Shumei Natural Agriculture regenerates the land, water and soil, and cultivates a renewed appreciation of traditional farming culture, which has been declining in Japan. Abandoned rice paddies have not only resulted in the loss of cultural and agricultural heritage, but also the rich biodiversity of the land.

In this session, Shumei will take audiences on a virtual tour of Natural Agriculture farms in Japan, where thousands of farmers are cultivating crops using natural seeds…

Small-scale farmers in the 16 countries of the Sahel in West Africa face a dual crisis to their livelihoods: climate change and land degradation.

For many generations, farmers had lived and farmed in equilibrium with the natural environment. They maintained soil fertility, water holding capacity and crop production through fallowing and other practices.

Today, population pressure, climate change, soil erosion, misuse of agrochemicals have reduced the resiliency and sustainability of the farming system.…

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. LIMITED SPACES: 500

Join us for a practical workshop, sharing experience and knowledge on how to make the most of trees on farms. We explore design, tree choice and potential markets.

This is an opportunity for farmers and advisors to exchange ideas and experiences about which agroforestry practices have worked, or not, when planning and implement tree and shrub planting on farms. 

Two short presentations from people who've started out in agroforestry…

Is it possible to change the world domination of a profit-driven industrial-style economy that respects neither people nor planet? This session aims to explore viable, social and fair economic models for farming and supporting short-chain local food systems from the ground up. The possibility of getting closer to true-cost accounting and really equitable and transparent ‘farm to fork’ systems.

Right Livelihood Award winner and president of the Biodynamic Federation, Helmy Abouleish, presents a radical…

What does it take to deliver meaningful impact on our food production systems? Why is certification important and what other tools are there that will help facilitate better and best practice? We consider a range of approaches that aim to deliver lasting, positive change.

We know that agricultural practices are pivotal when it comes to mitigating the climate, nature and health crises we face, but debate rages about which ones are having meaningful impact. So…

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. LIMITED SPACES: 500

The Open Food Network (OFN) is a global community of people who are passionate about supporting communities to build short food supply chains and resilient food systems that address the needs of all beings. One of the services provided by this community is a platform co-op providing an open source IT infrastructure enabling new, ethical supply chains.

OFN has been deployed In 19 countries by networks of farmers, growers…

Only a decade ago it was widely thought that tropical forests and intact natural environments threatened humans by harbouring the viruses and pathogens that lead to new diseases in humans like Ebola, HIV and dengue. Today, a number of researchers think it is actually humanity’s destruction of biodiversity that creates the conditions for new viruses and diseases like COVID-19 to arise. These viruses have profound health and economic impacts in rich and poor countries alike…

As the UK exits the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy, foundations associated with the Farming the Future collective have been exploring new ways to deploy investment capital from their endowments to supplement their grantmaking in order to help finance a more rapid transition to agroecology. As part of this, the New Economics Foundation and Croatan Institute have been working collaboratively on a new initiative called “Redirecting Finance,” to explore obstacles and opportunities associated with bank…

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. LIMITED SPACES: 100 (Full)

Are you thinking about applying to be a farmer with the Ecological Land Cooperative? Come to this Q&A session to get a better understanding of what’s on offer and meet the ELC team. We have plots available at our site in Cornwall and are actively seeking more land to create other farming opportunities. We are looking for passionate landworkers and ecological entrepreneurs to get started on our residential…