Farm Practices & Sustainability –  See also self-sustaining living organism.

Pasture raised livestock: cutting down on input costs (fertiliser, pesticides) and vet bills — thereby also restoring soil fertility, raising livestock humanely, and producing healthy meat.

Micro-dairies: introducing diversity on to the farm (and into the rotation, thereby adding fertility, etc); shortening the supply chain and selling directly to the customer/local shops and cafes so that a herd of 17/18 can provide a living for two (preferably three) farmers.

Agroforestry: increasing the amount of money that can be produced per hectare (land equivalence ratio); trees should represent a good long term investment.

Access to Market: Reducing the length of the food supply chain so that more money goes into the pocket of the farmer. Co-branding: this allows farmers to share the time spent on direct sales at farmers’ markets, etc; bee-keepers sharing equipment and selling under the one brand, directly to the customer.

Cross-Subsidy: Adding processing enterprises on to the farm to add value to the produce (charcuterie, cheese-making, bread-making). (At the moment the farmer only receives 8-10% of the value-added.) Diversifying into other income generating enterprises such as a business park.

Sharing the Risks of Farming: Community Supported Agriculture where the customer becomes a part of the enterprise and shares the risks as well as the benefits of local food. A number of different models exist. Thus they can be producer-led, community-led, producer-community partnerships, or community owned farms.

Access to Farmland: Share farming, land partnerships for new entrants to start farming. Some are run as incubator projects whereby the new entrant moves on to set up their own enterprise after 2-3 years on the farm.

Bibliography

‘Farmers in Parliament’ event at the House of Commons in Westminster, London 24 June 2015 in which I participated.