ORFC opening plenary conveys powerful message to industry

Mesmerising singing and a captivating Taiko drum performance greeted delegates at day two of the 14^th ORFC, which, in Francesca Price’s words, in now the largest agroecological gathering on the planet.

Ms Price, a journalist, campaigner, and founder of the We Feed the World project, opened the event by welcoming delegates back to the venue for the first time in three years, and also acknowledged the 2,500 attendants joining online from 130 countries around the world.

Held annually in early January since 2010, ORFC is a three-day event running across seven venues in Oxford as well as an online platform. Each year, the conference offers a diverse programme that has at its core a shared interest of agroecology and nature friendly farming.

After Ms Price extended her thanks to partner organisations for enabling the event to run at such an affordable price, Ruth West, co-founder of the ORFC, said a few words.

Upon welcoming delegates to the conference, Ms West clarified the term ‘real farming’, which refers to the practise of farming that is kind to nature, restores biodiversity, and mitigates climate change.

Ms West likened the term to agroecology, the central theme of the conference, which is the science as well as the practice that conceives farms as an ecosystem rather than factories producing food at scale.

“Most importantly, it’s a social movement, a grassroots call to bring about transformative food system change, and I’m convinced we need that change in real farming,” Ms West said.

She added that in order for farming to succeed on the long term, producers need the support of non-farmers in the form of paying a proper price for their produce and, putting pressure on supermarket to change their supply chain practices in favour of farmers.

The issues underpinning the farming crisis

Ms West’s speech was followed by Oli Rodker from the Landworker’s Alliance (LWA), who began by reflecting on the conference being back in person and the upheaval Britain went through during the time in between.

He then shared a quote from Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci about the difficulties of changing the political and economic systems: “The crisis consists in the fact that the old is dying, and the new cannot be born, and in this interval, a great variety of morbid systems appear.”

Mr Rodker pointed out that although the quote was written in 1930, it’s still very pertinent in today’s society. He said events like the ORFC are a great opportunity to take stock and look around ourselves and appreciated how far the conference has come since its inception 14 years ago.

However, while we should take the time to appreciate growth and success, Mr Rodker reminded the audience that the wider issues of the world are far from resolved.

“The forces that are destroying nature and causing so much harm are still with us. The new world is not yet born. And despite all the farms and projects that we are part of, the dominant narrative is still industrial, still profiteering, still inequitable, still colonial, still racist. Greenhouse gases and other pollution are still being poured out, and I think we have to ask why that is.”

Sharing his take on the question, Mr Rodker suggested the key reason why the change the industry desperately needs hasn’t happened yet lies in the lack of political coordination among the various farming organisations. The industry, he believes, is devoid of sufficient political power at present to initiate lasting change.

“It’s hard to build alliances, it’s hard to make compromises, it’s hard to find common ground. It’s hard to see what links us rather than what separates us, it seems to be a human trait, but it is essential and I think it’s what we need to concentrate on,” he stressed.

Steering towards the solution, Mr Rodker suggested farmers and other industry players mustn’t let smaller differences deter them from working together and encouraged delegates to connect with others throughout the conference.

Concluding his speech, Mr Rodker said change can be achieved by working together effectively and the farming community is capable of building up a force that is unstoppable.

“Change, while difficult, is possible”

Stepping on the podium next, Rebecca Mayhew, Pasture for Life regional facilitator in East Anglia, spoke about her family farm’s transition to a regenerative enterprise and the challenges and rewards that came with it.

Ms Mayhew and her family were new entrants to the dairy industry in 2017. Since the humble beginnings of selling milk from a shed at the end of the drive, the business now supports a full farm shop and butchery and a team of 20 employees.

Ms Mayhew is proud to sell raw milk from Jersey cows that keep their calves at foot and are 100% pasture-fed. She currently farms 45 dairy cows as well as beef cattle, sheep, pigs and other animals.

However, switching to a more regenerative farming model has been a lengthy transition, she related. The family farm used to produce conventionally grown arable crops and intensive pigs with the purpose of feeding the world as efficiently as possible – or in other words, at any cost.

Several years later, Ms Mayhew is now thankful that the business has stepped onto a regenerative and agroecology journey and pledged to spend the rest of her life improving the soil, the waters, and the life of their animals.

Speaking from personal experience, she acknowledged that change, while difficult, is possible, and added the conference offers a great deal of potential “to learn and grow, to challenge preconceived ideas and to help us have a positive influence on those around us.”

Finishing her talk with a quote from West Jackson, Ms Mayhew read: “Since our break with nature came with agriculture, it seems only fitting that the healing of culture begin with agriculture, fitting that agriculture take the lead.”

Following the applause that ensued, Nikki Yoxall, Pasture for Life research manager and Scotland regional facilitator, said a few words about agroecology and what this conference is all about.

Reflecting on the work of individuals at the forefront of the agroecological movement, Ms Yoxall shared a quote form researcher and author Julia Wright’s book Subtle Agroecology:

“This idea of subtle agroecology is the systematic study of the nature of the invisible world as it relates to the practice of agriculture, which is done through adapting and innovating research methods, and in particular, those with a more embodied nature, with the overall purpose of bringing and maintaining balance and harmony.”

Ms Yoxall, who also farms 100% pasture-fed beef cattle in the northeast of Scotland, said the conference to her is all about friendships, networks, and caring for each other.

Ending on a quote from one of her heroes, distinguished teaching professor of Environmental and Forest Biology Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ms Yoxall recited her words about choosing joy over despair and being grateful for the precious gifts the Earth provides us with day after day.

Next up, Naomi Terry from Land in Our Names (LION) and Shared Assets, gave delegates a brief overview about the Justice Hub at ORFC and what to expect from its programmes during the course of the event.

Appreciating the various themes of justice permeating throughout the conference, Ms Terry invited all delegates present to visit a hub, which is a dedicated space for sharing knowledge about justice issues and their relation to food and farming, as well as supporting marginalised groups in the industry.

She also acknowledged the conference is a lot to take in and encouraged the audience to be present and listen wherever they may find themselves over the next couple of days. Wrapping up her talk, she recited a poem she scribbled in her notebook about the power of the imagination:

“Before the first seed is even sown,

before the cracked dirt is tenderly moistened,

before all of this,

next year’s harvest is already imagined.

There will be fields of plenty,

there will be a hard one revolution.

The future’s losses are already buried,

you have already quit your job,

your children are already grown,

your breath has already been taken,

your vision is already seen.

The rains have already come,

the work, my friends, is already done.”

“We need to tackle illiteracy in power”

The plenary’s next speaker, Kath Dalmeny, chief executive of Sustain, echoed Mr Rodker’s words earlier about the need to get political. She highlighted the issue of people sitting in the chairs of power who are oblivious to the things that matter and don’t know how to keep good farming going.

“Food has fallen off the agenda of politicians again, partly because we are not making our voices heard well enough,” Ms Dalmeny pointed out.

At the same time, she acknowledged the farming movement has been steadily growing thanks to initiatives like ORFC and organisations sharing the vision of nature friendly farming.

Moreover, she stressed people’s money must go to the right places and help the right people, and called for transparency in supply chains and farmers to be paid a fair price for their produce.

“We need to multiply our power. We need to tackle illiteracy in power and demand more for what is being done in our names,“ she added.

Finally, she encouraged all participants to connect over the conference and said in a spirit of optimism that when farmers raise their voices, change can happen.

“Those who eat should help grow the food”

Last but not least, the audience welcomed Satish Kumar from Schumacher College and Resurgence Trust, who congratulated the organisers and all those who played a part in putting the conference together.

Addressing the issues faced by the farming industry, Mr Kumar said the educational system is part of the problem. He pointed out that at most institutions, students and teachers don’t have a relationship with the land, which fundamentally underlies the disconnectedness of most farmers from nature.

In contrast, Schumacher College promotes the concept that those who eat should help grow the food and also the idea of active hope and being an optimist.

Mr Kumar emphasized that while the college is a small grassroots organisation, its power shouldn’t be underestimated. To illustrate, he gave the example of putting yeast in bread – as without yeast, there is no bread.

Pointing at the audience, Mr Kumar said: “You, the real farmers, are the yeast in the real movement to transform the world of today, of agriculture.”

He continued by saying that real change doesn’t come from the government, but from grassroots level organisations and individuals, supporting his claim with historic examples. He urged the audience to step up and initiate change as the power lies in the hands of real farmers.

Mr Kumar finished on the note that all living beings depend on the land and by restoring its health, we restore ourselves.