An important consideration here is that the kind of organisations supported to develop fringe farming are connected with and collaboratively build food systems with the communities they serve. The ‘Preston model’, for example, makes a strong case for how to build community wealth and support co- operative enterprise through council procurement, and the Community Interest Company structure provides democratic channels for developing food systems with the knowledge of people where a business is based.
Currently gaps in access to information or buy-in from local councils and businesses means that opportunities for integrating the social and ecological benefits of peri-urban farming into resilient food systems are being missed. The Fringe Farming project seeks to address this through place-based research from Bristol to Glasgow; producing a series of forums to understand different contexts and co- create practical solutions and policy guidance.
Agroecological farming takes an integrated approach to producing food where ecological and social principles underpin regenerative systems that work with natural cycles, develop fair livelihoods and equitable land access, and value farmers’ knowledge. The Food and Agriculture Organisation describes 10 elements of agroecology.
Agroecological farming approaches not only provide more jobs per acre than industrial chemical farming, they also increase public goods such as biodiversity and carbon emissions reduction, and often enable education programmes and community development initiatives. The multiple benefits of agroecological farming in effect not only support access to healthy, culturally-appropriate foods they also support council targets on climate change, education and community access to green space.
INITIAL RESEARCH INTO LONDON’S
GREENBELT IN 2020 The project builds on initial research by Sustain’s Capital Growth team in 2020 - with input from Shared Assets, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and many organisations and individuals working on farms - to investigate existing farm productivity in London’s Green Belt land, highlight data gaps, structural barriers, current opportunities and steps to enable this vision to take place.
An event in February last year provided opportunity to communicate findings, and further share experiences and ideas on how to access land to grow food, develop supply chains for produce, and support training needed to grow food at this scale.
THE FRINGE FARMING IN LONDON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTED THAT THE CONVERSION OF 1.4% OF LAND GROWING CEREALS AND GRASSLAND TO VEGETABLES AROUND LONDON COULD PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL 1.3 MILLION KG OF FOOD FOR COMMUNITIES.
14 | ADMISI - The Ghost In The Machine | Q1 Edition 2021
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