Northern food processing capacity has increased
This action area focuses on developing the infrastructure needed to get larger volumes of local agroecological produce onto people’s plates in the North. Such work involves not only the physical infrastructure necessary to support processing such as appropriate mills, abattoirs etc. but also necessitates building relationships throughout the supply chain – for example via farmer processing coops, food hubs and use of digital technology. It is also important to raise support and awareness with potential buyers – whether this be through getting catering students onto farms to understand the potential of different products or getting the public interested in different tastes and recipes.
To address these challenges, our strategy outlines the following steps:
Our goal: Northern food processing capacity has increased. This includes more abattoirs, millers, bakers, etc. being present, as well as those present processing larger volumes.
Desired outcomes:
- More funding for transitions and set up costs of new businesses/enterprises is available.
- More supply chain collaborations exist.
Example activities that were identified as supporting these immediate outcomes – and which should therefore be urgent priorities for funding – are as follows:
- Offering training and support for collaborative grant funding and crowdfunding.
- Attracting large scale investment into agroecological farming in the North of England by, for example, setting up rural agroecological bonds (like city bonds).
- Facilitating value chain collaborations within pulses, grains, and meat sectors.
- Supporting those networks that facilitate routes to market for agroecological produce.