Dyfi & Rheidol Crop Trials seeks farmers and growers!
Are you a grower or farmer living in the Dyfi valley and Rheidol valley? Are you interested in diversifying your farm to include horticultural production, or increasing edible crops produced on your farm or market garden but not quite sure how to go about it? The Dyfi & Rheidol Crop Trials project will work with farmers and growers to support an increase in locally produced edible crops to be sold into the local supply chain.
In Wales, we are heavily reliant on imports of fruit and vegetables. Our local food system has been gradually eroded so that it makes it difficult to grow and supply fresh fruit and vegetables locally. This project will work with farmers and growers to overcome some of these challenges and give space to farmers and growers to experiment and develop new techniques and tools.
The project will run for two growing seasons 2025 & 2026 and farmers and growers can join for one or two growing seasons as well as grow overwinter crops in 2025. The project has space to work with up to 10 growers and farmers each year.
If you’re interested in joining the project, please read more about what the project has to offer below and complete the Expression of Interest form by 24th November.
Criteria for farmers and growers:
- The project is focusing on farmers and growers who want to try growing an edible food crop that are destined for local people to eat.
- Farmers and growers must be based in and around the Dyfi and Rheidol Valleys.
- There is no specific scale for the project (eg 1 acre). As the aim is to increase local food supply, existing market gardeners would be expected to upscale their production, and existing farmers would be expected to diversify their farm system to include edible crops.
- Farmers and Growers must use nature friendly / agroecological / organic farming methods or be willing to transition to these systems.
What support will be offered?
Growers and Farmers will be able to get support to plan, grow, harvest and sell their crops from experienced growers and farmers. Support will be tailored to each grower and farmer depending on their own experience and what crops they are growing. There is approximately £500-£1000 per participant per year for costs of crop production. There is also approximately five-ten days of staff time for each farmer or grower each year to help with your crop.
This time could include:
- Crop planning including soil tests, crop rotations and integrating the project into the farm/garden system in the longer-term
- Support with funding to develop production including support with RPW horticultural grant scheme applications
- Practical support with crops including planting, crop management and harvesting
- Support to identify and develop roots to market in the local supply chain. This could include the Veg in Schools project which is funded to support Welsh farmers and growers to supply schools with locally grown organic produce with advice and a guaranteed price for produce.
- Data collection – monitoring soil health, measuring soil carbon, measuring biodiversity gains etc.
- Publicity and promotion of your farm trial if that is desirable.
- Signposting to other training opportunities
FAQs
- Do I have to grow a whole field of crops to be able to join in the project?
The project doesn’t have a specific scale of production for farmers or growers. Finding the right scale of production is dependent on lots of different factors including what land suitability, machinery available, storage etc. What we’d like to see is an upscaling of production but make sure that sustainability is not compromised in the process.
- Does my farm have to be certified organic?
No. if you would like to sell produce into the local veg for schools project then you must be willing to put the land into organic conversion. If you would like to sell the produce in other ways then there is no requirement to be organic, but you must be willing to follow agroecological principles of farming
- What is agroecology?
Agroecology is a way of producing food that combines environmental land management with food production, as well as focusing on social aims such as dignified work for farmers and building connections between communities and farmers
- What counts as edible food crops?
This can be any fruit vegetables or herbs for human consumption, and could also include arable crops such as wheat, barley and oats where they are to be used for human consumption. We will consider seed crops and other non-edible crops (such as cut flowers) if the project is not fully subscribed and when these crops are supporting local supply chains.
If you’re interested in participating in the project as a grower or farmer, please fill out this Expression of interest form by 24th November.
We will review all applications and select applicants by the 26th November. Applicants will be invited to join a group meeting on Monday 9th December from 9:30-1pm to meet others involved in the project and find out more about what everyone is planning and support available.
If you have any questions about the project or would like to discuss your idea, please contact:
Roz Corbett, Project Coordinator roz.corbett@landworkersalliance.org.uk / 07912313357
This project is funded by the Esme Fairbairn Foundation. It is being delivered by the Landworkers’ Alliance. It is part of the Tir Canol project.