A new initiative to boost community farming and local food projects in Wales will be launched today (23 June).
There’s been a boom in community growing in Wales over the last few years, led by interest in issues such as future food security, climate change and health and well-being.
There are now more than 400 community growing groups in Wales, according to the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG), which sets up such initiatives with funding from the Welsh Government’s Rural Communities – Rural Development Plan 2014-2020.
Research has shown how local community growing projects can help bring communities closer together, boost health and well being, educate children about where their food comes from and increase skills.
FCFCG has collated a selection of this evidence of the wellbeing benefits of community growing, which the organisation says helps society gain more cohesiveness.
Growing up
Tyfu Fyny (Growing Up) is one of those projects taking part in the initiative. It fits with a number of Welsh Government agendas on the environment, health, education and training, economic development and community development.
It will help deliver on overarching sustainable development commitments including climate change.
There will also be support and mentoring for Community Supported Agriculture, where local communities buy shares in working farms, and care farming - where farms are used as therapy spaces.
Tyfu Fyny will be officially launched at the All Wales Gathering for community growers and farmers at Ffarm Moelyci, near Bangor, one of the UK’s first community owned farms.
FCFCG Wales Manager Emma Williams said: “The Tyfu Fyny project supports all types of community growing projects in Wales. From community gardens to community supported agriculture projects (CSAs), care farms to orchards, community farms to street planting projects, if you’re bring people together to farm, garden or grow we can help.”
