In a world grappling with food insecurity, climate and environmental challenges, and economic inequality, the concepts of food sovereignty and rural resilience have become critical to ensuring more just and sustainable food systems. Food sovereignty, the right of people to define their own food and agriculture systems, has emerged as a framework that empowers small-scale farmers, supports local economies, and promotes ecological sustainability. At the Land Trust, we believe food sovereignty is intertwined with rural resilience, which is the ability of farming communities to adapt and thrive amid environmental and economic pressures.
One of the key strategies for achieving food sovereignty and building rural resilience is agroecology. Agroecology integrates traditional farming knowledge with modern ecological science to create diverse, self-sustaining food systems that are less reliant on external inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Research has shown that diversified farms, which integrate crops, livestock, and agroforestry, not only enhance soil fertility and biodiversity but also increase farmers’ ability to adapt to climate shocks, and by using less chemicals become financially better off.
Governments and local institutions play a crucial role in advancing food sovereignty through policies that support small farmers. Countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Brazil have incorporated food sovereignty into their legal frameworks, promoting rural development and agroecological transitions. In Brazil, the Zero Hunger program has demonstrated how government-backed initiatives can support smallholder farmers by providing infrastructure, technical training, and fair market opportunities. At the grassroots level, movements like La Via Campesina have mobilised farmers worldwide to fight for land rights, fair wages, and sustainable farming policies. These efforts highlight the power of collective action in challenging industrial food systems and advocating for equitable, locally controlled food networks [1].
Our Call to Action and Policy Recommendations in Strengthening Access to Land
Access to land and mentorship are two of the biggest hurdles facing an agroecological transition, yet they hold the key to a more resilient and sustainable food system that can support the next generation of young farmers. While government-backed land-matching schemes, like the 2024 Defra-funded initiative[2] are a step in the right direction, Defra needs to increase funding, alongside regulating land markets to mitigate the speculation on land prices that have been happening for decades across the UK. The New Economics Foundation, in collaboration with CPRE and Shared Assets, recommends expanding public farmland – specifically local authorities should aim to increase the amount of farmland under public ownership, reversing the decades-long trend of selling off county farms[3]. A suggested policy is for councils to buy two acres for every acre sold to ensure long-term sustainability. The report also recommends for the New Entrants Scheme that Defra funded between 2021-2024 should be extended to 2028 to provide sustained financial support for council farm estates and help transition to low carbon, agroecological farming.
The Role of Land Trusts in an Agroecological Future
Land trusts can play a crucial role in advancing food sovereignty by ensuring that land remains accessible to small-scale farmers and local food producers. By acquiring and stewarding farmland, land trusts prevent speculation and keep agricultural land in the hands of those who cultivate it for community benefit rather than profit-driven development. The Biodynamic Land Trust seeks to empower local farmers by providing long-term, affordable tenancies, which is essential for implementing agroecological practices that restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and enhance climate resilience. Additionally, we facilitate intergenerational land transfers, enabling new entrant farmers to enter the industry and sustain local food production.
An agroecological food future will only be made possible with supporting policies such as land matching, and initiatives around public farmland that local authorities can pioneer such as ‘buy two acres for every acre sold’. These initiatives need to be scaled to support agroecological principles whilst increasing the resilience of rural communities. The Land Trust is actively involved with groups such as Ecological Land Cooperative (ELC), Shared Assets and the European Network Access to Land on these issues.
Author: Amber Lawes-Johnson, Development and Communications Officer at the Biodynamic Land Trust and Doctoral Researcher at the Royal Veterinary College.
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332223001975
[2] https://www.sharedassets.org.uk/resources/land-match
[3] https://neweconomics.org/2022/03/how-to-save-our-public-farmland
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