English FRINGE FARMING
Since 2021, the Landworkers’ Alliance has been with Sustain, Shared Assets, and peri-urban farmers in Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and London, on a project to promote and support peri-urban farming. In 2022 Cardiff joined the Fringe Farming family, and the project is just embarking on its third year in 2023. Fringe Farming aims to explore the barriers and opportunities for agroecological farming at the edge of urban areas. The project is working with local stakeholders to identify land and develop local actions, and agree national policy recommendations to enable agroecological farming. We aim to demonstrate how peri urban farming can contribute to the green economic recovery, and help address the impacts of the COVID pandemic, Brexit, and the climate and ecological emergencies.
Among the achievements of the Fringe Farming to date are:
- The publication of a policy brief by each of the stakeholder groups, as well as an overall report, “Fringe Farming: Peri-urban agroecology towards resilient food economies and public goods” for use in advocating to policy makers.
- Stakeholders liaising at a local level with local authorities to remove barriers to peri-urban farming.
- Organisation of a “Round Table Parliamentary Event” with MPs and Peers to make the case for peri-urban farming and present the briefings.
- Hosting of two peri-urban study tours, in Manchester for Defra officials and in London for Local Authority officials
LWA’s main role in Fringe Farming has been the Peri-Urban Practitioners’ Forum (PUPF) to engage and learn from farmers and growers based in or on the outskirts of urban areas. The forums provide a space for farmer-to-farmer learning and aim to help growers find ways to overcome challenges that they are currently facing. In the first year the online forums focussed on issues such as “Access to Land” and “Access to Finance”, while in the second year topics were chosen by peri-urban practitioners and included, “Access to Urban Markets”, “Opportunity arising from Crisis: Learning from the Cuban Example”, “A Journey to Local Food Success: Listen and learn about Regather Sheffield” and “GIS Mapping for Fringe Farmers”. When possible (at ORFC and the Land Skills Fair) the PUPF meets in person, so keep an eye out for workshops.