A Bioregional Growth Plan for the Marches

Building a Resilient, Regenerative Food Future for the Marches

In May 2025, the Marches Real Food & Farming Partnership (MRFFN) unveiled its Bioregional Food Growth Plan for the Marches — a bold roadmap designed to transform the food systems across Shropshire, Herefordshire, Powys, and Monmouthshire. At its heart, the plan envisions a future where local communities, farmers, councils, and businesses work together to create a resilient, regenerative, and relocalised food economy.

This is a first iteration and we look forward to continuing to build on it at the Marches Real Food & Farming Convergence in Monmouthshire on October 3rd & 4th, 2025 at Square Farm.

Sustain Bioregional Food Plan.pdf

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MRFFN is grateful for the generous support to develop this plan from: Sustain, The Sustainable Food Trust, FFCC, The Landworker's Alliance and the Rothschild Foundation.

Why a Bioregional Food Plan?

The Marches is a landscape rich in natural beauty, agricultural heritage, and vibrant communities. Yet, like much of the UK, it faces pressing challenges: climate change, declining biodiversity, food insecurity, and disconnection from the land that feeds us. The Bioregional Food Plan offers a way forward, recognising that sustainable solutions must be deeply rooted in place — in the ecology, culture, and economy of the region.

The Power of Partnership

The MRFFN brings together four local food partnerships: Shropshire Good Food Partnership, Herefordshire Food Alliance, Bwyd Powys Food, and Monmouthshire Food Partnership. Together, these groups are creating cross-border collaborations that break down political boundaries to tackle shared challenges — from food poverty to climate resilience.

The plan sets out five core aims:

• Resilience-building — Preparing proactively for food crises by relocalising supply chains, mapping resources, and strengthening networks.

• Community engagement — Empowering citizens through food skills, education, and pride in local food heritage.

• Policy leadership — Supporting the development of food strategies at local and county levels to embed food resilience in governance.

• Regenerative farming — Promoting farming practices that restore ecosystems, improve biodiversity, and align with planetary limits.

• Relocalisation of the food economy — Building infrastructure for direct sales, local procurement, and community-supported agriculture.

Resilience in Action

From creating food resilience plans with councils and communities, to mapping local supply chains and land use, the MRFFN is focused on practical action. During crises like Covid-19, local food hubs such as Shrewsbury Food Hub showed how vital local networks are for swift, effective responses — and the plan seeks to embed this kind of readiness across the region.

Community Food Ambassadors & Education

A key part of the plan is to train Community Food Ambassadors to support regenerative community design processes, with activities that will support local communities to grow, cook, and share food. Schools are also seen as crucial hubs for change — not just places for learning, but for growing food, supporting local procurement, and reconnecting young people with where their food comes from.

A Strategy for Every Place

The plan calls for every town, parish, and county to adopt a food strategy — following pioneering examples like Bishop’s Castle Community Food Resilience Plan. By embedding food resilience in local policy, communities can take meaningful steps towards healthier diets, stronger local economies, and more sustainable land use.

Regeneration from the Ground Up

Regenerative farming is at the core of the MRFFN’s vision. The network supports farmer clusters, mentorship schemes, and peer-to-peer learning — helping producers transition to practices that build soil health, boost biodiversity, and cut emissions, while maintaining viable businesses.

Relocalisation: Rebuilding Local Food Economies

From promoting direct sales and food trails to supporting new entrant farmers through initiatives like Future Farms in Powys, the plan aims to make local food the easy, accessible choice for consumers and businesses alike.

A Call to Action

The Bioregional Food Plan is more than a document — it’s a call for collective action. By working together across sectors and borders, the Marches can become a beacon of resilience and regeneration. The MRFFN invites everyone — from farmers and councils to citizens and schools — to play a part in creating a vibrant, sustainable food future for the region.