GROUNDED
HUNGER HILLS: FOOD – FORAGE - FEAST
GROUNDED is a rural manifesto. Its intention is to break the dissolution of human, plant and animal communities by reconnecting us to our local landscapes.
In the face of globalisation, rural farming communities have become increasingly fractured. The loss of small-scale farms and the expansion of mega farms to meet competitive market forces has led to an increase in machine labour, reducing opportunities for agricultural training for young people and new entrants into local sectors. This process has disconnected communities from their landscapes, leading to a loss of precious local knowledge of the landform, its flora and fauna.
The strategic aim is to achieve integrated rural landscapes, in which production, recreation and nature co-exist, building resilience to economic fluctuations through a localised economy.
HUNGER HILLS: FOOD - FORAGE- FEAST is a community food system made up of larger farms, smaller community farms and orchards, with community education and land reform at its core.
Its ideology follows those of Agroecological and Regenerative farming methods: Celebrating natural systems, and the sustainability of all parts of the food system, from the seed and the soil, to the table, including ecological knowledge, economic viability, and social justice.
Situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, at the intersection of the three counties of Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire, the project explores patterns within the regional landscape, utilising topography and hill contours to influence the form and organisation of woody agriculture.
The immersive landscape strategy promotes co-operatives, education, and self-sufficiency, providing a deeper connection with our food, ultimately influencing shifts in consumption as we engage with farming and forage systems first-hand.
Interactive forage trails enable access to all age groups, especially the young as they will become the next generation of growers to compete with the challenges that climate change brings and an ever-expanding global market.
