2010 - 2023

‘We consider bread and agricultural products as spiritual nourishment and physically vital as well as emotionally, culturally and spiritually healing.” (Panis Vita)  The peasant baker is someone who grows, mills and bakes with landrace heritage grains on a small scale. It is a model which combines tradition and innovation, producing the best possible quality of bread from nutritionally dense grains. During this session we will be hearing from Rupert Dunn, Jean-Marc Albisetti, who have run…

A long history of land enclosure both here in the UK and globally has left a legacy of deep societal disconnection from the land, and denied countless communities their right to pursue land-based livelihoods. But just as mass land dispossessions and the creeping enclosure of the commons are phenomena that are still ongoing today, the struggles for land justice and reclaiming our connection to the land are equally widespread. This session will shine a light…

The UN reports that the only way we can meet the global target of 1 billion restored hectares in the next eight years and avoid ecosystem collapse is to support people across the world to engage in localised ecosystem restoration. Join this lunchtime session and explore how we can leverage online learning to support a peer-driven, participatory global ecosystem restoration movement.

There is a buzz of excitement forming around new ways of farming sustainably with the idea of a regenerative revolution gaining traction amongst farmers. This new term may sound different, but fundamentally it is very similar to organic, and some principles of each are shared, moving from an extractive to a restorative style of agriculture.

Finding land for growing local food, nature restoration and carbon capture is a huge challenge. The Apricot Centre has been given an opportunity to trial an innovative approach, with a tenancy on land owned by the local Exeter Diocese.

The urgently needed transition to agroecology begins with seed and soil. This transition is only possible with policies and efforts to support and recognise native seeds.

In the spectrum of services farmers can access to help them transition to regenerative practices, where does mentoring fit? Often overlooked or poorly executed, does mentoring have a place alongside other services farmers access to support their practice?

For the first time, UK policymakers are actively researching the potential for agroecology to help deliver net zero. In Spring 2022, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) commissioned the University of Aberdeen to review a range of agroecological farm practices – such as reduced and minimum tillage, leys, extensive livestock systems and cropping approaches – and assess their impact on GHG emissions, vegetation and soil carbon stocks, and changes to yields.

What’s the state of UK food security and should we be growing more food in the UK? In December 2021, the UK government published the first of its new triennial Food Security Reports. This painted a picture which could either reassure or concern us.