|
Urban Agriculture Consortium News
|
|
We hope everyone is well and had a good summer. Welcome to the new term!
September musings
The UK is blessed with a favourable climate for food production, but more extreme weather patterns are making food growing in poor soils less possible each year. Accelerating the re-localising of food production, transition to agroecology and the building of national food sovereignty can prevent us from squandering this climatic advantage.
Unlike many other countries we have a workable window of opportunity to rebuild soil fertility and shift to a carbon-sequestering food system, helping to prevent hunger and vulnerability becoming more widespread. In these uncertain and reactionary times we need to reinforce our positive voices and support progressive policies for sustainability.
This month there are lots of opportunities to network and learn from each other, and from our growing network of advisors and associates. We’re really pleased to welcome Janie Bickersteth as an associate, working with Maddy on the mappers group. See more here.
Please read to the end where you can see other events and good things to read from across our wider networks.
|
|
|
Event highlights
21 September
Policy Influencers Network Group: Food Hubs - Essential infrastructure for the new food economy. Hosted with Open Food Network. More information below.
6 October
Next UAC Midlands pathfinders meeting: Urban centres and counties across the midlands are creating the conditions for increasing local food supply. Join on Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83508095051
6 October
Exploratory Roundtable - The role Community Land Trusts can play in accelerating access to land for food production (invite only at this stage): looking at the potential for land trusts as a mechanism for managing land for common good, in perpetuity, for urban and peri-urban agroecology. Let us know if you’d like more details.
|
|
|
Policy Influencers Network Group (PING #5):
Food Hubs – essential infrastructure for the new food economy.
Wednesday 21 September, 2pm - 4:30pm
This September we are collaborating with the Open Food Network to spread the word about the transformative potential of food hubs to our ever-widening policy influencers network.
Nick Weir and Cobi Akin will take you on a tour of diverse Food Hubs and what makes them work. You’re encouraged to bring your questions, share your contexts and challenges, and to connect with OFN if you would like their follow-up support in creating or progressing a Food Hub in your area.
Follow up support on this, on planning issues, on mapping, nutrition and fundraising is available for pathfinder people and places. Please contact us for further details.
This session will be directed at our pathfinders but open to a wider audience as well.
|
|
Please contact us if you would like to come to one of our events.
3 October, 2pm - 3.30pm: Bespoke session with Andy Goldring of the Permaculture Association on co-designing a permaculture module for Farmstart.
6 October: Roundtable on the role of CLTs in accelerating local food production in the UK.
6 October, 2pm - 4pm: Next Midlands pathfinders meeting - Birmingham, Lincoln/shire, Peterborough, Oxford, Nottingham/shire, Derby, Cambridge, Northamptonshire - northern partners also welcome.
3 November: UAC Core Oversight Group meeting
17 November, 2pm: PING #6 (Policy Influencers Network Group) - Hear about exciting development from our food land mappers network. Maps that shift thinking and lead to more food being grown.
To be confirmed: next mappers group
To be confirmed: session on how to secure funds for Farmstart and other projects.
|
|
|
And from the wider network...
|
|
|
Community-Fed: Oldham. Read Tom Carman’s blog on how the power to address food poverty is being placed in the hands of communities.
|
|
|
A compelling article about how mental health problems lie not inside the person, as their problem, but are political and a result of systemic injustices and environmental traumas.
|
|
|
RUAF (Resource Centre for Urban Agriculture & Forestry) have just published a special issue of their magazine, reflecting on developments over the last 20 years and some of the current/cutting edge thinking. A rich resource. Online only.
|
|
|
This great article in the Bristol Cable sheds light on land justice issues and the role and power of trespass to reclaim commons.
|
|
|
Local Food Systems: Making Visible the Invisible through Agroecology
|
|
|
Since 2020, Urban Agriculture Consortium (UAC) has been bringing people together to co-create the conditions for urban and peri-urban agroecology to thrive, as part of an integrated, resilient, & just food system for the UK.
Find all the latest information on our website:
https://www.urbanagriculture.org.uk/
|
|
|
The Urban Agriculture Consortium sends out regular bulletins, so please share with your partners and colleagues. As we are a not-for-profit project*, and we only use your details for keeping you informed of progress, we believe we are not required to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in relation to GDPR.
Please let us know if you would like to be added to or removed from our email list: jeremy@greenfuture.org.uk
*The Urban Agriculture Consortium is managed by Green Future Associates CIC.
|
|
|
|
|
