Diverse Communities, Diverse Crops was a collaborative project with Barleybird – an aligned CIC who are dedicated to improving resilient food systems, empowering communities and promoting agroecology.
In 2024, both Barleybird and Natural Habitat, ran pilot sessions with regional farms, refugees and asylum seekers, to improve land access, cultural exchange, understanding and wellbeing.
This work was led by Barleybird’s director Gaina Dunsire and Natural Habitat’s Executive Director, Carrie Phoenix – sessions were joyful and beneficial for all in attendance, but they also revealed that many traditional cuisines of non-European cultures, rely on ingredients that are not typically grown in the UK. Yet, these crops are regularly sought out by communities as a vital links to cultural identity and heritage.
While historical, cultural, and climatic factors have influenced what is grown locally, times are changing. With shifts in both climate and demographics, there is a growing need for consultation and research to explore new possibilities for UK agriculture, enhanced community wellbeing, and to strengthen future food security.
Our Vision
Together Gaina and Carrie pooled resources, skills and networks to create a holistic project that explored how non-native crops, common in African, Caribbean, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines – can potentially be grown in Suffolk and Essex. As our climate and communities change, so must our food systems.
This project initiated the uniting of cultural insight, crop experimentation, and community collaboration to build a healthier, more resilient and inclusive future for food and farming.
What We Did
Thanks to support from Suffolk & Essex, Coasts & Heaths, and Dedham Vale National Landscapes, we launched the consultation phase in 2025, which included:
- Community Engagement – Connecting urban community gardens and rural farms and market gardens, near Ipswich and Colchester with diverse communities through workshops, visits, and shared meals.
- Crop Exploration – the beginning of informal trials of culturally important crops, to explore their adaptability to the UK and regional climate and potential for local production.
- Shared Knowledge – Farmers, growers, and community members exchanged stories, skills, and experiences around food, farming and heritage.
- Bread & Grains Focus – In partnership with local experts like Hodmedod’s, we explored alternative cereals suited to our region’s soils and future climate.
- Cross-Cultural Events – We hosted community meal’s to celebrate for our farmers, growers and urban diverse communities, using local ingredients and crop trail outputs to strengthening urban-rural relationships, showcasing the power of food to connect people.
What’s Next
Each organisation is taking time to further the learning from this pilot – moving toward more formal crop trials and ongoing urban/rural community exchange to break down barriers and support future food system resilience.
