Our global food supplies depend on just a few mainstream crops which are vulnerable to climate change and other pressures. Landraces and crop wild relatives (CWR) are valuable plant genetic resources with natural resilience, as well as having huge cultural significance, yet they are being lost at unprecedented rates.

We need to work together to conserve this diversity in situ (on farms, in gardens and in the wild), alongside ex situ activities. This session will…

Following on from their lunchtime talk in the Old Library, join Dee Woods and others to look deeper into some of the issues raised in this session.

The UK currently imports around two million tonnes of soya beans per year to feed its livestock. The production of this soya, in countries such as Brazil and Argentina, is known to be one of the major contributors to deforestation, and consequently, climate change. While we need to reduce our reliance on grain-fed livestock in the long term, in the shorter term we can grow animal feed proteins in the UK and reduce our demand…

Are you involved in finding, buying, or renting land for agroecology? Or are you aware of a land struggle to save or secure land for agroecology? We’re wanting to get a sense of the different approaches that are being tried, where the blocks are, where most innovation is happening, and the extent of the need for legislative change in the ownership and distribution of land.

Crop diversity has been in rapid decline for the last 100 years, particularly when it comes to grains grown in the UK. Where we once had a patchwork of regionally-specific grains grown across the country, arable fields are becoming increasingly homogenised in favour of supposedly high-performing modern breeds.

The Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme is working to support a diverse and resilient seed system and will chair this session around the question “How can we…

Day One and the opening plenary for the #ORFC20 kicks off with drumming from Shumei Taiko. The songs are a celebration of harmony with nature and promote wellbeing with all living things. Two of the four drummers here are farmers.

The speakers which follow include Colin Tudge, the co-founder of the ORFC, Leah Penniman from Soul Fire Farm, John Meadley from the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA), Alice Cunningham from Shumei International and Jyoti Fernandes…

Our food and farming system is at the centre of the global climate change debate and all possible pathways to reduce emissions to net zero will have dramatic effects on what we eat, how it is produced and how it is distributed around the world.
However when it comes to the detail of the what will enable that transition to happen, how coherent are our visions and how effective are our strategies? Watch our…

Silvopasture is an ancient practice that integrates trees and pasture into a single system for raising livestock. Research from Project Drawdown – the global research organisation - suggests silvopasture is the most effective climate change mitigation solution of all agricultural strategies. However, there are also animal welfare and productivity benefits through the provision of shelter, shade and as a valuable source of food.

This session will give a brief overview of what silvopasture is and…

Shumei Natural Agriculture is a way of farming based on a deep respect and regard for nature. It looks to cultivate wholesome food with pure seeds without the use of any fertilizer, chemicals or additives. It is more than an approach to agriculture, it is a way of living in harmony with nature.

A guiding principle of Shumei is the inherent power of the soil to produce healthy crops. Natural Agriculture builds the foundation of…