January 14, 2026

Unlocking Welsh land for nature-friendly food growing

To advance Wales’s Ambition for a more resilient, localised and nature-friendly horticulture sector, the Future Farms partnership has supported the planning permission and infrastructure for 3 new small-scale horticultural enterprises with Rural Enterprise Dwellings in Powys. By laying the groundwork, creating planning permission guidance for small-scale growers and building infrastructure to pilot the guidance, the Future Farms project has taken big steps toward increasing land access for small-scale agroecological horticulture throughout Wales.

Background and vision

Wales faces a challenge: a limited local food supply. Domestic fruit and vegetable production is insufficient to meet our nutritional needs, new growers struggle to enter horticulture, and the interpretation of planning rules inhibits small-scale farmers from living on their land. To tackle this, Wales needs a more localised food system that uses agroecological methods – farming that supports biodiversity, ecosystem health, fair work, and strong local communities.

The Future Farms Partnership came together to address these issues. Its vision is to grow more agroecological horticulture businesses across Wales through foundational economy principles:

  • Unlocking suitable land for agroecological fruit and vegetable production
  • Supporting fair livelihoods for growers
  • Building a rural economy based on local supply and community wellbeing

By boosting small-scale horticulture on public land for local fruit and vegetable production, the partnership will help public bodies buy Welsh produce locally, seasonally and sustainably.

The project has piloted 3 new horticulture enterprises on Wern Farm near Newtown, Powys, to show what’s possible when planning policy positively supports small farms.

The approach

The Future Farms project created three small horticulture businesses with homes for growers through four key phases between 2024 and 2025:

Phase 1 – Planning Permission

The project secured approval for three micro-horticulture enterprises on a Powys County Council farm, including temporary Rural Enterprise Dwellings (REDs).

Phase 2 – Policy & Guidance

The project worked with Specialist consultants (TerraPermaGeo), SFG planners and Powys CC and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority to develop new planning guidance for REDs in small-scale horticulture.

A collaboration with Shared Assets, the Landworkers’ Alliance co-produced a practical “How To Guide” for growers to apply for REDs in small-scale horticulture.

Phase 3 – Infrastructure & Testing

The project commissioned essential surveys (SuDs, flood, ecology, tree assessments) and submitted a full planning application—creating a template for future growers.

Phase 4 – Supporting Growers

After planning permission approval, three growers were recruited to live at Wern Farm and build horticulture enterprises, backed by partnership organisations and the wider horticulture network.

This approach combined policy innovation, practical testing, partnership working, and community engagement.

Future Farm’s progress so far

Piloting Wern Farm

  • The project piloted the new guidance at Wern Farm, securing three new dwellings and enabling three horticultural enterprises on a 15-hectare site.
  • Over 2,400 trees have been planted, and regenerative agroecological practices are improving soil health and biodiversity.
  • Further infrastructure improvements and the introduction of renewable energy was supported by funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Policy and System Change

  • Adapted planning guidance for Rural Enterprise Dwellings was adopted by Powys County Council and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, with strong support from planning teams.
  • A national horticulture planning task group has been established.
  • The guidance is now being considered for inclusion in future Planning Policy Wales updates.

Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing

  • Weekly partnership meetings built trust and shared understanding.
  • The resources shared and created include:
    • “Criteria for Land for Small Farms”
    • “Notes for Developing Leases”
    • Survey lists for horticulture planning applications
    • Grower‑oriented planning tools
  • Over 35 growers contributed their knowledge and experience to the How To Guide.
  • Over 60+ planning officers were trained in the new planning guidance as of January 2025
  • Ongoing support continues through steering group members and new partnerships.

Challenges and lessons learned

Key lessons learned from this project have been invaluable in guiding its progress and informing future projects:

Policy planning

While influencing policy can be challenging, early engagement with planning policy officers and working from the base of existing policy, interpreting and aligning it with a specific goal, proved crucial.

Initially, the planning phase of this project took longer than expected due to workload pressures within local planning authorities, the need for additional surveys and data, and the typical delays associated with complex rural applications. However, the project found that by working with public bodies with a proactive, “can-do” attitude, the process can run smoothly.

Governance and Capacity

The large, multi-partner steering group created challenges related to time management and decision-making clarity. However, being flexible and smaller working groups, and clearer reporting structures, although stretched staff capacity, ultimately lead to enhanced efficiency.

Identifying partner skills early and allocating roles clearly proved essential. Effective collaboration between planners, growers, and land officers was critical.

Looking ahead for future farms

Projects of this nature have the potential to substantially enhance the Foundational Economy by strengthening local food systems and facilitating community wealth development. By increasing the local production of fresh, seasonal vegetables in a way that supports nature recovery objectives, we can support sustainable rural livelihoods. The project has demonstrated an alternative approach to the use of public assets (county farms) to bring wider, important economic, social, and environmental advantages to Wales.

The success of the Future Farms pilot has generated a lot of momentum to expand this approach across Wales. Future plans for this project include:

  • Collaborating with more Local Authorities to adapt and roll out the guidance.
  • Working with housing associations to address accommodation needs for new farmers.
  • Identifying further county farm sites in Powys suitable for horticultural enterprises.
  • Continuing training for growers navigating the planning system.
  • Supporting national policy development on horticulture and rural enterprise dwellings.

Future Farms has shown that with careful planning, collaboration, and practical testing, Wales can make better use of land for sustainable farming projects and develop a strong edible horticulture sector. The project has already made a real difference in Powys and is influencing national policy. It offers a model that others can follow, demonstrating how planning can be used to strengthen local food systems and support Wales’s social and environmental wellbeing in the long term.

Unlocking Welsh land for nature-friendly food growing Read More »

Creating change at scale with Carbon Literacy

This year we will be running our first Train the Trainer: Carbon Literacy Course. Our new Head of Training and Advice, Jason Shilcock, spoke to our Senior Sustainability Adviser, Farah Lodhi-Jones, to ask her who our new course is for and what are the added benefits in designing and delivering your own Carbon Literacy Course.

First, tell us a little bit about your own Carbon Literacy journey and what led you to becoming a trainer?

I was living in China for a number of years and I had experience of their industrial growth and development, and the terrible air quality. I was living through that daily, so I started to question how people lived and what the cost was of socio-economic development vs environmental impacts. I was able to travel around Asia, and became more aware of how more people were being affected by the environment, in the name of development. This led me to,  an MSc certification in climate change and water resource management policy from SOAS and subsequently worked on projects in Indonesia with local farmers, using legacy funding from BAT and Fauna and Flora conducting their biodiversity risk assessment on key island watershed.  I then moved to Italy where someone mentioned the Carbon Literacy Project to me in 2021. With starting a family, and changing the pace of work, I volunteered with them and then joined them in Advocacy, using all the skills I’d learnt on the ground to create courses for clients. 

Can you tell us why Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales developed this new course?

Good question! I think it was just the right time! Cynnal Cymru is so experienced in this field and has seen how companies and organisations roll out this training to some of their staff, but can then be at a bit of a loss what to do next. The knowledge just “sits there”, unless you’ve got a passionate person who is going to take that up or different teams to drive it forward. We’d received requests to do Train the Trainer courses, so we needed to help people learn how to run peer-to-peer learning in their own organisations.

Who is this course for and what can they hope to gain from the course personally and professionally?

This course is for anyone who’s already Carbon Literate and who is ready to take the next step. Whether that’s leading, delivering, or supporting Carbon Literacy training sessions in your organisation or community. It’s ideal for senior managers, team leaders, board members or volunteers and is a space where they can get sort of reflections and peer-to-peer conversations and collaborations with other people in the room as well.

What practical training skills can participants expect to gain from the course?

This is a highly practical course where trainers gain hands-on experience in delivering Carbon Literacy training that works for all kinds of audiences. Traditionally it’s spread across three half-days and looks at the Carbon Literacy standard, how to find your confidence and skills in being a trainer and finally a hands-on session where we look at a section the trainer has prepared and give peer feedback. So, it’s very dynamic. It… can be quite challenging. It’s quite an intense few days, but also, I think, quite rewarding for people when they have been through that process and they can reflect. It also teaches the trainers flexibility and how to think on their feet, as every course is different.

What do enjoy most about supporting new Carbon Literacy trainers, and what impact do you hope participants will go on to have after completing the programme?

I love seeing the passion that people bring, and people really wanting to believe that they can make a change. It’s about unlocking feelings within that room – people do feel like they can unlock a little bit of positivity for themselves personally. Some trainers have been tasked by their leadership to do this sustainability training work, while still doing another full-time job on the side, so it can be daunting. So, a huge part of my enjoyment comes from unlocking that passion in people again and seeing them recognise their growth over the three sessions.

Finally, when is the next course and how do people sign up?

The next open course starts in June, with three sessions taking place on the 29th June, 1st and 6th July

You can find out more about the course and how to book on out Train the Trainer web page.

Creating change at scale with Carbon Literacy Read More »

Localising the Welsh food system for the public plate

The two programs, Authentic Foods (Hirwaun)  and Celtica Foods, are working together to increase the availability of healthy, Welsh-grown food in public sector meals. They aim to:

  • Build a strong, reliable network that connects food from farms to public plates.
  • Create climate-resilient, commercially viable multi-portion meals for schools and hospitals.

Background and vision

Castell Howell Foods (CHF) is a wholesaler committed to embedding sustainability and local sourcing into food supply across Wales. Recognising the risks of heavy reliance on imported produce, CHF set out to reshape public sector supply chains. By prioritising Welsh-grown vegetables and meat products, the two new programs set out to deliver healthy meals to schools and hospitals that are:

  • Resilient to a changing climate
  • Supporting local growers
  • Helping to reduce carbon emissions
  • Positively impactful to the food system beyond financial profit

“The supply chain has to work collaboratively, especially with the impacts of climate change being seen. We need that holistic collaborative approach to reverse out of the dependence on an increasingly risky global food system.” – Edward Morgan – ESG Manager Castell Howell Foods 

The approach

From the start Castell Howell knew that any effort to unpick and detach from the global food system would need to involve those at every stage of the food process – from growing, washing, packing and distributing to processing, tasting, purchasing, catering and eating. The Wholesaler needed investment to change the supply chain. The Welsh Government’s Backing Local Firms Fund enabled the two complementary projects to be launched:

  • Authentic Foods: focused on evolving the public sector vegetable supply chain by working with growers, local authority caterers, and procurers to develop lower-carbon, nutritious multi-portion meals using Welsh produce.
  • Celtica Foods a project working to develop a new product of value-added Welsh meat-based foods for schools and wider public sector supply, including hybrid recipes enriched with vegetables and pea protein.

Growth, progress and early outcomes

Authentic Foods

Between 2024 and 2025, CHF purchased and transported 32 tonnes of Welsh vegetables all delivered directly from working with 8 Growers to local schools. The Authentic Foods project has allowed CHF to work closely with Food Sense Wales through the Welsh Veg in Schools Programme, alongside companies like, Holden’s Bwlchwernen Farm, Awens Organics, Bonvilston Edge, and Langton’s Farm. Strong relationships have been developed across the supply chain, making Welsh food a priority at the heart of public sector catering. This has helped shorten the supply chain for vegetables and supported local Welsh businesses.

Thanks to the support from this project, CHF has been able to help farmers meet Farming Connect standards and improve on-farm efficiency processes. A valuable finding was that previously, Welsh-grown vegetables had to be sent out of Wales to be washed and packed, then sent back to be eaten. This project provided funding to wash and package the vegetables. Now, with new equipment, vegetables like carrots can be grown, processed, and eaten within Wales, saving time, money, and reducing environmental impact.

This initiative provides a useful example for wider public procurement of local Welsh vegetables. It highlights the importance of transparent procurement practices that consider not just price but also social benefits, environmental effects, and community involvement. Understanding the true social value of these purchases helps Local Authorities make more informed decisions about selecting local Welsh produce, beyond just considering the cost.

 “One of the key outputs is our collective understanding of what can be grown profitably in Wales, what schools want, and aligning harvest with menus, and menus with harvest. Spinach, chard, cucumbers, tomatoes and courgettes available during the summer months, however with limited scope to sell to the public sector when harvested in July/August.” – Edward Morgan – ESG Manager Castell Howell Foods 

Celtica Foods and Authentic Foods

Since 2023, CHF, through Celtica Foods and Authentic Foods, have created a suite of school meals that are healthier, better for the planet and more cost-efficient to produce. Dishes such as Welsh Beef Bolognese, Cauliflower Cheese, and tomato bases enriched with spinach and chard will improve meal nutrition and lower carbon impacts. The creation of Welsh meat hybrid meatballs containing Welsh beef/lamb with spinach and chard will improve nutritional density and cost efficiency through local sourcing.

Understanding how important consumer feedback is, the project organised tasting sessions with over 500 pupils and their families across Caerphilly, Torfaen, Swansea, and Carmarthen. This allowed the children to share their honest opinions about meals made with Welsh produce. Their feedback helps to refine and improve the recipes, ensuring the meals are enjoyed by children. Additionally, this process provides valuable insightsfrom the children eating the food to the local farmers and growers, helping strengthenthe connection in the food supply chain.

Challenges and lessons learned

Understanding the obstacles to creating a localised food supply chain was helpful for both projects and will guide future efforts. The main lessons learnt include: 

  • Appreciating that growers need fair ways to share risks across the supply chain and long-term collaborative planning to keep them engaged. 
  • Recognising the investment required in infrastructure and capital costs to scale up volume, e.g. harvesting equipment, storage, processing & bagging and extending life.
  • Making sure that growing seasons align with the school term for meals can be tricky, especially with changing weather patterns that bring more extreme conditions. The project found that if food was harvested too early, it created gaps in the system, such as limited storage and facilities for extending life (such as freezing), which made it harder to expand production. 
  • The price of Welsh lamb can fluctuate quite a lot, which makes it difficult to plan costs consistently. 
  • When delivering leafy greens and lamb-based meals to children, acceptance varied depending on the region; so, customised marketing will be needed to encourage more children to try certain dishes.

Looking ahead

In 2026, CHF aims to buy 40 tonnes of Welsh vegetables, working closely with growers to invest in the right places to increase efficiencies and reduce gap prices. The aim is to supply 12 of Wales’s 22 local authorities, whilst continuing to measure carbon emissions and focus marketing efforts on lamb and leafy greens. The company also plan to develop new hybrid products, including flexitarian options.

Investment will be needed for:

  • Infrastructure:  Larger washing and packing machines to make processes cheaper and more efficient.
  • Efficiency: Investment is also needed to improve efficiency on farms, ensure health and safety for growers, and cover the costs of automation. 
  • Availability: It’s important to reduce the difference in cost between organic and non-organic vegetables.
  • Flexibility: All calculations need to be tailored to seasonal growing, and risk needs to be accounted for to support commercial success. For example, growing vegetables on a small scale, like an acre, involves costs that we need to understand and manage, especially when upscaling to field-scale crops. Financial support, such as loans to help with cash flow, can make the scheme more sustainable. To make growing vegetables less risky, fixing prices and sharing risks with supply chain partners can be a stable path.

Both the Authentic Foods and Celtica Foods programs demonstrate that sourcing locally on a larger scale is possible, welcomed and brings environmental, economic, and social benefits. The continued collaborations between Castell Howell and local food supply partners are working to build a resilient, health-focused food system that supports Wales’s people and foundational economy.

Localising the Welsh food system for the public plate Read More »

Scroll to Top