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In April, Maddy (co-lead of UAC) was asked by Mary Stevens at Friends of the Earth experiments programme, to bring together evidence and reflect on the question of ‘How to map neglected spaces for community=led growing’. This will help to inform FoE’s Postcode Gardener project – which is developing a self-sustaining model for community-led cultivation

Since 2020 we’ve run a series of on-line workshops and PINGs (our Policy Influencers Network Groups) covering all sorts of useful topics, from planning, participatory mapping, soil and nutrition, amongst others. You can look back at the recordings of these on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXp0NTfplLmmvTWTYXSEvCQ/playlists?app=desktop https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXp0NTfplLmmvTWTYXSEvCQ/playlists?app=desktop

The most recent PING meeting was held on Weds 24th May We featured the Right to Grow campaign led by the Incredible Edible Network, and also looked at tools for opening access to public land for local food growing. You can watch the recording on Youtube: PINGs are held on-line, and are open to all

If you’re interested in how farmstart projects get going, read this fanatstic short blog from Catherine Howell, coordinator of the Middlesbrough Farmstart project. To connect with Catherine go to: https://www.facebook.com/BarefootKitchenCIC/ Farmstart Middlesbrough ‘23 kicked off this January with a small cohort of six participants raring to go! This is our second year. The group come

Open Food Network workshops in Lincolnshire – 26 January 2023 By Laura Stratford (Lincolnshire Food Partnership Coordinator): We’re still buzzing from the conversations led by Nick Weir about developing local food networks and food hubs in Lincolnshire. 25 people travelled from across the county (Greater Lincolnshire is MASSIVE!) and gathered at Mint Lane Cafe in

Farmers and environmentalists agree – food security is only possible if farming is environmentally sustainable Deliberative workshop reveals farmers are on board with climate and nature goals https://www.ippr.org/blog/food-security-is-only-possible-if-farming-is-environmentally-sustainable New, refreshing, from-the-horses-mouth research from IPPR makes for uplifting reading amongst so many negative messages about the UK’s food and farming sector. The research is ongoing and

After two wonderful years of developing UAC, building community and understanding in the realm of urban agriculture in the UK, we are sorry to say that our core funder, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation won’t be funding us beyond our initial 3 years. They have said that it is due primarily to their funding priorities changing. We

7-18 November in Egypt. There’s huge momentum building and increasingly urgent demands to change the world’s food systems, and to get sustainabale regenerative food systems endorsed as an outcome of COP 27 – agroecology in a nutshell. A never ending flow of articles highlights the problems caused, for example, by an expansion of meat production

Policy Influencers Network Group – Thursday 17 November Our recent Policy Influencers Network Group #5 in September focussed on Food Hubs. Participants from across the UK heard from Nick Weir at the Open Food Network about recent developments and advice on how to join the Open Food Netwrok’s on-line platform. You can watch the recording