The British Growers Association estimates UK farmers need 70,000 seasonal workers this year to help get this harvest in.
It said that without these workers, it would not be possible to get food out of the ground and into the supply chain, potentially resulting in food shortages.
UK-based Home Grown has launched the Land Army initiative, utilising its existing mapping technology.
The aim of the Land Army is to make the workforce and employers accessible to each other within minutes, minimising disruption to production and, wherever possible, keeping people in work.
Farms and workers can put themselves on a map and see where local opportunities are. This method takes out the need for lengthy recruitment processes and centralised vetting from agencies, leaving the farms to recruit at the speed required.
Home Grown is a new UK initiative for farmers and local communities, which not only aims to reignite the pleasure of field to fork home grown produce but ensures local production is understood, addressing concerns around availability and quality as global food security becomes a high-profile issue.
Using innovative technology, Home Grown is working with partners to bring farms and workers together in real-time – providing an easy-to-register operations centre that places workforce supply and demand on the map.
Anyone out of work wanting to join the Land Army (#landarmy on social media) should go to https://homegrown.earth/land-army
Edwina Mullins, vice-chair for #ClubHectare, an online rural network, who is working with Home Grown to promote the initiative, said: “Helping our domestic sustainability is crucial. We have many people in the country out of work, especially in the hospitality, construction and retail industries.
“At the same time, we have farms desperate for workers. There is a need to build community relationships to create a thriving home marketplace for British farming and British workers. In these disruptive times, we all need new ways of thinking and dynamic engagement and I love the passion of this project to keep food on our plates during this difficult time.”
The chance to share how food is produced, what steps are taken to manage the countryside, and the importance of wildlife and livestock are at the forefront of the longer-term Home Grown initiative.
James Patrick, head of service delivery at Home Grown, states: “Home Grown is a starting point. A place where we can reach out beyond political divides and break through the noise of headlines to have real conversations about our countryside, our food supply, and our economy, and how it is all kept secure. We are connecting production and produce to the community in new sustainable ways. Elevating farms, farmers, and the community, and helping both to work as one unit – a land army – to feed the nation.”
Home Grown’s Land Army Call to Action can be found here: https://homegrown.earth/land-army/
Home Grown has embarked on a crowdfunder to help farmers communicate more effectively about their work and the challenges they face. Details of this can be found at crowdfunder.co.uk/home-grown