No-till cultivation, integrating trees with veg production and food policy debates among the wide-ranging sessions relevant to fresh produce sector at Groundswell regen farming festival
Rockstars of regenerative farming, soil scientists and food policy experts are among those making their way to Groundswell next week in what’s becoming known as the Glastonbury of farming festivals.
The event, held at Lannock Manor Farm in Hertfordshire over 2 and 3 July, combines practical demos with wide-ranging talks that connect all aspects of farming, from arable and fruit and veg, to fibre production and agroforestry.
It expects to attract around eight thousand visitors across two days, many of whom camp in tipis overnight on site.
With more than 250 sessions and over 400 speakers, the self-proclaimed festival boasts American regenerative farmer Gabe Brown as a headline act, as well as celebrity chef and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who will host a debate on how pop culture and the media is reflecting farming today, along with members of the production team behind hit TV show Clarkson’s Farm.
Event director Alex Cherry said: “We curate the sessions in a way which addresses the gap between theory and practice in the hope that as well as leaving motivated, attendees will leave with actionable strategies they can implement, whether they’re managing 50 acres or 5,000.”
Popular sessions such as dung beetle and hedgerow safaris return for another year, as well as updates on nature markets and carbon payments, food policy sessions, novel foods and sustainable farming system deep dives.
Specifically relevant to fresh produce, a session on no-till veg cultivation will reveal results from the UK’s first fully-replicated field trials at Newcastle University and Durham.
Meanwhile another panel will discuss rethinking farming on lowland peat, with produce growers among the speakers, while a session on silvo-horticulture will explore how to integrate trees into vegetable production. This year’s event also introduces an additional agroforestry area, which will provide one-to-one consultations tailored to individual farms.
A high-level political debate in the Big Top event will see National Food Strategy co-author Henry Dimbleby joined by former Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King and ex-farming minister George Eustice to answer the question: can British farming be saved? While in a nod to topical discussions in the wider food and health debate, a debate entitled ‘Ozempic vs Organic’ will look at the benefits of nutritious food versus the rise of weight loss drugs.
Also from the US, Vermont-based author and educator Didi Pershouse will deliver several sessions on soil and water health, to explore how soil structure and function are fundamental to climate resilience.
With an open-door policy that also sees consumers and chefs attend, Groundswell said it aims to make adoption of agroecological practices more accessible for mainstream farmers and growers.
It’s hoped that evening entertainment may include a return of the much-loved DJ set by former Groove Armada frontman-turned regenerative grain farmer, Andy Cato, with the Earthworm Arms on-site pub open until late.
