A new project is looking to work with raspberry, blackcurrant, onion, and brassica growers to isolate areas of potential food waste, identify ways to measure it, and develop strategies to reduce it. If you are interested in getting involved, please get in touch with us. If you are a raspberry or onion grower, please contact rebecca.davis@leafuk.org. If you are a blackcurrant or brassica grower please contact rswinn@soilassociation.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
Food waste at the consumer level is relatively well researched, however waste produced onfarm is an area that is not widely explored. This project aims to examine farmer-led approaches to improve the measurement and management of food waste in primary production for the purpose of identifying opportunities to improve production efficiencies. This year, we would like to explore the level of on-farm waste involved in the production of raspberries, blackcurrants, onions and brassicas, to better understand how pest or weather damage, harvest activities, storage, over production, or specification requirements influence production efficiency and how this can be reduced.
Who’s involved
This project is supported by WRAP, and delivered by 3Keel (sustainability advisors), and Innovative Farmers (a not-for-profit membership network of farmers and growers who run on-farm farmer designed and led trials). The Innovative Farmers team will facilitate the discussions around food waste, with LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) supporting raspberry and onion growers and the Soil Association supporting blackcurrant and brassica growers.
What to expect
- Initial phone call interview to assess potential hotspots for waste, priorities for you and scope for change (approx. 30 mins)
- The opportunity to get involved in farmer collaboration and farmer-led discussions throughout 2020, including access to a disbursement grant fund to support monitoring and measurement costs
If you are interested in getting involved, please get in touch with us by 20th March 2020. If you are a raspberry or onion grower, please contact Rebecca Davis at LEAF on rebecca.davis@leafuk.org or 02476 413911. If you are a blackcurrant or brassica grower please contact Rebecca Swinn at Innovative Farmers on rswinn@soilassociation.org or 0117 987 4572. We look forward to hearing from you!