Alliance coordinator Rebecca has been at the Oxford Real Farming Conference this week. It's now the biggest event for 'agroecological' farming (modern, mixed, with nature and food production side by side) on the planet. It was great to see new and existing alliance contacts there!
Hear more about the ORFC on Farming Today here and below is one snapshot from Rebecca - for more snapshots check the blog.
Joining the Infrastructure dots
Over the last 30 years, a vibrant network of 'agroecological' short supply chain and direct sales businesses has developed in the UK but they are currently a tiny portion of the market. We are also losing infrastructure that supports small farmers- small abattoirs for example.
Landworkers Alliance - who's mission is to improve the livelihoods of farmers adn growers - hosted this session looking at digital and real infrastructure examples and how to replicate and grow them.
- Nottingham Mill Coop are millers and bakers working together to raise awareness of the milling process (their mill has a shop front in town) and have found that their collaboration has enabled all their businesses to sell more.
- Better Food Shed is providing a physical space, backed up by lots of human conversations and a digital element, to link farmers and box schemes and keep focus on the farmer.
- Food Data Collaboration are working on some serious back by end stuff to streamline the many online ways for producers to sell - so that farmers can spend less time fiddling with platforms and more growing.
What infrastructure does Herefordshire need - real or digital - to support good food to get out there? How can we get it?
Stay connected for an event on this topic in the next couple of months! And Sign the Food Charter to build our alliance to make good infrastructure happen for short supply chains here in Herefordshire.
