Reflections from a summer of heat and drought, and from sharing our story at the Growers Gathering: why resilience is grown in relationships, on farms and between them. This summer the earth spoke devastatingly loud and clear. Six heatwaves came one after another, and the soil hardened into something closer to brick than living ground. Our leaves wilted at midday, and the watering duties stretched from dawn into dusk and beyond. By late July, southern England had received jus

No AI was used to write or edit this post – we are reclaiming creativity and water together. We are farming in extreme times. Barely a drop of rain in 2 months and less than 3% of the average Summer rainfall, with the water table at record low levels whilst springs and aquifers are drying up. Bans and restrictions on water use whilst the government approves new data centres (which are quickly becoming the main use of water in the western world), and gives the ‘green’ light

Summary Thesis Condensed from dissertation research by Hamish Evans, Centre for Agroecology, Water & Resilience, Coventry University — November 2025 Abstract This report summarises dissertation research examining the role of farm cluster groups in transitions towards agroecological food and farming systems, using the Avon bioregion of South West England as a case study. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with three cluster facilitators, a regional workshop involving repres