regenerative farming – The Extra Mile

Honouring World Food Day: food with purpose

Every 16 October, the world marks World Food Day: a moment to reflect, advocate, and act on the deeply human right to food, and on the systems that produce it. Established to commemorate the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945, World Food Day is now observed in over 150 countries to promote global food security, sustainable agriculture, and diets that serve people and planet alike.

In 2025, the theme is: ‘Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future’, part of FAO’s 80th anniversary campaign (#FAO80). It underlines the urgency of transforming food systems through cooperation: between governments, farmers, civil society and consumers.

For us, as compilers of The Farm Shop Guide, The Extra Mile Guide, and other foodie books with a conscience, World Food Day serves both as a reminder and a rallying cry: that food is more than flavour. It’s connection, equity, ecology, and respect for the people and land that grow it.

Why World Food Day matters to local food and British farming

Food security is not abstract
The global picture is stark: millions still lack reliable access to enough nutritious food. Climate change, supply chain shocks, inequality, conflict, and ecosystem damage all intensify this crisis.
Food systems are climate systems
Farming, land use, transport, and waste account for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions. But they also hold solutions: regenerative agriculture, agroecology, and shorter supply chains to help reduce carbon, restore soils, and increase resilience.
Local action feeds global impact
Choosing seasonal, British produce, shopping at farm shops or independent cafés, and valuing small-scale farming: these things may seem local, but together they can help rebalance power, improve fairness, and reduce pressure on global supply chains.
Stories and spotlighting matter
Many farmers, activist groups and charities work year-round to protect soils, restore nature, support communities, and advocate for fairer farming policies. World Food Day gives them a global stage helps amplify their voices.

How your guidebook purchase can support change

A percentage of sales from our book, The Farm Shop Guide, goes to the Sustainable Food Trust, to support their work.
The guide also features other food, farming, biodiversity, and wildlife-focused organisations, whose work strives to improve the situation for wildlife, food growing, and better food systems.
Reading and sharing these organisations’ stories helps build awareness, curiosity, and grassroots support: from consumers, farmers, and community groups.
When you buy our books it matters, when you shop locally it counts, and when you have conversations about fairer food systems and the charities working to protect and improve them, people listen.

What you can do this World Food Day

Here are some simple, meaningful actions readers and communities can take this World Food Day, and indeed throughout the season and the year.

Eat seasonally and locally
Plan your meals around what’s fresh in your region. Visit farm shops or farmers’ markets rather than always defaulting to supermarkets. The Farm Shop Guide can help you find them.
Choose British or regional producers
Every time you buy from a local supplier, you help strengthen their business, reduce food miles, and keep Britain’s farming heritage alive.
Share the stories
Post your activities on social media using #WorldFoodDay, #WorldFoodDay2025 #FoodHeroes, #FAO80, and tag your favourite farmers, local cafés, farm shops, or food charities.
Host or join an event
From a farm walk to a local talk, cooking demo, or roundtable, FAO encourages events like these as part of World Food Day. Find their useful comms support and toolkit here.
Support food and farming charities
Donate or volunteer for organisations working on soil health, sustainable farming, food justice, or regenerative agriculture. You’ll find an abundance of them in The Farm Shop Guide, from Buglife, to RSPB Fair to Nature, to Pasture for Life, to LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming).
Reduce food waste
Compost food scraps, plan meals, and use leftovers creatively. Such small steps multiply when many people join in.

Spotlighting food and farming charities

On this day of global focus, it’s fitting to highlight the organisations featured in our Farm Shop Guide: those whose work we value and whose stories we help carry.

The Sustainable Food Trust
The Wildlife Trusts
LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming)
The Nature Friendly Farming Network
The Biodynamic Association
Buglife
The Farm Retail Association
RSPB Fair To Nature
The Permaculture Association
The Royal Countryside Fund
The Soil Association
OF&G Organic
Better Food Traders
Pasture For Life

Each organisation tackles different pieces of the food puzzle, from soil regeneration to wildlife, organic standards to retail innovation, biodiversity to local markets. By reading their stories in our guides, sharing them, and supporting the ideas they stand for, you help keep the pulse of better food systems strong.

Summary of World Food Day 2025

World Food Day is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a moment to reconnect with the fundamental truth, that food shapes our world, and our choices shape food systems.

By buying a guidebook with a conscience, reading and sharing stories of farmers, advocates and food heroes, choosing seasonal and local food, and supporting charities doing essential work, every individual can be part of the change.

Let this World Food Day be a turning point (or perhaps just a tiny veer that is the start of a new direction): for your plate, your region, and the future of food.

Ready to support local and buy British farm food?

The Farm Shop Guide is your road-trip companion to some of the most ethical, delicious, and independently run food stops across Britain, from award-winning farm shops at regenerative farms to delis, cheesemongers, bakeries, honey farms, and more.

Wherever you’re heading, there’s a better bite waiting nearby: one that supports the land, the farmers, and the future.

Order your copy of The Farm Shop Guide today.

Image of the bread and bakery section at Weetons

Why Farm Shops are the future of ethical eating

In an age where supermarket aisles are crammed with plastic packaging and mystery meat, more and more people are asking: Where does my food come from, and what impact does it have?

Enter the modern British farm shop: a haven for ethical eaters, local food lovers, and sustainability-conscious shoppers. Once thought of as quaint countryside stops, farm shops today are pioneering a new kind of food culture: one rooted in transparency, taste, and doing better by people and planet. Farm-to-fork is something that producers strive to offer, and visitors love to experience. Here’s why farm shops are leading the charge for a more ethical way to eat. (Image above (c) Weetons.)

1. You know where your food comes from

Unlike supermarket supply chains that stretch around the globe, many farm shops sell food grown, reared, or made right on site or by producers they know personally. Whether it’s grass-fed beef from the next field or honey from a neighbour’s hives, there’s a story behind every product. That means fewer food miles, fresher produce, and a direct connection between farmer and eater. There are some truly delicious farm-to-fork experiences to be enjoyed.

2. Support regenerative and sustainable farming

Many independent farms and their farm shops are champions of sustainable farming and regenerative agriculture, namely a way of farming that restores soil health, promotes biodiversity, and works with nature rather than against it. By shopping at these outlets, you’re helping to fund regenerative farming that builds a better food system, rather than depleting it. Image below (c) Westerton Farm.

3. Champion small-scale and artisan producers

Farm shops are more likely than supermarkets to stock products made in small batches, which have been crafted by local artisans or by family-run producers. Whether it’s hand-churned butter, heritage apples, or traditionally made cheddar, these products preserve skills, regional flavours, and rural jobs.

4. Reduce waste and packaging

Looking to shop with less plastic? Many farm shops offer refill stations, loose produce, and minimal packaging, especially compared to supermarkets. You’re more likely to find recyclable or compostable containers, and often reusable options, too.

5. Keep money in the local economy

Ethical eating isn’t just about the environment, it’s about people. When you spend money at a farm shop, more of it stays in the community. You’re supporting local livelihoods, helping rural businesses thrive, and keeping Britain’s independent food culture alive. image below (c) Ben’s Farm Shop, Staverton.

6. Seasonal, responsible choices, without the 'greenwashing'

Ethical eating is about more than buzzwords. Farm shops typically stock what’s truly in season, helping you eat in tune with nature’s rhythms… and without the air-freighted strawberries in January. It’s simpler, more honest, and (spoiler) tastes better too.

Ready to eat more ethically?