Agroecological Growing Pilot Set to Test Commercial Viability
Farmers have started work on three new plots near Newtown to test whether Powys land can be used to grow fruit and vegetables agroecologically on a commercial scale.
Between them they are working 36 acres of Powys County Council-owned land in Sarn. It will be used to supply produce to local markets, schools in Wales and possibly in future nearby cities such as Birmingham.
The successful applicants, who all come from Powys or the nearby border areas, were selected based on their business plans and former growing experience.
The farmers will work collaboratively to provide a local veg box scheme, as well as developing individual enterprises. Plans include selling organic vegetables to wholesalers and salad crops to local cafés and restaurants, supplying seeds to the Wales Seed Hub, selling vegetable, herb and tree seedlings, along with fruit and eggs, offering beehive building and food preparation courses, and selling kimchis, chutneys and other prepared foods at local markets. Councillor Jeremy Brignell-Thorp (third right), Powys County Council's Cabinet Assistant for the Climate Emergency, visits the shared tool store and packing shed at Sarn.
The farmers also plan to incorporate agroforestry and a small number of livestock, along with woodchip and biochar production, to increase soil health and fertility, manage pests and create a more closed-loop system, with little or no need for external inputs such as compost and fertilisers.
The project is being delivered by the Future Farms Partnership which includes Powys and Carmarthenshire County Councils, Our Food 1200 and Social Farms & Gardens.
The site includes three temporary homes, which received planning permission under new guidance issued last year by Powys County Council. The guidance supports the installation of temporary dwellings as part of small-scale horticultural enterprises.
'The work at Sarn is a pilot, that we hope can be replicated across the county on land owned by the council and by private individuals, as part of a much bigger programme,' said Councillor Jake Berriman, Leader of Powys County Council. 'We want to see more of the fruit and vegetables we eat grown here in Powys, so we can cut our food miles, improve our food security and with it create more resilient farming communities and more jobs.
'We are already great at livestock and dairy farming in Powys, but we could also become great at growing vegetables and grains here too.' The new farmers who are working the land at Sarn, over three plots, as part of the project.
Funding has been provided by the Welsh Government (£270,000) through its Asset Collaboration Programme, the UK Government (£341,000) through its Shared Prosperity Fund and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£20,000) through its Local Places for Nature Capital Fund.
Our Food 1200 director Duncan Fisher said:
'Agroecological horticulture produces a substantial amount of food on a relatively small amount of land. But until now, the big barrier has been the lack of housing for the farmers, who need to be onsite full time. With the council's new planning guidance in place, the next stage in Powys is to scale this up, with more land and more housing, to open up many more opportunities for talented new entrants to farming.'
Social Farms & Gardens Joint Wales Manager, Alison Sheffield added:
'As an organisation that's been supporting communities to farm, garden and grow together for over 40 years, it's been exciting for us to take a lead role in this pilot. We know we need more veg grown in our country to meet our nutritional needs and opening up more land for opportunities for local people is essential to help us on this journey.'
The new farmers are being supported by Cultivate, Pathways to Farming, Mentera, Lantra and Farming Connect.
The members of the Future Farms Partnership are Social Farms & Gardens, Our Food 1200, Shared Assets, Landworkers' Alliance, Cultivate, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Lantra, Black Mountains College, Ecological Land Cooperative, Eco Dyfi and Gwlad Consortium.
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