Agroecological Food production for Health and net zero. Policy briefing

Abstract

Agroecological food production is internationally advocated for its ability to bring together biodiversity restoration, carbon sequestration, soil care, social justice and planetary health. In the UK however its uptake is limited by institutional barriers, and therefore its benefits accessed by too few. Building on the concept of Agroecological Urbanism, a novel paradigm to re-centre urbanised societies on the Earth stewardship role of agroecological farmers, alongside the Food Zones framework and Permaculture, in this policy brief we illustrate results from a pilot study exploring pathways to bring agroecology into the heart of the UK net-zero agenda. Working with food system actors in Leeds and Bristol city regions, we have documented the economic, social and ecological/carbon credentials of selected prototype agroecological producers and identified specific place-based scalability barriers. We have then hosted local events for producers and local institutional power-holders (i.e. Defra, local and metropolitan authorities) to openly explore the data and lived experience, deepen understanding of the barriers, and co-design pathways to overcome them. We share the results of this process in the form of recommendations for policy, research and action.