Our Six Inches of Soil project got off to a flying start in Bromyard last Friday 13th. The ominous date did not deter 120 people turning out to enjoy the film, food and Q&A.
A big thank you to our panel: Claire Howlett, Louise Manning and Andrew McRobb for providing such valuable insights, the audience for being so engaged, Legges for providing the food and finally to the awesome Conquest volunteers who helped make the night happen without any glitches, what a team!
Questions from the night included:
How do we get kids engaged? How do we communicate how much food miles make a difference? What % of farmers in Herefordshire are regenerative? Shouldn't we be using top quality agricultural land to grow food not wildflowers? Are numbers of farmers decreasing in Herefordshire? What crops earn the most money for farmers? How scaleable are regenerative practices for feeding the world? How widespread is the decline of birds following the plough?
And the answers? The panel of course had a lot to say and the questions are all themes we will continue to investigate here at HFA but some takeaway thoughts from the panel were:
There are regenerative and River Friendly farmers in Herefordshire (Look at our database here!) but there needs to be more! Regenerative practices are scaleable but scaleable doesn't have to mean big is better, rather many small regenerative farms can feed the world. Waste in the food system has a huge effect on land use - more waste = more land needing to be in production to compensate. Nature and food production can sit hand in hand. Having sustainable and guaranteed markets for organic and regenerative produce through community support can reduce the risk to the farmer or grower and potentially bring down costs. Connection with our food system is key!
Bromyard has set the bar high for the rest of our events... Let's see what happens in Hay on Wye - 3rd October see you there! Book Here!