Community Food Strategy
The Welsh Government’s Programme for Government 2021 to 2026 commits to developing a Wales Community Food Strategy (CFS) to encourage the production and supply of locally-sourced food in Wales.
Horticulture study: Barriers to small scale horticulture development in Wales
BIC Innovation was commissioned in August 2023 to investigate whether there are actual and/ or perceived barriers to the expansion of small-scale horticulture in Wales which arise from the Planning System.
Research undertaken comprised of a literature review, quantitative research through an online survey and qualitative research via interviews and discussions with growers, planners, and other horticulture sector stakeholders.
The report offers recommendations to address the actual and perceived barriers to the development of small-scale horticulture.
You can read the report here:
Community Food Strategy Systems Mapping Study: Stakeholder Engagement Results
Miller Research was commissioned in February 2023 to undertake a stakeholder engagement exercise around Welsh Government’s ‘Community Food Systems Map’, designed to reflect an accurate, current understanding of the Community Food landscape in Wales.
This entailed holding a series of five longitudinal workshops with a nominal ‘expert group’, alongside an additional 9 workshops with wider stakeholder groups. In total, approximately 80 stakeholders were engaged as part of this research.
Stakeholders provided feedback on the map which you can read here.
Community Food Strategy: Consumer & Stakeholder Survey
We have undertaken two surveys to gather views on the development of the CFS, the first for consumers and the second for stakeholders involved in community food initiatives. You can read the results here:
Case Studies from Wales
Here are some examples of already established community food initiatives which show the diversity and range of food related activities already taking place in our communities.
Disclaimer: The material and information contained in these case studies was correct at the time of writing)
Food Cardiff
Food Cardiff is a city-wide partnership of individuals and organisations which acts as a hub for connecting the people and projects working to promote healthy, environmentally sustainable and ethical food across the city.
Acting as a voice for wider change, Food Cardiff believes that the food we eat has a huge impact on life in Cardiff and surrounding areas – not just on people’s health, but on communities and businesses, farmers and food producers and the environment too. Good food creates strong, healthy, resilient communities.
Big Bocs Bwyd
Big Bocs Bwyd (BBB) was a project inspired in 2018 by 2 prior projects based at Cadoxton and Oakfield Primary Schools in Barry, Wales. These projects converted shipping containers located in the grounds of local schools to provide a focal point for education on everything to do with food.
Cae Tan
Formed in 2015, Cae Tân CSA is a community supported agriculture (CSA) project based on the Gower Peninsula. Over the 8 years Cae Tân has now been running, engagement and interest has continued to grow. The Cae Tân project was one of the flagship community projects that Gower Power Co-op CIC supported and has since attracted positive media attention for its wellbeing, community, environmental and sustainability focus.
Clynfyw Care Farm
Based in the Teifi Valley, the Clynfyw Care Farm started in March 2011. It grew out of Clynfyw Countryside Centre Ltd, which, since 1985, had made the countryside more accessible for disabled holidaymakers by providing accessible cottages and engaging activities. Their dedicated team of 39 paid staff and 10 volunteers now supports disabled and vulnerable people, delivering meaningful nature focused projects, conducted in both English and Welsh, providing tools for learning, engagement, contribution and – very importantly – fun !
Mach Maethlon
Mach Maethlon is a community organisation based in the Dyfi Valley which combines “3 projects with one shared purpose”. These are:
- Mach Veg Box - a seasonal veg-box scheme supporting community access to land for growing
- Edible Mach - 14 edible public spaces around Machynlleth run by volunteers
- Dyfi Land Share - matching people who want to grow with available land
Social Farms & Gardens
Social Farms & Gardens is a UK wide charity supporting communities to farm, garden and grow together. Their mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the environment through nature-based activities which enable people and communities to reach their full potential, as a part of everyday life.
Vale School Catering
In January 2019, a report was published which outlined the study undertaken to explore the feasibility of sourcing local produce from within the Vale of Glamorgan, to be used for school dinners. A Local Authority Trading Company was created to embrace the catering department of the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Once established, this entity was not bound by the procurement rules that the wider Council had to adhere to, and therefore would be free to source produce locally, supporting the local environment, increasing sustainability and reducing food miles
Case Studies Outside of Wales
Grow it Yourself
GIY (Grow It Yourself) was founded in 2008 by Michael Kelly and started life as a voluntary community group in Waterford, Ireland set up as a way for people of the city to come together to learn how to grow food. In 2009, GIY itself was established as a social enterprise to support community food growing projects and promote food growing as a lever to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Glasgow Community Food Network
Glasgow Community Food Network was established in 2017 to bring together practitioners and organisations in the private, public and third sectors, along with other interested individuals to develop a flourishing food system in Glasgow. The aim of GCFN is to work with everyone who has an interest in food: chefs and restaurants, farmers and market gardeners, foodbank and soup kitchen volunteers and anyone else who cares about better food for Glasgow.
Home (Helping Old Moat Eat)
The Helping Old Moat Eat (HOME) is one of the projects run by Sow the City, which set out to provide emergency food to alleviate food poverty and lift barriers to accessing food. It ran between 2013 and 2016. HOME provided services to address some of the longer term causes of food poverty including improving cooking and budgeting skills, improving access to affordable, nutritious food, and healthy, community eating opportunities.
