This report from the Landworkers' Alliance sets out how the UK government can help new farmers enter the agroecology sector. Based on a set of interviews with new entrants to the sector, it sets out current barriers to entry, including difficulties in accessing land, housing, capital, training, markets and industry connections as well as negative perceptions of farming jobs.
The recommendations include investing in training and support at several different educational stages, such as school and apprenticeships; enabling access to land and housing through running land matching schemes, providing low-cost loans for land trusts and adjusting planning laws to allow agricultural worker accommodation on smaller farms; introducing financial support, such as grants and loans, for new entrants; and supporting resilient local supply chains, for example through dynamic procurement systems.
Read the full report, The Attraction of Agroecology and the barriers faced by new entrants pursuing agroecological farming and land work, here. See also the TABLE explainer What is agroecology?
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