The latest agri-food and climate news, resources and opportunities
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December 2025
This month's highlights
Welcome to the latest newsletter from the AFN Network+. Each month we will be bringing you an update on what is happening across the Network and beyond. In this issue:
- Roadmap clips
- Andrew Stark profile
- Growers' resource
… and plenty more events and publications for you.
Roadmap for Resilience – a UK Food Plan for 2050
If you don’t have time to watch the full videos (the launch of the Roadmap and the panel discussion) from the launch of our Roadmap, keep an eye out for the short clips that we are posting on LinkedIn. So far we have had:
Sue Pritchard from the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, discussing the need to be brave - and offer bold visions.
Former Environment Minister Daniel Zeichner speaking about why making healthier food more affordable is key.
AFN Network+ Co-lead Tim Benton explaining why urgent action is needed now.
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn page for more clips. And don’t forget that you can find all things Roadmap on our website.
Local food growing helps boost national resilience
Gathering community views to shape a local council food strategy while focusing on culturally-specific food growing have been some of the key wins from a recently completed Scoping Study, funded by the AFN Network+. The project, called Kingston Community Food Growing: Towards net zero through inclusion, evaluated the impact of an urban farm that grows Asian vegetables in Kingston, south west London, and brought together other local food growing groups for workshops at Kingston University. Views on barriers to food growing were shared with the local authority, helping to shape the five-year food strategy. This level of organised community engagement has been highlighted by Professor Tim Lang in his new report on the UK’s lack of preparedness for future food shocks, where he pointed out the need for decentralised and robust food systems.
Andrew Stark: ‘Invaluable digests of policy and research’
“I started my career at WWF Scotland and then worked on land use at the RSPB, before joining Eating Better as research and policy manager. Diets are something that encompass a lot of different aspects, from health to sustainability, and I like dipping in and out with a systems approach. The AFN Network’s Big Tent event was a fantastic chance to meet a lot of researchers and I made some quite senior connections there, with whom I was able to follow up. I had a poster on display and someone from Defra came and spoke to me about that work, and following that, a colleague of theirs came to the farm event that we just had. Credit to the AFN Network+ for creating those connections.”
Read more in our latest impact profile
A Case for Clarity: Defining Food System Drivers, Outcomes, and Feedbacks
Year 2 Champion Saher Hasnain, with co-author Genia Hill, has just had an article published in The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food. In the article, they argue that “Despite the rapid proliferation of food systems framings in recent decades, the field remains under-theorised with inconsistent and ambiguous terminology for core concepts like 'drivers', 'outcomes', and 'feedbacks'. This lack of clarity hinders effective communication, research, and intervention design.”
And don’t forget that we are currently publishing a series of Champions’ Digests, with details of what our Champions have been up to. Part 1 featured Charlotte Wheeler, Emily Norton and Saher Hasnain, and Part 2 featured Amy Jackson, Caeli Richardson and Jude Irons. More coming soon…
Climate Resilience: a guide for growers
As part of an AFN FlexFund project, the Community Supported Agriculture Network has published a guide for growers to climate resilience. Written by Andy Dibben and Dan Burston, it endeavours to provide practical knowledge which will support growers to improve resilience and flexibility in the face of increasing climate-based challenges to food production. Should be of interest to pretty much anyone wanting to grow fruit and veg.
News from the wider agri-food sector
Events
Webinar: State of the Nation's Food Industry Report 2025
Wednesday 3rd December 2025, 11:00 am
Hear the key findings from the Food Foundation’s 2025 State of the Nation's Food Industry report, which assesses 37 of the UK's major food businesses and their progress in meeting climate and health targets. A panel of leading food businesses and investors will then discuss the policy changes needed to support industry on their efforts to create healthier and more sustainable food environments.
Global Launch of the Earth Rover Program
Friday 5th December 2025, 2:00–3:00pm
This event sees the global launch of the Earth Rover Program and the release of their inaugural report, ‘Soilsmology: Transforming our Understanding of Soil’. The webinar will feature a panel discussion on the findings of the report, moderated by co-founder, The Guardian columnist George Monbiot.
Kent and Medway UKRI Local Innovation Partnership Fund - Ground2Growth webinar
Monday 8th December 2025, 12:00–1:00pm
The UKRI Local Innovation Partnership Fund (LIPF) is a major government initiative designed to accelerate high-potential regional innovation clusters by de-risking early investment, supporting commercialisation, and strengthening the UK’s long-term economic competitiveness. Kent and Medway are putting forward From Ground to Growth, a bold programme to transform and accelerate food system innovation. In this webinar, find out more about the call and the From Ground to Growth project.
Oxford Real Farming Conference 2026
8-9 January 2026, Oxford
Your views needed
AI in agriculture
Henrietta Farrugia, a PhD researcher at the University of Northampton is conducting research into agricultural professionals' perspectives on the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in the UK agricultural industry. The issue is important as it can help farmers to identify ways to improve their agricultural practice and increase efficiency, sustainability and food security.
She is looking for agricultural professionals in the following sectors: Cereal, Vegetables, fruit, crops and oil crops, livestock (meat) and Dairy (milk).If you can help, please contact Henrietta.farrugia@northampton.ac.uk for more information.
Next issue
If you have anything you would like to see considered for our next newsletter, please send it to contact@agrifood4netzero.net. Seen this on the web, or been sent it by a colleague? Sign up here for future issues and to keep up with all things AFN Network+.
