The British Growers Association estimates the UK needs 70,000 seasonal workers this year to help get this harvest in. Without them, it says it will not be possible to get the food out of the ground and into the supply chain, potentially resulting in food shortages.
Edwina Mullins, vice-chair of #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 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 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 utilising its mapping technology to help the scheme work.
James Patrick, head of service delivery at Home Grown, said: “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.”
The Land Army call to action can be found here: https://homegrown.earth/land-army/