Cordelia Hughes, NW Regional Coordinator for Landmatch England and working alongside the Lancaster Sustainable Living Centre, explains how a new land-matching service could help create a more resilient food system in Lancashire…
There is an urgent need to support food growing and production in the UK.
We are increasingly aware that reliance on food grown abroad at huge scales is putting our climate and food security at risk.
I’m paying more for my food, so why are farmers finding it harder to make a living?
Through my work in the food and farming sector, I’ve met many growers and small producers who would love to produce food locally.
However, access to land — and the financial risk of starting a new business — is a major barrier.
At the same time, many farmers and landowners would like to do more with their land but struggle to find the time, energy, or capacity to diversify alongside their existing businesses.
Introducing Landmatch England: a service that helps landseekers and landowners collaborate to start new enterprises through land-sharing.
I’ve recently joined the Landmatch England team in the North West, where my role is to connect farmers and growers by understanding their needs, goals, and constraints. I meet with people 1.1, and support potential matches to help them establish land-sharing agreements that work for everyone involved.
From those who’ve worked in the industry for generations, to newly trained and highly motivated people keen to get started, I’ve seen that landmatching can appeal to a broad range of people. The best part is that we are working at a low-to-no cost, trialling this as a service for the public good.
I’d love to see Landmatch England continue to grow in the North West and warmly welcome applications from both landowners and landseekers. If you’re passionate about food production, value nature-friendly farming, and are motivated to try something new, Landmatch England could be a great place to start the conversation.
Get in touch by emailing hello@landmatchengland.org.uk, and head to the Landmatch England website to find out more.
