About

This website provides a platform for networking, research, and engagement related to agroecology in the UK. The platform hosts the outputs of a scoping study into agroecological business models in the UK which was funded by the Nexus Network in 2015 under their Research Networking Grants scheme.

This project understands agroecology in a broad sense. Agroecological businesses are ‘co-produced’ by producers, input suppliers upstream, and more engaged consumers downstream, as much as by governments and other stakeholders (including competing businesses, the media and academia).

Agroecology often functions as an umbrella term to incorporate practices including organic farming, biodynamic agriculture, permaculture, community supported agriculture, and others. Many of the agroecological businesses listed on the database hosted here do not self-identify as ‘agroecological’ but have remotely been assessed to adhere to the broad understanding of agroecological businesses used for this study.

All of the information included in the database is publicly available online and has been sourced through desk-based study. None of the agroecological businesses or initiatives were contacted or partnered with during the study.

The research that has developed the resources hosted on this site was funded by the Nexus Network and carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter, Coventry University, University of Essex, University of Edinburgh, Cardiff University, University of Manchester, and the University of Sussex.

Lead Investigator and website administrator:

Professor Steffen Boehm, University of Exeter

E-mail: S.Boehm AT exeter.ac.uk