At ORFC 2023, thanks to the generosity of all those who purchased supporter tickets, we were able to issue over 1,500 subsidised and free tickets to the online and in-person conference. An incredible one in five ORFC delegates opted to pay a little more and become a supporter in January 2023. For our 15th year, we want to continue to increase equity and diversity across the whole conference with your support.
Many of the ORFC 2023 bursary recipients were global delegates, as we were able to provide free or subsidised tickets to more than half of our online audience. We welcomed online bursary delegates from 122 countries to ORFC online, and almost a third of these delegates were engaged in small-scale farming in their communities. In addition, online supporter tickets enabled a huge proportion of new entrant farmers to become part of a larger farming network, as over a third of online subsidised ticket holders were new entrants.
In-person supporter tickets directly funded over 200 places at the conference in Oxford, and provided a warm welcome to the agroecological movement to the 100 of these bursary delegates who had never attended ORFC before. Providing such a large number of bursaries enabled the conference to continue to increase inclusivity and accessibility, with almost 90% of bursary delegates on a low income. Ticketed financial support also helped us uphold our justice ethic across the conference and ensure that ORFC is representative of the lived experiences of the agroecological movement.
Supporter tickets for ORFC 2024, the 15th annual gathering of the agroecological movement in the UK, are now on sale. These tickets are for anyone who can pay a little more so we can provide low-cost tickets and bursaries for people to attend who might find the cost of a ticket a barrier.
Book Supporter Tickets Now
ORFC is dedicated to creating a just and equitable platform within the agroecological movement every January, and supporter tickets are essential to maintaining our progressive, community-led dynamic. The supporter ticket system helps to alleviate financial hardship for delegates and speakers who otherwise would not be able to join the conference and ensures that ORFC continues to be an inclusive and radical alternative to the status quo.