With major changes in the offing as to the UK’s trade agreements around the world and the approach of the Sustainable Farming Scheme as successor to Glastir and the CAP farming subsidies regime, food production and security is a key issue not just for the Cambrian Mountains and mid-Wales, but for the whole nation. Farmers are, however, resilient and adaptable people, adept at finding new ways to make farming viable.

Regenerative farming is a new approach in which the food is both produced and consumed locally, using short supply chains which provide a fairer earning for the producer, better for the environment (lower food miles) and more secure for everyone. Local trade builds connections between farmers and the other residents in the community which may otherwise simply not meet, since the farmers’ customers are supermarkets and distant cities while the local resident shop in supermarkets which sell anonymous products.

The farming techniques can include permaculture, agro-ecological, regenerative, biodynamic and bio-intensive approaches to create environments that increase biodiversity, rebuild soil and soil health, and improve water supplies, capture carbon and keep pests and diseases to a minimum.

A not-for-profit community benefit society founded by the Conservation Farming Trust and operating in Brecon and Monmouthshire, Our Food/ Ein Bwyd 1200 is a regional project using a locally-led approach to tackle the myriad of practical barriers to change in mid-Wales. In this webinar, Our Food 1200 explained what they are doing, where and how – including the issues that have arisen in the 6 months since their launch in March and how they are working to overcome them.