Agrifood policy after Brexit: The growing role of agroecology in Wales

Abstract

The UK's exit from the Common Agricultural Policy has created an opportunity for significant agrifood policy change. In Wales, plans to implement a ‘Community Food Strategy’ promise to lend more support to domestic, community-based, and ecologically sustainable food provision, echoing policy demands made by agroecological organisations. However, The Welsh agrifood system's specialisation around meat production and trade stand in direct opposition to these ambitions.

This paper analyses the Welsh government's reforms in light of these tensions to explain what achievements and challenges a small, trade-dependent nation faces when attempting to change its agrifood system. It examines policy claims and advocacy activities by agroecological organisations, assesses to what extent the government addresses those claims, and discusses the overall trajectory of Welsh agrifood policy. The paper draws on ‘Foundational Economy’ scholarship to conceptualise agroecology as a socio-ecological innovation capable of informing large-scale sustainability transitions through active citizenship and policy change. Empirical data is drawn from qualitative analyses of policy documents and interviews with agroecological organisations.

The paper finds that agroecological organisations provide the Welsh Government with arguments, data, and best practices, but struggle to see their more ambitious claims implemented. Thus, while the new policies offer improvements for environmental recovery and horticultural production, they remain limited in scope and unlikely to facilitate a holistic agrifood system transformation. Yet, the government has opportunities to strengthen its policies by introducing stricter transition targets. The paper concludes by discussing general implications for agrifood system change and the strategic challenges of an agroecological transformation.