Last week at Groundswell, I had the pleasure of co‑organising a panel discussion with Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming and Root and Reason. Our session highlighted pilot projects that are helping to bring communities and growers together to build fair, resilient and locally rooted food access models.
We heard powerful, practical examples:
Hannah Gibbs (Bridging the Gap, Sustain) shared analysis showing that for every £1 invested, over £8 is returned in social value. For example, opening up a new market for a pea grower in Aberdeenshire to supply peas directly into the local school food chain rather than animal feed. Not only did this shift deliver real local economic value, it also expanded the variety of meals cooked in schools and strengthened the relationship between the grower and the community – a small intervention demonstrating significant potential for wider system change.
Katherine Langton (a grower in the Welsh Veg in Schools programme) cited the guaranteed income that the scheme has provided as critical to growing her family business from a bedroom‑based enterprise supplying microgreens to a field‑based operation employing eight people. Katherine provided a standout insight: just 50 hectares could supply 25% of the veg needed for schools locally – a powerful illustration of how small areas of land, when connected to guaranteed markets, can deliver meaningful impact for both growers and communities.
Martin Chadwick (TUKFS FoodSEqual project) showed how fruit and veg vouchers redeemed at community‑run stalls don’t just support healthier diets but provide an opportunity to build social connections and link with wider community-based healthcare initiatives. Martin also highlighted an initiative with the Bangladeshi community in Tower Hamlets and Tozer Seeds to identify varieties of culturally appropriate vegetables suited to UK growing.
Our chair, Fergus Lyon emphasised the role of social enterprises in reshaping local food economies, helping to build the vision of what a good food system can look like in addition to delivering community‑led solutions on the ground. He also pointed to research he led as part of the Transforming UK Food Systems Programme that captured how social enterprise models can scale while staying rooted in community benefit.
What came through clearly is that equitable food access is also a pathway to strengthen local food economies. The challenge now is to adapt these pilots so that they can deliver for urban and rural communities across the UK.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to a thoughtful discussion and to Angelina Sanderson Bellamy, Elta Smith and the wider Root and Reason team for your support. It was great to be part of Groundswell in its 10th anniversary year – an event that continues to go from strength to strength in championing practical, values‑driven food system change.
Tracey Duncombe, TUKFS Knowledge Exchange Fellow
