Pathways to Farming in North Powys

Grant amount: £17,506
Award year: 2019/20
Awarded to: Mach Maethlon

The Ashley Family Foundation has granted funding towards Mach Maethlon’s three year pilot project, Pathways to Farming. This project is working to increase the number of horticultural food producers in North Powys, helping to develop new markets for local produce. The pilot runs until December 2020.

A group of 12 trainees in the Machynlleth and Newtown area are being supported to develop the horticultural skills needed for commercial food production, and mentored to grow on small scale ‘microfarm’ plots. The idea is that these trainees will move on to scale up in the future using the business plans they are writing as part of the training.

Two Pathways to Farming Project Coordinators are working across Machynlleth and Newtown to map the local food economy. They are working to develop new markets and new selling models that will enable more locally grown food to be sold. They are also developing events to promote local food and engage more people in growing and eating it, and offering volunteering opportunities to people interested in gaining experience in sustainable food production.

The project has developed exciting partnerships. In Machynlleth the Centre for Alternative Technology has offered land, project support and shared vision, while in Newtown the project has partnered with community growing organisation Cultivate to share their community garden and their vision for a more resilient food system.