Grants / Projects we are funding

The Landworkers’ Alliance – Developing farmer led innovation and skills for direct sales

Grant details

Amount:£144,000

Awarded on:01/04/2020

Duration:36 months

Status:Live

Area of interest

Systems change

Farm viability is a hinge on which a multitude of social, economic and environmental benefits rest. We will not be able to create a socially just and economically or environmentally sustainable transition to net-zero emissions without a strong basis of agroecological farms selling into local markets. At the same time farm businesses are threatened by the probability of economic shocks in post-Brexit trade environment, increased competition from imports from countries with lower environmental, food quality and labour protections (and hence lower costs of production) and the rollback of the Common Agriculture Policy subsidy system which is currently essential to the viability of many farms

What is the issue?

The key to solving these problems is improving farm-business viability through approaches that increase the production and distribution of local food, and provide boarder environmental and social benefits. This is an essential step in developing and popularising the farm business models that can provide healthy, affordable food and facilitate the transition to net zero emissions.

What will the project aim to achieve?

The organisation is aiming to improve the capacity, reach and uptake of direct-to-customer sales and short-supply chain models in local food. They will achieve this by:

(1) Using farmer-to-farmer and co-design methodologies to develop innovation, skills and knowledge in direct sales and local supply chain models

  • Providing support, advice and resource materials to help farmers to transition to direct-to-customer and short supply chain sales models
  • Lobbying and campaigning for policy changes to support the development of local food economies and oppose changes that threaten them

Who might be interested in this project?

This project will be of interest to farmers already running or considering moving to direct-to-customer sales and short-supply chain models in local food; communities interested in improving their local food economies and people wanting to better understand the obstacles farmers face in local sales and the possibilities that exist. It will also be of interest to academics and researchers wanting to better understand or change policy and practice around supply chains as well as politicians and policy makers at all levels who want to understand both how direct to customer and short supply chains can be supported as well as the developments that threaten them.