A charity-run project in Powys, Wales, is helping young growers establish market gardens on land they could otherwise never access, with the produce now feeding disadvantaged children in Birmingham. Wern farm near Newtown, run by the charity Our Food Trust, provides plots, homes and shared infrastructure to young farmers, tackling both the barrier of land costs for new entrants and Britain's reliance on food imports amid climate and geopolitical risks.

Grower Tilly Gomersall has transformed half a hectare of former pasture into a highly productive plot within 18 months, despite a growing season disrupted by record heatwaves and drought, while neighbours Lydia Dibben and Charlie James farm a nearby seven-acre plot. Since late July their produce has been supplied to Birmingham city council for distribution to children's holiday clubs. The UK imports around 40% of its food and has one of the lowest self-sufficiency rates in western Europe, yet only 0.2% of Welsh land is used for horticulture; Powys county council secured a 95-year lease and changed planning rules to allow growers to live on the land they farm, partly in response to concerns about extreme weather.