Landworkers' Alliance Explained

The Landworkers' Alliance (LWA) is a organisation in the United Kingdom representing small farmers, growers, foresters and land-based workers established in 2012 under the name Via Campesina UK,^{[1] [2]} and incorporated 2015.^[3] The organisation campaigns for better food and land-use systems.

The organisation works internationally on topics such as food sovereignty through membership of the international peasants advocacy organisation, Via Campesina, which represents over 200 million peasants, farmers and land-based workers through 182 member organisations.^{[4] [5]} The LWA is one of two organisations in the UK affiliated to Via Campesina, the other being the Scottish Crofting Federation.

They launched a manifesto for tacking rural inequality at the Oxford Real Farming Conference in 2016,^[6] and are twinned to US based Farm Hack to bring their model of supporting new farmers to the UK.^{[7] [8]} The organisation has been critical of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), saying that Defra is preferential to Corporate farming and Agribusiness.^{[9] [10]} On 17 April 2014, the LWA held a protest outside the headquarters of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) In June, the LWA welcomed the dismissal of Owen Paterson as Environment Secretary.^[11]

In February 2014, The Economist hosted a summit regarding food insecurity in Africa. Only one farmer was permitted to attend the event and representatives of LWA were excluded as none of them could afford the high entry fee.^[12]

The LWA supports land reform to hinder and regulate large estates.^[13] In July 2024, the LWA held a protest against Discovery Land Company's purchase of the 8,000-acre Taymouth Castle estate to turn it into a luxury resort, and advocate for stronger regulations on large estates.^[14] The LWA said the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill going though the Scottish Parliament was not enough to curb large estates and protect the interest of locals against the "super rich".

See also

• Agroecology
• Permaculture
• National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers

Further reading

• Book: Resourcing an Agroecological Urbanism . 2021 . Routledge . 978-0-429-43356-6 . Tornaghi . Chiara . London . Commons and commoning for a just agroecological transition . Dehaene . Michiel . https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429433566-4/commons-commoning-agroecological-transition-tomaso-ferrando-priscilla-claeys-dagmar-diesner-jose-luis-vivero-pol-deirdre-woods.
• Web site: 2016-01-07 . Equality in the countryside . 2024-11-23 . . en.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Murray . Maozya . 1 December 2022 . Radical Farming is Going Mainstream—And Losing Its Edge . 2024-11-23 . Novara Media . en.
2. 2013 . The Problem with ‘Peasants’ . 23 November 2024 . . 14.
3. Web site: THE LANDWORKERS' ALLIANCE - Overview (free company information from Companies House) . beta.companieshouse.gov.uk . en . 2019-11-12.
4. Web site: Europe . Via Campesina. 12 Nov 2019.
5. Smaje . Chris . 30 January 2014 . Peasants, Food Sovereignty and The Landworkers’ Alliance . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140606045021/https://www.thelandmagazine.org.uk/articles/peasants-food-sovereignty-and-landworkers%E2%80%99-alliance . 6 June 2014 . 22 November 2024 . . 15.
6. News: Organic and small-scale: An alternative vision for the future of farming . The Guardian. 7 January 2016 . 12 Nov 2019 . Lawrence . Felicity .
7. Web site: Profit from your plot: 10 ways to make money from your garden . The Telegraph. 7 June 2015 . 12 Nov 2019.
8. Web site: FarmHack Comes to the UK . Permaculture Magazine. 12 Nov 2019.
9. Web site: Hamer . Ed . 2014-04-18 . Small scale farmers are feeding our future! . 2024-11-22 . . en.
10. Web site: Creighton-Hird . Holly . 2014-10-19 . The future of family farming is in our hands . 2024-11-22 . . en.
11. Web site: 15 July 2014 . Farmers welcome dismissal of Owen Patterson . 22 November 2024 . Farming Monthly.
12. Web site: Morlin-Yron . Sophie . Tickell . Oliver . 2014-02-18 . Africa's farm revolution - who will benefit? . 2024-11-22 . . en.
13. Web site: Watson . Jeremy . 2024-07-28 . Land reform campaigners rally in protest at luxury castle resort . 2024-11-22 . . en.
14. Web site: Elliards . Xander . 2024-07-28 . 'Not far enough': Taymouth Castle protest to call on SNP to strengthen land reform . 2024-11-22 . The National . en.