Following on from our Regenerative Farming webinar, members may be interested to learn that the Resilient Green Spaces programme team in Wales have announced £100,000 of available funding to support the purchase of farmland for agroecological farming with long-term community benefit.
The aim is to provide new and ongoing opportunities for new entrant agroecological farmers.
The opportunity is open to not-for-profit organisations that are established to deliver public or community benefit, are incorporated and have an asset lock (e.g. a community interest company, charitable company, charitable incorporated organisation or community benefit society).
The funds will only be able to be used for the purchase of land, not for associated capital equipment or any other investment purposes.
The purchase must be completed by 31 May 2023 and purchasers must commit to undertaking a survey of the land before purchase.
Priority will be given to purchases that:
- are taking land out of private (or potentially public) ownership and into community ownership
- are connected to a community e.g. located close to a town or city
- aim to create broad public benefits
- will create opportunities for new entrant farmers e.g. through the creation of FarmStart plots
- aim to provide ongoing opportunities to future new entrant farmers (ie a rolling intake of new entrants/reinvestment of initial funds into further land purchases)
- will support or connect with other local food initiatives such as Food Hubs, orchards and allotments.
For more information, see https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/opportunities/opportunities/resilient-green-spaces/