Oxford Real Farm Conference

As growers and activists, one of our highlights of the year always comes early. The first week of January is the Oxford Real Farm Conference. This is a gathering of the agroecological farming movement in the UK where farmers, growers, activists, scientists and all those interested in fixing our broken food system get together to learn form each other, to discuss, collaborate and bring about change.

With close to 5,000 attendees the ORFC has grown immensely in the last few years as increasing numbers of people are becoming determined to get together and make change happen, it is where the food revolution is brewing!

Its’ growing popularity is catching the attention of more and more organisations working within a wide range of sectors which are increasingly getting worried about how the food system is damaging our health, communities, economies and environment and so they are taking part wanting to be part of the solution. While ORFC attracts and welcomes anyone interested in bringing about meaningful change for a fairer and healthier food system; its core and the majority of people attending are grassroots actors of the agroecological farming and food sovereignty movement.

This year again the topics of food poverty, local economies, community resilience and social justice were at the centre stage of the debates; and so was the worry of further damage to health, environment and communities from a system that puts profit before people and is inherently undemocratic and non-transparent. But the ORFC brings together a huge diverse and inspiring range of projects, initiatives and solutions to get the transformation going, from the ground up. It’s 3 days of a huge feast of ideas, enthusiasm and determination, I always leave fully charged for the year!

We need to change the food system. It is causing too many problems without anyone being accountable and it’s on autopilot with a course of destruction. We need to move to a food system that has the overall health and wealth of all as its core. At ORFC, I heard from so many of those building this alternative food system based on justice, joy and solidarity that I can’t but remain positive and get back to work on our little corner of Devon. At Hilltown Organics and with Harvest Workers Co-op we’ll keep feeding the fire, we need to increase the opportunities and support for a different way to farm, to trade, to generate health and well-being, to regenerate our land, our soils and our souls. Join us in 2022 in creating a better food system for all!

The infographic is by @seobhanhope_illustrates

Sometimes we get asked to contribute to research projects on a whole variety of subjects. Usually they consist of rather dry collections of questions. This time was a little different. Natasha’s research study, which is focused on alternative organising and sustainable food initiatives, asked for a creative piece of fiction on what we saw the future holding along with 5 images representing what we felt was important. I rather enjoyed writing the story and picking the pictures so thought I’d share them. I hope you enjoy the read!

You could tell that the day was starting when the squeak of the wheelbarrow came down the high street from the community garden up on the hill. This morning it was a very frondy barrow full of carrots and fennel.

The shop’s stalls were out and the “take your share table” was full of the produce that people had contributed. Just inside the door the food co-op had delivered sacks of rice and pasta that had been shipped from the family businesses in Italy and the Round the Corner Baker’s bread basket was smelling good. This was the first year that Town Farm’s landrace wheat had been used. Everyone was rather proud as they crossed the bridge and looked down at the restored water mill that ground the grain.

Back outside the shop, the pick your own herb beds were buzzing with the bees from the roof hive, as the co-op members working today were talking through the jobs of the day; the deliveries round the town, the evening’s bicycle powered cinema show and the research article to write!

Suddenly, the train whistle broke into the conversation and stirred sudden activity with a couple of the team running up Station Road so as not to miss the delivery of vegetables from Exeter. The newly restored train line was good for more ecological transport but meant a lot more exercise than when the truck dropped off deliveries in the yard. The others turned to sorting out the vegetables for the Community Kitchen. The COVID lockdowns of the early 20’s had severely impacted on jobs and income and the Community Kitchen had been a life line in supporting the town. Now, it still provided a vital community resource allowing people to cook together and share the food to everyone who needed it. The children skipped past on the way to school and picked carrots from the snack sack, now the day had certainly started!

Paul’s Lockdown Garden

In the weeks of lock down one of our customers, Paul has discovered a new strength through the activity of transforming his small back yard into a growing space.

Both of these vegetable beds were made on a back slope of the garden where the soil was mainly thick stony clay, so I dug out the clay and replaced it with top soil and organic compost on the top. As you can see it’s a nice rich black colour now.

I’ve grown broad beans, cabbage, kale, leeks, carrots, corn, runner beans, cucumber and cara potatoes. Many of the plants came from your shop, I’m happy to say!

I believe that finding this new activity has helped me greatly with my own mental health and kept my feet on the ground during these stressful times. Kept me sunny side up! It has given me a new relationship with growth and has been really empowering!