Landworkers' Alliance : More Farmers, Better Food

by Landworkers' Alliance in Dorset, England, United Kingdom

We did it
On 23rd January 2018 we successfully raised £25,588 with 451 supporters in 35 days

The Landworkers' Alliance campaign for 'More Farmers, Better Food' to lobby the post-Brexit Agriculture policy bill from February 2018.

by Landworkers' Alliance in Dorset, England, United Kingdom

The Landworkers’ Alliance campaign 

 'More Farmers, Better Food'.

Update: On Friday 19th January the A Team Foundation gave us match funding of £5,000 in donations! This is an absolutely incredible boost to our campaign and our work. With huge thanks!

The Landworkers Alliance is a grassroots union of farmers, growers and land-based workers from across the whole of the U.K. We are a member led organisation campaigning for the rights of small-scale producers and a better food system for everyone.

w: www.landworkersalliance.org.uk
f: @landworkersalliance
t: @landworkersuk

Why are we raising funds for our campaign 'More Farmers, Better Food'? 

In the spring of 2018 the future of our farming system is going to be decided in a new post-Brexit Agriculture Policy. This will define the future of agriculture in the U.K. It is the most significant moment in generations and it is absolutely urgent that we ensure we have a place at the decision making tables. 

Now, more than ever, the Landworkers’ Alliance need to use all the energy and resources we have to influence this policy making process and make sure our voices are heard, our livelihoods defended and that a fair food system for all is guaranteed. In order to make this happen we need your help. 

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Why do we need to be part of shaping a post-Brexit Agriculture Policy?

  • In the 10 years following the 2003 CAP reform 35,000 small scale and family farmers closed down in the UK.
  • 64% of farmers earn less than £10,000 a year, 8 supermarkets control almost 95% of the food retail market, and farmers receive less than 10% of the value of their produce sold in supermarkets.
  • Working in the food and farming sector is characterised by insecure, precarious and unpredictable labour conditions. 
  • We have one the highest levels of concentrated land ownership in the world, and the price of land has trebled in just over 10 years.
  • There is hardly any support for new entrant farms or funding for farmers producing on less than 5 hectares (12 acres) of land. 
  • In 2015, just 100 landowners received a combined total of £87.9m in agricultural subsidies, of which £61.2m came from the single payment scheme. This is more than the combined total paid to the bottom 55, 119 recipients in the single payment scheme over the same period. 
  • The UK is the 6th largest economy in the world and yet in 2014, over 8.4 million people living in UK household reported having insufficient food. 

 It's urgent we make sure a post-Brexit Agricultural Policy turns these trends around. 

We want to see power put back in the hands of producers and local communities rather than supermarkets and industrial processors. We believe that farmers and communities must be at the heart of decision-making and have a strong voice in agricultural policy making.

The Landworkers' Alliance stands for a food system where everybody has access to healthy, regionally produced, affordable food from farmers they can trust. A post-Brexit Agriculture policy must guarantee the wellbeing of people, the health of the environment and the ability of future generations to provide for themselves.

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What are the Landworkers' Alliance policy proposals for a post-Brexit Agriculture Policy? 

We have developed a range of comprehensive policy proposals for a post-Brexit Agriculture policy including for small scale, traditional and family farms to be protected; an end to the Area Based Payment Scheme and ecological farming to be properly rewarded; and support for new entrants going into farming.

All of our policies and representation comes from our members who are farmers, growers and land-based workers who have direct experience of the issues we campaign on.

(You can read and download all our policy work and publications here).

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How are we going to make our policy proposals a reality and what will we do with the money from this crowdfunder in 2018?

1. Continue to deliver the political training sessions, developed over past year, to empower Landworkers’ Alliance members to advocate for a better food system.
2. Over the next year, send Landworkers’ Alliance representatives to Westminster on a regular basis to make sure the voices of agribusiness don’t dominate.
3. Write, print and get our post-Brexit Agriculture policy proposals into the hands of political decision makers.
4. Organise stunts and actions that ensure our voices are heard.
5. Highlight our issues by organising study tours of innovative farms, direct marketing and new entrant initiatives for MPs and civil servants.

Now more than ever the future of our land, farms and food is in our hands. This is the moment to take action. Please join us. 

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The Landworkers’ Alliance are members of La Via Campesina, the international farmers union and work in solidarity with our fellow small-scale farmers and land workers across the globe.

*Where LWA membership is available as part of a reward please note you will be given either (a) our full membership if you are a farmer, grower or land based worker, or (b) our supporter/ally membership if you are not a landbased based worker but want to support the work we do).

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£10 or more

A muddy handed high five + LWA merch

By donating £10 and claiming this reward you will a huge thank-you from us, a muddy handed high five and a much sought after Landworkers' Alliance bespoke badge.

£25 or more

LWA poster, badge, sticker + seeds!

By donating £25 and claiming this reward you will receive a selection of Landworkers' Alliance merchandise hot off the press including our newly designed LWA 'Farm Values' poster designed by illustrator Emma Brierley, an LWA badge and an LWA window sticker. You will also receive a packet of Mortons Secret Mix lettuces seed packet from the Real Seed Catalogue: www.realseeds.co.uk

£50 or more

LWA tote bag, poster, badge + window sticker.

By donating £50 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive our new Landworkers' Alliance 'taking control of our food systems' tote bag, our new LWA 'Farm Values' poster designed by illustrator Emma Brierley, our much sought after LWA badge and an LWA window sticker.

£75 or more

LWA t-shirt, tote bag, poster, badge + sticker.

By donating £75 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive an LWA t-shirt (assorted colours and sizes available), our new LWA 'taking control of our food systems' tote bag, our new LWA 'Farm Values' poster designed by illustrator Emma Brierley, our much sought after LWA badge and an LWA window sticker.

£100 or more

4 of 5 claimed

Me and My Friends signed vinyl + LWA merch

By donating £100 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for a signed vinyl of the album 'Hide Your Way' by Me and My Friends (music featured in our crowdfunder video) (www.meandmyfriends.co.uk). You will also receive a our new Landworkers' Alliance Farm Values' poster designed by illustrator Emma Brierley, our much sought after LWA badge and an LWA window sticker.

£150 or more

LWA hoodie, poster, badge + sticker.

By donating £150 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive an LWA hoodie (assorted colours and sizes), our new LWA 'Farm Values' poster designed by illustrator Emma Brierley, an LWA badge and an LWA window sticker.

£200 or more

LWA membership + range of LWA merchandise.

By claiming this reward you will receive one year LWA membership, an LWA hoodie (assorted colours and sizes), our new LWA 'taking control of our food systems' tote bag, our new LWA 'Farm Values' poster designed by illustrator Emma Brierley, an LWA badge and an LWA window sticker.

£200 or more

0 of 5 claimed

Subscription to the Land Magazine + LWA merch

By donating £200 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for a 5 issue subscription to the one and only Land Magazine - one of UK's leading publications on land rights (www.thelandmagazine.org.uk). You will also receive a Landworkers' Alliance t-shirt (assorted sized and colours available) and a bespoke badge.

£250 or more

3 of 5 claimed

Hodmedod's Hamper + LWA membership

By claiming this reward you will receive a hamper from Homdedod's - the UK's leading pulse and grain farming pioneers (www.hodmedods.co.uk) and a one year membership with the Landworkers' Alliance and a badge.

£300 or more

1 of 2 claimed

Meal for 2 at Old Dairy Kitchen + LWA membership

By donating £300 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for meal for 2 by chef Chris Onions at The Old Dairy Kitchen on Trill Farm near Musbury, East Devon (www.olddairykitchen.co.uk), a years membership with the Landworkers' Alliance and a badge.

£300 or more

Meal for 2 at The Rusty Pig + LWA membership

By donating £300 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for meal for 2 at The Rusty Pig in Ottery Saint Mary, Devon (www.rustypig.co.uk). You will also receive a years membership with the Landworkers' Alliance and a badge.

£300 or more

0 of 1 claimed

Iyengar Yoga term + LWA membership

By claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for a 10 week Iyengar Yoga term with farmer at Fresh and Green market garden and yoga instructor Ruth Hancock. The yoga classes run in Ottery Saint Marys and Honiton in Devon. You will also receive a years membership with the Landworkers' Alliance and a badge.

£400 or more

0 of 1 claimed

Soap making course at Trill Farm

By claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for a 2 day non-residential soap making coarse at Trill Farm near Musbury, Devon in March 2018 (www.trillfarm.co.uk/products/soap-making). You will also receive a years membership with the Landworkers' Alliance and a badge.

£500 or more

0 of 1 claimed

2 x Shambala 2018 ticket + LWA membership

By claiming this reward you will recieve two full weekend ticket to Shambala Festival 2018! (www.shambalafestival.org/whats-on/) You will also receive a years membership with the Landworkers' Alliance, a Landworkers' Alliance t-shirt (assorted colours and sizes available) and a bespoke Landworkers' Alliance badge.

£750 or more

0 of 8 claimed

Organic food production course + LWA membership

By claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for a non residential weekend course on organic food growing at Southern Roots Organics market garden in West Dorset, including a tractor driving lesson, and a lunch of produce from the field and local farms prepared by chef Eve Vergano. You'll also receive a year membership with the Landworkers' Alliance, a Landworkers' Alliance t-shirt or tote bag (you choose) + a bespoke badge.

£100 or more

6 of 6 claimed

Scotland the Bread Heritage Flour + LWA membership

By donating £100 to our campaign and claiming this reward you'll receive a box of limited edition 3 x 1 kg heritage grain flour from Scotland the Bread. The flours are milled from 3 varieties of wheat that were common in Scotland - Rouge d’Ecosse, Golden Drop and Hunter’s but had become almost extinct. To read about the incredible work of Scotland the Bread visit: www.scotlandthebread.org You will also receive a 1 year LWA membership + badge.

£150 or more

3 of 3 claimed

Subscription to the Land Magazine + LWA merch

By donating £150 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for a 5 issue subscription to the one and only Land Magazine - one of UK's leading publication on land rights (www.thelandmagazine.org.uk). You will also receive a one year membership to the Landworkers' Alliance, a Landworkers' Alliance t-shirt (assorted sizes and colours available), and a bespoke badge.

£200 or more

3 of 3 claimed

Hodmedod's Hamper + LWA membership

By claiming this reward you will receive a hamper from Homdedod's - the UK's leading pulse and grain farming pioneers (www.hodmedods.co.uk) and a one year membership with the Landworkers' Alliance and a badge.

£250 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Cabin retreat on the Gower + LWA membership

By donating £250 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for a night for two at a wooden cabin right on Gower's beautiful coast path, just above Three Cliffs Bay & arguably the UK's finest beach. You will also receive a years membership with the Landworkers' Alliance and a bespoke badge.

£400 or more

1 of 1 claimed

The Old Dairy Kitchen bread courses in 2018

By donating £400 to our campaign and claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for any one bread course in 2018 at The Old Dairy Kitchen at Trill Farm near Musbury, Devon (www.olddairykitchen.co.uk/seasonal-bread-making/). You will also receive a years membership with the Landworkers' Alliance and a badge.

£1,000 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Landbase course, LWA pack + membership

By claiming this reward you will receive a voucher for a course in 2018 at the newly established center for agroecological training - Landbase (www.landbase.org.uk) . You will also receive all the LWA merch and LWA publications made in the £1500 donation rewards.

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