ORFC Communications Coordinator, Felix Hewitt, shares reflections on our ORFC In The Field event at the OrganicLea community food project and workers’ cooperative.
At the beginning of April, a community of farmers, growers, food systems activists, and individuals with a desire to change our food system for the better gathered at the pioneering worker’s grower cooperative and community food project, OrganicLea, in North-East London’s Lea Valley, for two days of workshops, talks, food, and knowledge-sharing. It was a fantastic opportunity for movement building for urban agroecology and food justice, with plenty of skill-building, new connections, and inspiration in the sun.
In addition to growing and selling organic fruit, vegetables, drinks, flowers and more, OrganicLea supports people locally to develop their food growing skills and build confidence in community food growing through training workshops, practical support, school visits and more. In this way, OrganicLea is an exemplar of ORFC’s vision of a just food and farming system, which made it the perfect location for the first ORFC in the Field event of 2025.
There’s still time to join us at ORFC In the Field at Wakelyns, 28-29th May
On the morning of day one, it was uplifting to see participants arrive from across the UK from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, such as growing groups from Brighton, members of A Commune in the North, and London-based food-systems activists. In the sunny glasshouse, 60 delegates gathered, excited to learn how OrganicLea finds its strength to survive and thrive in a food system that de-prioritises small-scale growers and agroecological enterprises.
The occasional clang, the squeak from the wheel of a wheelbarrow, and the general hustle and bustle of OrganicLea’s workers and volunteers added to the atmosphere of the gathering. This buzzing background activity served as a warm reminder that there are those working away on the ground, putting so many of the agroecological and food sovereignty principles digested at the Oxford Real Farming Conference into practice in their communities, every day.
The delegates were split into four groups, each getting the chance to participate in dynamic, interactive workshops. With hands in the soil, participants were able to engage in depth with tutors’ knowledge while they were in their element. Tutors offered dynamic opportunities to share knowledge, with each of the four workshops providing insights into different aspects of peri-urban growing and horticulture enterprises.
As an introduction to the workers’ co-op, Ru Litherland gave participants an in-depth tour of the OrganicLea site, which holds a rich history of growing. Ru explained how the glasshouse was originally built in 1976, when every council in the UK had its own plant nursery, and how in the 1980s, half a million horticulturalists were employed by councils before the system was dismantled. Travelling back to the present day, Ru guided participants through how OrganicLea has created a new reality by supporting many different growing enterprises, routes to market, and community food projects. Through these activities, OrganicLea is building a future rooted in the principles of food sovereignty that extends beyond the site to the wider community.
Hannah Claxton, of Eves Hill Veg Co., a community market garden in Norfolk, demonstrated the practical realities of horticultural tool selection, giving participants the practical knowledge of how to pick the right tools for the job based on budget, experience, the task at hand, and the environment.
Workshops were complemented by lunchtime talks on day one by the OrganicLea team, who shared fascinating insights into how the peri-urban workers’ cooperative also functions as a route into the London vegetable market for organic farmers situated in rural areas surrounding the capital. During the talk, Hannah also noted how her routes to market in rural Norfolk are quite different to those of OrganicLea, highlighting how horticultural growing enterprises may function quite differently depending on their location.
Delegates also had the opportunity to learn from OrganicLea’s Marlene Barrett, who ran a talk on how to make a successful cooperative. Marlene encouraged participants to explore what cooperation means to them and offered lessons on how to make a workers’ cooperative work long term. With over 15 years of experience in OrganicLea’s development, organisation, fundraising, and growing, Marlene had a wealth of knowledge to share with participants on how collective self-management can change the world for the better.
After an excellent social lunch from OrganicLea and an afternoon of workshops, we heard from a Roots to Market panel consisting of Danny from Growing Communities, Michaela from Black Growth CIC UK, and the OrganicLea team. This was full of insights into the realities of creating routes to market in the city, including challenges, achievements, and future avenues for growth and opportunity. This was followed by an outstanding organic and foraged meal from Pea Shoot Feasts, complemented by beer and drinks from Rod Sazio’s bar.
On day two, the workshops continued, with Rod showcasing his mushrooms and beer operation. “If I can do it, you can do it”, Rod explained, encouraging the participants to set up their own operations and work with whatever space they have. Throughout the workshop, delegates also learned about the significance of regional fungi cultivars during mushroom cultivation, and how the same species of mushroom can look and taste different based on location.
Meanwhile, Sandra Salazar of GoGrowWithLove CIC led delegates in her healing with the land workshop, during which she lovingly crafted meditative environments to help participants nurture and forge their own connections with nature amongst the trees. Sandra invited participants to intuitively explore the area, collect natural objects that speak to them, and listen for whatever messages the land might have for them.
Day two also featured an impactful lunchtime talk from Tsiraiky and Clare from Organic Lea and Frankie from Walthamstow’s Gleaners’ Cafe on the transformative nature of access to kitchens and growing spaces for migrants and how to support and facilitate such projects in your area.
Later, Tsiraiky shared with us that, “At OrganicLea, I’ve deepened my connection to the land through hands-on experience in organic food growing, nurturing both plants and sustainable practices. Alongside this, I’ve found a sense of belonging and mutual respect within a community rooted in shared values and collective care.”
As the two days drew to a close, it was exciting to see so many animated conversations still going, contact details being exchanged, and inspiration flowing.
Sandra Salazar led the closing ceremony, encouraging participants to share what they had soaked up from the event. One participant expressed that they hoped their fellow community members back at home were ready for them to share all the skills that they wanted to share that they learned at the event. “Nourishing for mind, body, and spirit”, offered another.
OrganicLea’s Clare Joy also spoke with passion in the closing ceremony, explaining that “We’re here and we’re here to stay”. She encouraged participants to take the experience of ORFC in the Field at OrganicLea and make it their own, quoting Ru’s book about OrganicLea:
“What follows is a tale of ordinary miracles: of people from all walks of life coming together to reconnect with nature and each other, to grow a better food system locally, and to say something important about the world and our place in it.”
After the closing ceremony, we came away feeling motivated and empowered to keep working to transform our food and farming systems for the better. Throughout the two days, it was wonderful to see so many participants from such a wide range of ages and backgrounds sharing their knowledge, stories, and ambitions in such an incredible setting full of growth and opportunities.
We can’t wait for the next ORFC in the Field event on all things agroforestry at Wakelyns on 28- 29th May. The programme has just been released: explore the workshops and book your spot to join now.
