Innovation taking root in mid-Wales
Across the UK, people are asking how we can build more secure, resilient food systems. Wouldn’t it be great to grow more food near to where it’s needed, whilst creating opportunities for young growers, and regenerating the land.
At Sarn, in mid-Wales, this vision is becoming reality. Our Food Trust has worked with Powys County Council and a range of partners, from training providers to farmer networks, to turn 36 acres of council-owned farmland into three new smallholdings for young growers. The first farmers have already moved in, bringing energy, ideas and commitment. This project shows how small-scale farming can deliver much more than vegetables, bringing new livelihoods, new networks, and new hope.
The land and the layout
The site at Sarn is promising. It’s flat, with its own water sources and a favourable climate for horticulture. Soils vary from silt to clay, offering scope for diverse crops and biodiversity. The 36 acres are divided into three holdings, with homes and shared work facilities grouped together on common ground. Each farm has a small, well-insulated home, connected to water, electricity and drainage. Planning rules require these to remain ‘removable’ for the first five years. If the businesses prove viable, applications will be made for permanent homes.
Alongside the houses is a shared barn, with washing and packing sheds, road access and storage. This common infrastructure makes it easier for farmers to collaborate and share resources, while still running their own enterprises.
Security for the long term
Powys County Council has leased the land for 95 years. The first five years are a trial period, with the farms rented while business plans take root. If successful, tenants will be offered 90-year leases. This unusual structure offers both caution and commitment: the farms must prove themselves, but once they do, the growers have the security to build their soils, their markets and their lives.
Importantly, the Council also developed new planning guidance on ‘Rural Enterprise Dwellings’, after two years of consultation. This policy gives growers a clearer route to securing a home on the land they farm — a major step forward for small-scale horticulture in Wales.
The projects behind the project
The prime mover for Sarn Farm is Our Food Trust, a pioneering non-profit organisation with an inspiring vision to create 100 farms across Powys and increase local food resilience substantially. They are working closely with Professor Tim Lang, and have achieved a good level of support from Powys County Council and the Welsh Government. So Sarn Farm is a first step and successful practical demonstration of a model which will hopefully be replicated many times across the region. It has involved a lot of pioneering groundwork from a wide range of organisations. Our Food Trust has brought together Social Farms and Gardens, Shared Assets, the Landworkers’ Alliance, Cultivate, the Nature Friendly Farming Network, Lantra, Black Mountains College, the Ecological Land Cooperative, Eco Dyfi and Gwlad Consortium.
Funding has come from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Welsh Government ACPW3 programme. This web of support shows that while new smallholdings need roots in their locality, they also need policy frameworks, training pathways and investment streams to succeed.
Farmers in focus
The best way to understand Sarn is to hear from the farmers themselves.
Tilly has just started her business on one of the plots. Her plan is to begin with a one-acre, no-dig market garden, expanding over time to use more of the land. She is helping set up a local veg box scheme in partnership with the other Sarn growers. As she puts it:
‘We want this to be a hub of learning and a hub of celebrating. This year is about trialling, setting up systems and infrastructure. I know farming like this is possible — I’ve seen it happen. I know it’s hard work, but I believe in it.’
Lydia, another of the first entrants, has several years’ experience as a market gardener near Hay-on-Wye. With her partner, she plans to integrate agroforestry — mixing trees with vegetables — across her holding:
‘We want to grow a whole range of crops, and bring trees into the system wherever possible. Our market garden will use no-dig permanent beds, with high-value short-season crops that need careful management. Behind me you can already see the first beds taking shape.’
These personal stories show that Sarn is more than a policy experiment. It’s a place where committed individuals can turn their skills and convictions into livelihoods.
Beyond the farm gate
Just building farms is not enough. To thrive, small growers need markets, training, networks and supportive policy.
- Markets: Sarn is part of a push to build new ‘food loops’ that link local farms with outlets across Powys. The Council is starting to procure local food for schools. And a new trade link with Birmingham, where demand for fresh produce is strong, is opening up.
- Skills and training: Black Mountains College is creating placements and training pathways, so students can gain practical experience on farms like Sarn.
- Networks: A peer network called Bannau Acres is linking small-scale growers across Powys, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and Monmouthshire.
- Policy: Partners are working with Welsh Government through the Wales Horticulture Alliance Group, lobbying for better support for small farms and horticulture, and for planning rules that enable more projects to start.
Recruitment and criteria
Crucially, the Sarn Farms are intended as a role model for many other new smallholdings across the area, and Our Food Trust is already well underway on a second location owned by Powys County Council. Applications for this and future projects are welcome. The key criteria are:
- At least two years’ practical experience on a fruit or vegetable farm.
- Understanding of agroecological growing methods.
- Access to start-up funds.
- Motivation to collaborate in shared spaces and contribute to the local community.
- Awareness of markets and the flexibility to adapt.
Anyone interested can apply via the Our Food Trust contact form.
Why this matters
It would be easy to dismiss three farms on 36 acres as a small gesture. But Sarn points to something bigger: a replicable model. It shows that with imagination and persistence, councils and communities can unlock land, support new entrants, and create pathways into farming that last.
The wider vision of Our Food Trust is to create many more such farms across Powys — eventually enough to supply a significant share of the food demand of 1,200 people in each local area. The aim is not only more vegetables, but more resilience, skills, jobs and connections.00 Wales is to create many more such farms across Powys — eventually enough to supply a significant share of the food demand of 1,200 people in each local area. The aim is not only more vegetables, but more resilience, skills, jobs and connections.
A closing reflection
Our food systems are under pressure from climate change, global shocks and economic fragility. Projects like Sarn don’t solve every problem, but they show us a practical way forward. They combine local action with broader support, and they root solutions in the lives of real people.
The lesson from Sarn is clear: when land, housing, markets and training are aligned, small farms can flourish. And when they do, they strengthen not just food supply, but also community resilience and hope for the future.