How Do We Grow More Veg in Wales?
Did you know that we only grow vegetables on 0.1% of our land in Wales? That amounts to just 1/4 of a portion of veg per person per day. Somehow, over time, vegetable production in Wales has decreased dramatically, with less and less land, and government spending, being dedicated to producing this most vital part of a healthy diet. Historically, support for small-scale vegetable producers has been non-existent, with subsidies and rural payments being directed towards farms of 5 ha or more, creating a natural bias towards livestock and large-scale arable farming. Projects like this, which produce a high yield of fresh, seasonal, ecological and nutrient dense vegetables on very small, intensive areas of land, have never had a look in.
Which has been frustrating, given that they could hold the answer to how we grow the vegetables we need in Wales.
Over the past couple of years, though, we’ve been honoured to be a part of some of the vital work being done to change the veg landscape in Wales. In 2020, we were selected as one of five farms and food growing projects to be part of a pilot study, to see how production could be increased on small-scale horticultural operations with just the smallest of injections of cash. Food Sense Wales decided to pilot this small grants scheme for small-scale (under 5 ha) edible horticulture producers in Wales as part of its aim to influence and impact on how food is produced and consumed in Wales, ensuring that sustainable food, farming and fisheries are at the heart of a just, connected and prosperous food system. The grants were for equipment and infrastructure and the work was funded by Peas Please, a UK National Lottery funded programme whose main aim is to drive up veg consumption.
“in order to increase overall vegetable production in Wales, creating an infrastructure for the delivery of a small grant scheme would significantly speed up the growth of the small-scale horticulture sector – and lead to greater sales of vegetables as well as wider community and environmental benefits across Wales.”
We used our small grant to finance another polytunnel - to increased the diversity and quantity of under-cover crops we can grow like cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, as well as elongating our season - and an extension to our roundwood packing shed, to accommodate more veg boxes, a walk-in cool room and better provisions for our volunteers and our cooking demo videos. We were able to make the money go further by using a reclaimed polytunnel frame and windows, local greenwood timber and a roof made from recycled wellies discarded at Glastonbury festival! We also used labour and expertise within our own team, and made do with second-hand materials and cheaper innovations where we could. Adaptability and resourcefulness are vital in this game! For more on, how we used the grant, here’s a video Food Sense Wales made when they visited us last year.
Across the five farms, the pilot was a huge success, funding compost turners, water systems, polytunnels and packing sheds, and delivered some great data and evidence to be taken to Welsh Government. To read the full report, click here or have a listen to a podcast recorded with Amber Wheeler and four of the participants, including us, here.
“ Based on the findings of this pilot, a small-scale grants scheme could significantly increase this and see the expansion of sales of veg in Wales by on average 74.5% per year.”
Click on the link to read the full Food Sense Wales report by Dr Amber Wheeler
Just this week, I joined Amber on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today programme to reflect on the longer term impact of the small grants pilot - which is that the window has just closed for the first Welsh government Horticulture grants offering for smaller-scale farms. You can clearly see in the wording and structure of the grant scheme the influence the Food Sense Wales pilot had - the language, the inclusion of secondary-hand equipment, the ackknowledgement of small and micro scale veg growing operations - all carries the mark of Amber’s report and the findings of the pilot. There is a lot that isn’t perfect about this new grant - it was released in May during the busiest time for veg growers, we have to provide the money up front and at-that, the grants only cover 40% - but we’re so glad to see a step in the right direction, and that with the help of amazing organisations like Food Sense Wales, Social Farms and Gardens Cymru and Peas Please UK, we can play a small part in shaping policy and driving a thriving, regenerative and resilient food system for Wales into the future.
During our interview, BBC Radio 4’s Verity Sharp asked about my vision for the future of veg in Wales, and my answer was that I imagine a patchwork of small-scale farms, growing a massive diversity of vegetables, herbs, fruit and nuts, on a human-scale, using agroecological methods. I would love to see community farms that not only offer food security and access to affordable, healthy vegetables but, as we have seen here at Glasbren, a vital public service - improving mental health, connection to land and nature, community cohesion and authentic cultures of place. We can not only address the staggering lack of veg production in this country, but many of the other great challenges of our time, too - offering positive, healthy, empowering ways for people to engage with their communities and their environment.
And though we need to grow a lot more veg, let’s salute those who are doing it already, with such devotion and commitment to the soil and the people they feed.
