Weeds, Wool and Wisdom

Planting Futures showcases a story of innovation, community action, and sustainable growing in practice. Discover how Fallowlees Farm and West End Women and Girls Centre used Participatory Action Research to overcome soil erosion, W**d pressure, and accessibility challenges by co-designing and building lynchet terraces and developing inclusive growing tools.

The session also explores findings from a complementary dissertation study, revealing that raw wool mulch can dramatically reduce W**d growth across a range of crops, regardless of weather conditions or soil microclimates. By blending traditional and ancestral land-management techniques with rigorous statistical evidence, these projects showcase practical, low-cost solutions for creating more resilient and productive food-growing spaces.

Attendees will leave with a wealth of free resources, including step-by-step SOPs, crop rotation plans, and pig-safe lynchet blueprints, enabling community farms and growers to adapt and replicate this inclusive, evidence-based approach in their own settings.