ORFC GLOBAL 2021

Wales has a forward-looking government with sustainability high on the agenda. It is small enough for individuals and projects to make a difference, big enough for economies of scale, and diverse in its landscapes and culture. It has several innovative pieces of legislation that could support a transition to fairer and more environmentally sustainable farming and food production, if political authority and public support can be mobilised to link them together. However, there is still…

Livestock farming and meat and dairy consumption have potentially important roles in future sustainable food systems. While acknowledging ‘less and better’ meat and dairy shifts, how can we celebrate contributions that good livestock farming can make, so we can transition towards UK livestock production being ‘only the best’. We’ll explore what this looks like, from farmers’ perspectives, across four aspects – health, environment, animal welfare and fairness.

Farmers and landowners searching for a new challenge may want to look beyond the usual suspects when choosing what trees to plant in a new agroforestry system. There are huge untapped markets, either for substituting imports or for developing new products and export opportunities.

Last year’s conference explored the potential in the organic herb market. But nuts, medicinal trees, replacing farm inputs, building materials and even plastic replacements are also big opportunities for UK growers.…

This meeting will build on the previous days session on genome editing and report on technical, policy and valuesbased exchanges between researchers, policy makers, producers and citizens. Coordinated by Beyond GM and GM Watch, it will encourage an exchange of views and ideas with the aim of building technical, policy, regulatory and political strategies for the organic and agroecological movements to protect themselves from any unwanted impacts of the push for a genome editing revolution.

Farmers are developing an abundance of innovative uses for woodchip. From using its pharmaceutical qualities as an alternative to fungicide in orchards to its use in improving soil health, suppressing weeds and even as livestock bedding. Through the Innovative Farmers programme, practical on-farm research is allowing farmers to investigate the many benefits of this versatile material. Join us to hear from a panel of pioneer farmers, orchard managers and researchers and find out about three…

This session will explore the future of weed management – integrating an ecological and technological perspective. Chloe Maclaren will share the latest developments in weed ecology and new insights into the potential for more weed resilient systems. Nicola Cannon will delve into the role of technology and the latest innovations for non-chemical weed control - exploring the challenges and the trade-offs. We will then explore how to make this work in practice with Mike Mallett…

This session will explore waged work in farming, horticulture and market gardening. What matters in farm work? What is a fair relationship for farm workers and employers? How can migrant workers be supported by employers and the agroecology movement? Drawing on recent research and experiences we’ll explore these questions in the session: How can workers’ wellbeing be supported? What is needed to support employers? How might Brexit change things? What role should we play? The…

Everything you wanted to know about setting up and running a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project - or making an existing one even better. This is a practical session to answer questions and get you started. Participants will be able to rotate between groups led by experienced individuals, picking and choosing the topics they’re most interested in and being able to discuss and ask questions in smaller groups. Topics include creating a founding group and…

This session looks at four Demetercertified farms and asks whether they are healthy, resilient examples of respectful agroecological farming where nature as well as farm and people thrive. Key findings from research conducted using the Public Goods Farm Assessment Tool, with additions for biodynamic farming, will be presented by the research team. They will provide assessments of the four farms in terms of sustainability, viability and vitality at soil, plant, animal, human and social/spiritual levels.