The Sustainable Food Trust went to visit Hodmedod’s lentil field trials and their warehouse to find out more about the potential of British-grown pulses and their role in sustainable farming. Hodmedod’s is a unique British business pioneering the revival of local pulses.

This conference will seek to encourage debate on the benefits to be gained from more sustainable resource use and greater integration of different land uses on lowland and upland farming systems. It will present the best possible scientific understanding of the complexities associated with how best to achieve such an...

Last transhumance describes in photography and film the extinction of a millennial way of life. Last Transhumance is an artistic, ethnographic and sociological project totalling 8 years, 6 countries, more than 50,000 km travelled, 100,000 photos, 70 hours of footage and 100 hours audio recordings.

Meeting in Lille, France, over two days (19-20/09/2016) member organisations from the Netherlands, France and the UK representing small scale fishers reliant on Bass, discussed and agreed a LIFE position for transmission to the European Commission and Member States.

My farm is Berkeley Farm Dairy, Wroughton, Wiltshire, UK. I farm with my husband, Nick and son, Edward. We converted to organic farming in 1997. We have 140 Guernsey cows and process our own milk. We supply an organic box company and local shops and restaurants with milk, cream and...

TE Lochhead and sons are a traditional dairy producer who in 2001, saw their herd of cattle wiped out by the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in southern Scotland. Rather than simply replace the herd, Gavin Lochhead and his family looked into opportunities to differentiate from other farmers. The farmer...

A recent open meeting of the Family Farmers’ Association(FFA), held at Westminster, brought together a core group of individuals, organisations and policymakers to discuss ways to support and protect smaller farms. With the UK rapidly losing its traditional farming culture, groups like the FFA and the Land Workers Alliance (LWA) see protecting smaller...

This brochure presents eight case studies showcasing the role of European farming families as resilient, rural entrepreneurs in the context of the UN International year of Family Farming (IYFF) (2014). It is clear within the IYFF that family farming as a global political objective refers to a sub-set of family-owned...

Making Local Food Work began life in 2007 to help people to take ownership of their food and where it comes from by supporting a range of community food enterprises across England. Handmade Bakery Making Local Food Work, led by Plunkett Foundation, pooled the expertise of six partner organisations - Co-operatives...

Conservationists tell us about the extinction of wildlife, but there is another more insidious extinction going on right now – the disappearance of traditional dairy farmers, who have supplied our nation’s milk for generations. As each demoralised farmer quietly gives up and goes out of milk – and there are...

Carbon-conscious farmers in the UK work with nature not against it, concerned about the health of their soils for future generations. They use principles of ‘feeding the soil not the plant’, understanding and encouraging soil biology, and harvesting sunlight to maximum effect. These farmers understand that we must repair damaged...

G20 Members (Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indıa, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the EU) represent 85% of the world’s economy, 70% of the global agricultural economy and the two thirds of...

More than 70 per cent of Scotland’s land area consists of hills and mountains or has vegetation with upland characteristics. Our mountains, moors, hills and heaths extend from near sea level in the north and west to the highest mountain tops across Scotland. So don’t just imagine the jagged peaks of...

More than 70 per cent of Scotland’s land area consists of hills and mountains or has vegetation with upland characteristics. Our mountains, moors, hills and heaths extend from near sea level in the north and west to the highest mountain tops across Scotland. Farming in the uplands varies markedly from place...

The analysis of survey responses shows that young farmers have different expectations and needs, depending on the region in which they live, the agricultural sector in which they work (intensive, extensive), their level of education, their relation to the farm (owner of the farm or not) etc. This study revealed...

A major symposium on the the global impacts of UK food consumption. Food for humans and conservation are in conflict. The challenge for humanity is how is to produce more food for more people on less land and with less environmental impact. Feeding people should not come at the expense...

Agriculture is a devolved power in all 3 cases in the UK (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland); English agricultural matters are run by an England-only administration (Defra) but under the control of UK Ministers and the UK parliament. The environment is similarly devolved, but habitat conservation status for Article 17...

A ‘Farm Enterprise’ Competition from Wales in the UK is a good example of an EAFRD-funded project that both identifies and raises awareness about agribusiness innovations. The competition specifically explored knowledge development and transfer in sheep farming for young farmers.

During the next 7 years, the new CAP is going to invest almost EUR 28 billion in the UK farming sector and rural areas. Among the key political priorities defined at European level are jobs, sustainability, modernizations, innovation and quality. In parallel, flexibility is given to the UK to adapt...

Organic farming no longer serves a niche market in the European Union (EU). In spite of the global economic crisis, the mainstreaming of organic products has maintained its impressive trajectory: since 2008 there has been an average annual growth rate of 8%; annual turnover has risen to €20 billion; and more than 500...