What does a family’s memory of cooking in the Andes have to do with the future of farming in Suffolk? More than you might think. A distinctive project Farming in Protected Landscapes project saw £26,273 awarded to Barleybird CIC to explore what happens when you bring together the diversity of crops and the diversity of communities – and ask both questions at once.

The result was a project that reached from farm fields to community kitchens, connecting refugees, farmers, schoolchildren and local food businesses around a simple but powerful idea: that greater variety – in what we grow and in who we involve – makes our landscapes and communities stronger.

Why diversity matters – in crops and communities

East Anglia’s agricultural landscape is highly productive, but it is also remarkably homogeneous. The range of crops grown in and around the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape is narrow, making the region vulnerable to the disruptions – pests, disease, drought – that come with a changing climate. At the same time, the people visiting the National Landscape do not yet reflect the full cultural diversity of those living in the surrounding towns and cities. Barleybird’s project set out to address both challenges together, building on the insight that diversity – whether in ecosystems or communities – is the foundation of resilience.

Warmer temperatures in East Anglia present a real challenge for some traditional crops, and the future demands innovation and adaptation. Fruit and vegetable varieties historically grown in warmer climates are becoming better suited to the region, while less commonly grown wheat varieties – with deeper root systems and stronger pest and disease resistance – offer farmers a more climate-resilient alternative to conventional cereals. The project explored both opportunities, working with farmers to encourage crop diversification while building new connections between the land and the communities it feeds.

Bringing people and plants together

Barleybird ran a programme of consultation exercises, farm visits and community events involving farmers, market gardeners, food producers, community groups and schools. A key strand of the work engaged with refugee communities, many of whom brought significant knowledge and experience of horticulture and agriculture from their countries of origin. For individuals who may face barriers – legal, linguistic or practical – to participating in wider rural life, the project offered a genuine opportunity: to contribute their expertise, learn new skills, and connect with the landscape and the wider community.

Consultation exercises with community members and farm staff were used to identify and shortlist crop varieties that were both suited to the Suffolk climate and meaningful to the communities involved. Small-scale crop trials followed, including Achocha – a climbing plant from the Andes that produces large cucumber-like fruits, eaten raw or cooked, and often used in stuffing. Easy to grow and productive, it was one of several varieties that participants brought cultural familiarity and enthusiasm to. At the end of the project, community cooks shared methods of preparing the diverse crops, turning the trials into a celebration of food culture from across the world.

Supporting farmers to diversify

Alongside the community work, Barleybird ran workshops with farmers to explore the case for diversifying their cereal crops. Alternative grain varieties offer not only agronomic benefits – greater climate resilience, improved soil health – but also growing culinary and health appeal, increasingly sought by local bakers, chefs and food businesses. The project drew on the expertise of Hodmedod’s in Beccles, a business with deep experience of supporting East Anglian farmers to grow and sell alternative grains, and of building the routes to market that make diversification commercially viable.

The data and learning gathered through the community consultations and crop trials are now available to inform more formal research. By strengthening urban-rural relationships, generating new evidence, and helping farmers and communities to see one another as partners rather than strangers, the project has planted seeds – in both the literal and the broader sense – that have the potential to grow into something lasting.