We Feed The UK

Grown by the Gaia Foundation as an evolution of We Feed the World, We Feed The UK is a major arts project pairing critically acclaimed photographers and poets with regenerative farmers, urban growers, sustainable fishers and grain rebels: the UK’s custodians of land, soil, sea and seed.

Our food forms us. How we produce it can shape society: offering positive solutions to intertwined climate, diversity and social crises. We Feed The UK is a celebration of efforts already underway, to inspire a wider transition to regenerative agriculture. 

“70% of the UK is farmland. The potential for this to become the place where we support biodiversity, sequester carbon and address so many of the other problems we are facing is enormous. The arts have the power to speak to the heart. Apathy is such a big barrier, and hope activates.” Rowan Phillimore of The Gaia Foundation on BBC Radio 4 

The project weaves together 10 regenerative food producers with 10 photographers and 10 poets across 10 regions of the UK. Breaking down the silos we often find ourselves trapped in, it welcomes the arts into the agricultural space to reach new audiences. From celebrating hedgerows to tracking ancestral relationships with seed, the campaign will open eyes, ears and hearts to what is possible when we work with, not against, this beautiful bluegreen planet.

The project unites over 40 partners from the environment and arts sectors, and on Thursday 8 February 2024, we gathered for the launch event at Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery. Unique cross-sector collaborations were brought to life through pop up performances from all 10 Hot Poets, against a backdrop of work-in-progress from all 10 photographers, which will blossom into 10 exhibitions between now and spring 2025. The inaugural exhibition at Open Eye Gallery features a study of Strickley Farm in Cumbria by Johannes Pretorius, accompanied by poetry from beatboxing champion Testament. See it for free until the end of March. 

For full details of where you can see regional events, and to explore these time-critical stories, visit our new We Feed the UK website.

“We Feed The UK is important in getting positive stories to the public – the current vilification of farmers needs to stop. There are small pockets of us trying to be better, which We Feed The UK can help citizens see and understand, whilst also offering hope to farmers stuck in an imperfect system. This project proves that there are other ways to do it that can not only enhance biodiversity and battle climate change, but also bring people together and improve financial performance. Everyone wins and that story needs to be told.” Farmer Stuart Johnson, featured in a story of soil restoration coming to Northumberland in November 2024

“Having been born in India, but grown up in the UK, I’ve always been interested in exploring themes of belonging, identity and heritage through my photography, so to spend time with inspiring women like Pam, Sandra and Paulette from Go Grow With Love and Black Rootz – each of whom interweave stories, rituals and seeds from their own rich cultural upbringings through their work on the allotments – has been such a joy. I hope the images from this collaboration capture some of the spirit, love and dedication of these women, each of whom are anchors in their community.”  Photographer Arpita Shah, who has collaborated with two urban food growing projects for exhibitions in London and Brighton in October 2024