstream as part of farm diversification. Could “planting our carbon bodies” become a valuable part of regenerative farming and can this help people connect with farming and…

This is a captivating story of black oats lost and found. Gerald Miles spent 20 years searching for the black oats his grandfather grew. Through a connection with a folk musician, another older farmer was found to be still growing these almost extinct oats. We formed a group called Llafur Ni and embarked on a journey to eat these oats for the first time. Discovering that eating oats wasn’t as simple as we thought, we…

This is an opportunity for anyone attending the conference to gather in regional groups for an informal networking session before the evening’s entertainment. It will be a chance to connect with others in broad geographic areas to share experiences of the conference, find out about relevant networks and events and highlight areas of common regional or local interest. Join colleagues/friends from the North, South West, South East or Midlands in England, or from Scotland or…

The Youth Convergence on Land Justice will bring together young people aged 16-24 from across the UK who have a shared interest in discussing issues and opportunities young people face in the realm of land work, from farming to forestry, activism to nature restoration. In workshop form, the convergence will provide a facilitated space for youth representatives from organisations, movements and unions doing innovative work to share learning. We will discuss the potential of intergenerational…

No-till has risen in popularity in recent years but many growers still struggle to adopt the practice and remain chemical-free. While no-till and min-till techniques have taken off in horticulture, a prominent question remains – how do you terminate your cover crops without chemicals or destructive tillage? Through the Innovative Farmers programme, growers are pioneering new machinery and strip till techniques to find ways of maximising the benefits to soil health. In this session, you’ll…

This workshop aims to collectively share stories and experiences of feminist approaches as researchers, food producers, activists or practitioners in the spheres of agroecology, food sovereignty or public health. Our starting point is that we are confronted with patriarchy in multiple ways and spaces: from the institutions we work in, to the colonial capitalist farm and food systems we oppose, from the social movements we work with to our own thinking and doing. To transgress…