Joining the dots in Cornwall…

Posted on 29th November 2024

by organicresearchcentre

Agroecological growers in Cornwall highlighted the challenges of buying in and transporting local / organic produce as part of the OATH (Organic at the Heart) project. A grower-led initiative emerged to explore possibilities to develop a collaborative buying and distribution network with the following aims: 

• To support the transition to agroecological farming systems in Cornwall.
• To find a collaborative solution to distributing local agroecological produce in Cornwall, joining the dots between existing food hubs and supporting organisations
• To reduce emissions, grower time and costs (which ultimately would be passed to consumer)
• To enhance production and access to local organic/agroecological produce

Building on this momentum, Joining the Dots was an ORC led project funded by FIPL (Farming in Protected Landscapes) and implemented by a collaborative team of local stakeholders: Sustainable Food Cornwall, Goonown Growers and Falmouth Food Co-op. 

They scoped business models, barriers and opportunities for a collaborative food network together with the wider grower group through review of existing data,  survey, interviews and workshop. In parallel the project also identified key opportunities and interests for enhancing nature, place, people and climate on farms engaged. 

The results were compiled in a report which outlined a number of potential models and routes to join up existing food hubs.  This was shared with the wider network of growers at an online meeting in April 2024. Follow up meetings were held with a key delivery group / bid writing group with the ambition to handover the leadership of this project to local partners. 

Key learnings and outcomes: 

• It is unlikely that a network transporting vegetables only would be financially viable. Need to include higher value produce to make the margins work. 
• Need to build on existing infrastructure and initiatives e.g. Gleaning network / Good Food Loop, Cornish Food Box and local food banks (to increase scale)
• Long term sustainability is key to engage growers trust 
• Growers in the network are already doing a lot have ideas for nature recovery / agroecological practices but need support to help cover their labour and capital costs to implement them / signpost Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) opportunities 
• This action research / user led approach has been really effective in bringing the key actors together to identify opportunities for action and as such has potential to deliver big impact on minimal budget.  
• Although local partners were part of the whole process still challenging to fully handover the learnings / data / agency and leadership of the project to to local implementing partners, as still requires quite a lot of facilitation / management. Those on the bidding / mentoring scheme have not been engaged in all of the process which is challenging. 

Impacts 

• Built relationships across local food ecosystem – between growers, local food hubs, local authority etc with those who will benefit from the project leading on the design and implementation. 
• Built connections /shared knowledge and experience with other initiatives and supporting organisations across the UK including Open Food Network, Food Data Collaboration, Landworkers’ Alliance, Sustain and Better Food Traders   
• Research has catalysed action with the next phase of the project moving into delivery and the establishment of a pilot. Handing over the data and leadership of the project to local delivery partners. 
• A local bidding team led by Sustainable Food Cornwall is developing a bid to implement the pilot. 
• Local food hub representatives / members of the bidding team will join the new Sustain Local Food Hub mentoring scheme which we lined up with Better Food Traders during the project.  
• This research was quite innovative /pioneering leading the way across the country and as such there is opportunity to share this with other initiatives across the sector e.g Open Food Network / Food Data collab / in peer reviewed paper and also an opportunity in next phase to continue as a research partner.