ORFC25 Online: Empowering Farmers To Embrace Agroecology

The 16th annual Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) is set to return from January 9 to 10, 2025, bringing together over 1,500 farmers, food producers, activists, and thinkers from across the globe to inspire action towards a more equitable, sustainable food system. Online delegates will be able to watch 35+ sessions livestreamed from Oxford from anywhere in the world. 

Book ORFC 2025 Online Tickets

This year’s programme highlights the urgent need to align agricultural practices with ecological resilience and brings together voices at the forefront of the grassroots farming movement. The conference will tackle pressing issues such as climate change, land access, anti-imperialism in food systems, and agroecology and regenerative farming, with the aim of empowering attendees with actionable insights. In keeping with ORFC’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion, six rooms will be livestreamed for virtual participants worldwide.

A Stage for Transformative Ideas

ORFC 2025 will welcome renowned speakers from around the world, including leaders of grassroots farming movements, policy experts, and innovators. Sessions such as “Farming Today for Tomorrow’s Climate: Practical Global Solutions” featuring Riverford’s Guy Singh-Watson and “Roots of Resistance: Farming in Palestine” with Lina Isma’il, a food sovereignty activist from the West Bank, promise to shed light on the global challenges and opportunities facing farmers today.

Sessions including “Rooting for Diversity: Cultivating Farms for Neurodiversity to Thrive” will highlight how the talents of neurodivergent people can benefit farms, while “Ultra-Processed Foods: Towards An Agroecological Solution” will shed light on how sustainable agriculture can mitigate the public health crisis linked to Ultra-Processed Foods. “Building An Alliance Of Food Growers In Displacement” will welcome speakers from the Brazillian Amazon, Sri Lanka and Palestine to discuss how the opportunity to grow food becomes even more important to personal agency and nutrition when experiencing displacement.

Empowering Farmers to Embrace Diversity: Flowers, Bats and Faeces

The UK’s farmers are facing hard times, but the ORFC programme highlights inspiring stories of farmers across the UK diversifying their practices to support nature and biodiversity while maintaining a profitable business. Rising star and 2023 Scottish Young Farmer Forester of the Year, David Carruth, will share his story of practising agroforestry with pigs, as well as poetry inspired by his journey in the session, “Farm Deep Dive: Homecoming — Agroforestry With Pigs”.

Flower farmers from across the UK will host “Adding Flowers To Your Farm: Increasing Profits And Pollinators” to explore how the integration of growing and selling flowers can allow biodiversity to thrive while securing the future of agroecological businesses. The transformational potential of welcoming bats onto farms to support regenerative farming practices and boost climate resilience will be discussed in the session, “Bats On Your Farm: Boosting Biodiversity And Benefits”. Food waste campaigner, Tristram Stuart, joins the session “Can Faeces Feed the World?” to show how human waste can be transformed into a valuable resource for farmers to grow food, improve our soil and even improve public health. 

A Space for Connection and Celebration

Beyond its thought-provoking discussions, ORFC 2025 will foster community through dynamic workshops, cultural performances, and evening socials. Highlights include poetry by the acclaimed Hot Poets, a seed swap hosted by the Gaia Foundation Seed Sovereignty Programme, and musical entertainment by Don Kipper. 

A dedicated Youth Strand, developed in collaboration with partners, will empower young voices to shape the future of food and farming.

Expanding Horizons: ORFC in the Field

Building on its commitment to practical, grassroots action, ORFC is launching a year-round program, “ORFC in the Field,” featuring immersive on-farm events across the UK. These events hosted in partnership with outstanding agroecological farms across the UK and will offer workshops on heritage grains, livestock and landscape interactions, peri-urban farming, food politics, flower growing, and much more.

A Shared Vision for the Future

ORFC co-founder Ruth West said, “Our message is clear: it’s possible to feed everyone well, restore biodiversity, and build a fairer world through farming practices that respect people and the planet. ORFC is about turning that vision into reality.”

Online tickets for ORFC 2025 are available at orfc.org.uk.