A joyful harvest: the young Welsh farmers growing food for Birmingham
A charity in Powys provides the land while growers do the hard work, producing bumper crops for city children Kilos and kilos of courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and salad leaves are ripe and ready for picking on a small Welsh farm in the rural county of Powys. The haul being harvested by Tilly Gomersall is not just impressive after a difficult growing season hit by a record string of heatwaves…
A Welsh charity is empowering young farmers to cultivate fresh produce for Birmingham's urban community. Tilly Gomersall, one of three growers on Cân y Pridd (Song of the Soil) farm in Powys, has transformed a former pasture into a productive field where she and her neighbors are now supplying fruit and vegetables to the local area.
The farm's 4.9 hectares, divided into three plots, includes polytunnels where Gomersall is producing large volumes of vegetables. In late July, the farmers began supplying Birmingham city council with fresh produce for distribution to holiday clubs, giving disadvantaged children their first taste of homegrown vegetables. Wales currently only uses 0.2% of its land for horticulture, leaving significant potential for expansion.
The charity Our Food Trust aims to increase homegrown produce and tackle the country's food insecurity, with 40% of the UK's food imported. The Wern farm project was made possible by the charity securing a 95-year lease for the site and modifying planning guidelines to allow growers to live on the land they work. Birmingham's food system team sees the fresh produce as a crucial component in strengthening the city's supply chains amid growing concerns over urban vulnerability to climate-related disruptions and geopolitical risks.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
