Access to land for aspiring or experienced farmers can be a challenge. Land prices now outstrip the potential returns from small-scale farming so that fields which could be used for food production are often sold for housing, as an investment, for carbon off-setting or other more lucrative uses. This contributes to a widening gap between urban and rural areas, which is leaving whole communities disconnected from the land and dependent on an industrialised food system which is contributing to ill-health and climate breakdown.

But there is another way: throughout the UK many communities are finding creative ways to come together to protect our green, rural spaces for food growing and landscape recovery. Featuring case studies from successful projects, this one-day farm visit will explore different ways to access land for food, farming and nature, including community ownership and land matching. The event will:

• Explore case studies of getting land into community ownership, including Moss Lane farm’s work and strategy

• Include a tour of Moss Lane farm and the community businesses that share the land

• Be a chance to identify further actions to support greater land access for agroecological farming in the North of England

Outline programme:

10:30am Arrival, coffee etc

11.00am Welcome and introductions

11.30am Context and work to support access to land 

11.40am Case studies - Moss Lane - presentation and tour 

1.00pm Lunch

2.00pm Calderdale Food Network and other case studies

2.30pm Strategy session - exploring actions needed around land access in the north

4.00pm Close

Lunch will be provided.