2010 - 2025

Not so many generations ago our farming communities would practise land-based rituals and ceremonies to ensure productive harvests and good relations between places, people and the powers of nature. These days we are left only with scattered fragments of what these might have been, when and why they were done. In this session we explore and remember some of the fragments of farming ritual that are still available to us, looking at the consequences of…

Across the UK, farmers, growers and crofters are navigating an increasingly challenging environment, with complex and often conflicting demands on land use - from food production to wildlife restoration, climate adaptation, and more. A ‘whole farm approach’ is often recommended to help maximise the multifunctionality of agricultural land, but what does that look like on-farm, and how can it be better supported by agricultural policy? In this session, we identify key characteristics of whole farm…

There is no doubt that there is a rural-urban divide, expressed in terms of culture, life experiences, perceptions, or political outlook. However, if we are to create a just, sustainable and secure food system then we need food growers in rural areas to find common cause with those who buy the food, most of whom live in urban areas. This session will look at initiatives which are helping to overcome the divide, thus contributing to…

Sustainable fruit and veg production has been through somewhat of a renaissance in the last ten years, with a huge wave of passionate new entrants joining the industry. However, making the finances work is hard for even the most experienced growers. This session will look closely at the reality of making a living from sustainable horticulture, the speakers have a wealth of experience to share. They will look at both what has and hasn’t worked…

A presentation of scientific research, including the most recent, on soil enzymes and plant growth. As science and the soil sciences take us into the ever smaller and more diverse intricate aspects of nature, soil health and the universe, we explore the work of enzymes. To take the example of compost teas and biodynamic preparations: science can show us how to help nature with micro biology, fungal activity and natural enzymes that feed our soils…

More and more farmers are discovering that farming with nature can not only help restore lost wildlife and habitats but can also help farms to become more environmentally sustainable, more resilient to unbudgeted events, and more profitable. The path to this better future is encapsulated in the concept of maximum sustainable output (MSO). The principles behind MSO have been set out in Less is More published by the RSPB et al, Farming at The Sweet…

Land and property relations determine who lives where, who produces what, and who benefits from land use, with major ecological and social consequences. The food movement desires transformation – this requires a deep change in land relations. But the way property is currently organised in the UK makes this extremely difficult. Private and corporate owners hold vast (and growing) amounts of power over land use; while many aspiring and existing agroecological farmers and urban consumers…

Join us for a screening of Fungi: Web of Life, a 40-minute immersive documentary following British biologist, Merlin Sheldrake, on a quest along the forest floor to find the precious blue mushroom in Tasmania's ancient Tarkine rainforest. The film raises questions of what we — as human beings — can learn from the wonderful fungal kingdom of life. We'll be looking at these questions and more in a discussion with Tasha Elena Stevens-Vallecillo, a medicinal…

In this session, we will explore how practices of disobedience and conviviality bring new worlds into being through agroecology and food sovereignty. How can disobedience positively disrupt the status quo and challenge business-as-usual? How does conviviality foster solidarity, care, and right relationships in our work? The panel will include activists, researchers and organisers who have collaborated with avant-gardist action researcher Michel Pimbert. We will reflect on a body of work that has been fueled by…