UNITED KINGDOM
I am a new entrant farmer, growing organic vegetables and flowers in the south west of the UK. I grow with two others on one acre of land using hand-tools and minimum tillage practices. We farm to build healthy soils and hopefully a healthy ecosystem that will provide our community with food. I am a member of the Landworkers Alliance and the Organic Growers Alliance. We have also started to grow seed for commercial companies, and for our own regional seed co-operative.
We could shorten current supply chains and connect directly with local people and local businesses, utilising online platforms and software to reach people in our community. If policy changed to frame agriculture as a meaningful and skilled career, assisted with access to land and provided investment for small farms to employ new entrants and statutory funding for alternative/different/new farming models, this would make a huge difference.
Young farmers could develop food hubs/cooperatives for an established and reliable market, share tools and resources, socialise and share skills. We can make consumers aware of the negative impacts of modern agriculture, hopefully changing food habits.