Acorn Farm

The project is focused on food resilience and climate change at a local level within a regional context, specifically considering food security, sustainability and supply resilience.

The project involves recruiting 250 families across the Derry/Londonderry and Strabane areas, who will be given everything they need to grow food at home, learning from horticultural experts to begin the creation of a more sustainable food system throughout the city. Research into the local food system is also being carried out and the longer-term vision is to create an innovation hub for sustainable food production in St Columb’s Park in Derry/Londonderry.

This project aims to explore how local community behavioural change in relation to food and climate change can be catalysed. In doing so it aims to examine how community engagement initiatives raising awareness of climate change and food systems be best delivered. Moreover, it aims to examine how existing frameworks can be best utilised to influence statutory and cross-sectoral agencies and policy.

1. How can community engagement initiatives raising awareness of climate change and food systems be best delivered?
2. How can existing frameworks be best utilised to influence statutory and cross-sectoral agencies and policy?
3. How can local community behavioural change in relation to food and climate change be catalysed?

WP1: Awareness & Behavioural Change

WP2: Lifelong Learning

WP3: Climate Change & Food Governance

WP4: Applied Research

WP5: Growing Technologies

WP6: Dissemination of Knowledge

WP7: Long Term Vision

• Community engagement initiatives raising awareness of climate change and food systems
• Seed bank to encourage community action ‘Growing for the Future Programme’
• Food System Baseline Assessment for Derry City and Strabane District Council
• Draft Good Food Plan

There is an audience development plan for the project.

The project involves recruiting 250 families across the Derry/Londonderry and Strabane areas, who will be given everything they need to grow food at home, learning from horticultural experts to begin the creation of a more sustainable food system throughout the city. These families are the participants in the study. Project participants are being recruited by project partner The Community Foundation in an open and transparent manner through an “I Can Grow” programme.