I do not think it is possible to go to Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) and not learn something new. For most of us, who are in our day-to-day routines and our busy worlds of work, it is so important to take a step back and evaluate where we are at and the direction of travel going forwards. ORFC is a great opportunity to do just that. The conversations are often challenging and thought-provoking, but the thoughts and ideas that spring from placing yourself in this discussion are so valuable.
As a community interest company ourselves, listening to our community of farmers, growers, and hearing what concerns them and what drives them is so important. Conversations with this community during this year’s conference often highlighted the barriers placed in the way of farmers who are trying to do things differently, including reducing their carbon footprint and creating regenerative outcomes. One of the sessions that highlighted this was on Sustainable Meat. This session gave examples of where farmers had adapted their approaches and were using animals to graze for conservation purpose or rearing animals in a way that was more suited to supporting remote and wilder regions. These farmers often hit barriers to providing this more regeneratively reared meat to their local customers who wanted to support their methods of farming, particularly through the lack of availability of local abattoirs.
As a farmer myself, I am no stranger to these barriers.
However, the discussion that were had in Oxford, just served to highlight just how many barriers we still face as an industry to minimising our carbon footprint and embracing regenerative farming systems. The discussion I attended on achieving a fossil fuel free system highlighted this further, especially when discussing the investment required to achieve this.
Whilst barriers to action were widely discussed, so were ways of bringing together farmers and overcoming barriers, particularly those related to knowledge transfer and confidence building. Another session I attended focussed on the lessons that can be learned from Agroecological Accelerator Programmes. In this session, we took a deep dive into successful regenerative agriculture programs like the Cotswold’s Accelerator and Roots to Regeneration which helped attendees to understand what had helped to make these types of programmes successful.
Conversations at the conference did not shy away from topics that are often seen as uncomfortable or difficult for farmers and other members of the agroecological movement. One session I joined discussed the impact of Cultured Meat and its consumption from a farmer’s perspective. The discussion addressed topics including the climate impact of these types of products, but also the economic, social, and cultural impacts of the changes these types of products could bring for farmers and communities.
The ORFC is a great chance to put your head above your own parapet and engage in debate and discussion around what the future of food and farming could look like if it embraces agroecological and more regenerative approaches. The conversations are at the forefront of the regenerative movement and sometimes they may draw you out of your comfort zone, however this only serves to make these discussions richer. As I left Oxford last week, there was no doubt in mind that this conference had left me with more than just a little food for my thoughts.
