Collaborating with the Yorkshire Grain Alliance

Transforming grain crop production and consumption in Yorkshire
Closeup of grain in a field

Overview

aims to understand and build pathways towards more regenerative food systems in the Yorkshire and Humber region. One FixOurFood work package explores hybrid business models that prioritise resilient, local supply chains with a strong commitment to people and the environment. 
As part of this work package, a FixOurFood researcher has engaged with the (YGA), taking a participatory action research approach to consider alternative pathways for growing and utilising diverse low-input grain crops in Yorkshire. 
"The Alliance is so special. It鈥檚 a family around grain, and it鈥檚 welcoming to anybody who wants to be part of that journey." (YGA member)

People involved

The FixOurFood researcher, a sociologist, is investigating how food businesses and alternative food networks contribute to climate action and address social inequality. Over three years, the researcher has been partnering with the Yorkshire Grain Alliance, a growing collective of farmers, bakers, millers, traders, researchers (from , and ), and community members.
Yorkshire Grain Alliance members are committed to transforming the local food system through sustainable approaches to grain production and consumption. Trade within the Alliance is organised collectively, with farmers, millers, and bakers negotiating prices together. This approach reflects a shared commitment to mutual support, fairness, and cooperation, modelling an alternative economic and social logic that prioritises community resilience and long-term relationships along the supply chain over individual profit.

Key project activities

Embedded within the YGA community, a FixOurFood researcher has been exploring strategies for building a resilient and sustainable local grain supply chain through:
Workshops with YGA members, including visits to farms, millers and bakeries.
Research interviews with YGA members.
A member survey assessing farmer production capacity and baker demand.
Regular informal meetings and site visits to discuss challenges and opportunities across the grain supply chain.
Engagement in knowledge exchange activities with academics and industry professionals, such as Millers' Day at Campden BRI which brought together millers, bakers, cereal growers, plant breeders, and researchers. 
The researcher also participated in a Developing Business-Aware Academics panel discussion on 'engagement', contributing insights from co-production work with the YGA. This provided an opportunity to reframe engagement with business as a relational, value-driven process grounded in social and environmental transformation, rather than as a transactional exchange.
The YGA and FixOurFood researcher have also co-produced:
A series of public-facing events to connect with rural communities, farmers, urban consumers and other food system stakeholders.
At the Great Yorkshire Show, a panel discussion brought together agricultural stakeholders to explore emerging practices and challenges within the sector. A presentation at the engaged city audiences interested in science, sustainability and food innovation. 
Complementing these outward facing activities, the 'Farmers Forum', a collaboration with the , and North York Moors National Park, created a space for practitioners to share practical knowledge and experiences of low-input and regenerative farming.
Outreach and engagement materials.
A suite of resources, including a booklet presenting a collectively developed vision of a Yorkshire food future and associated webpage, short films featuring Alliance members, and a stop-motion animation co-created with children.
"Developed in collaboration with researchers, practitioners, and children, these materials embed local knowledge, lived experience, and multiple perspectives, encouraging audiences to recognise how production, consumption, landscapes, and communities are entangled. By framing food as a relational system rather than a matter of individual behaviour, the outputs foster collective reflection, dialogue, and agency, helping communities explore how they might actively participate in creating more sustainable, resilient, and equitable food futures." (Researcher, FixOurFood) 
Field of grain
FixOurFood stakeholder meeting
FixOurFood bread
FixOurFood rhubarb crumble

Co-production principles

Relationships

The co-design and co-delivery of public-facing events were seen as effective in strengthening relationships within the YGA. Through the YGA鈥揊ixOurFood partnership, new connections have been fostered across wider food system initiatives. For instance, a member now has a key role in the ; millers and bakers have established links with a university campus kitchen, and new relationships with an arts collective (Edible Archives) and local museums have sparked involvement in unique creative projects and exhibitions. The FixOurFood researcher has introduced members to other academics, with YGA practitioners contributing to an interdisciplinary food systems module at the University of York. Reflecting on their facilitative role within the YGA, the FixOurFood researcher noted:
"If I connect people that then move on to do something that works for both of them and in a way they don鈥檛 need me, even better." (Researcher, FixOurFood)

Inclusivity

The YGA champions a systemic and inclusive approach, ensuring the perspectives of all relevant stakeholders are heard, including marginalised voices from across the grain supply chain. An Alliance member noted:
"As the project grows, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and that we're all on the same page can be time-consuming, but it's a crucial part of our collaborative approach." (YGA member)
Such collaboration was recognised not simply as consultation, but as a process of negotiating difference, building trust, and creating the conditions for co-production. This perspective was further emphasised by the FixOurFood researcher, who noted the importance of acknowledging the diverse range of needs and working styles of stakeholders within the YGA: 
"Everybody engages in a different way鈥 I think that's probably a鈥 role I took on to look out for people鈥" (Researcher, FixOurFood). 

Knowledge

The group recognises the value of diverse experiences and local knowledge across the grain supply chain, viewing these as essential for co-developing context-specific responses to the interlinked challenges of food security, sustainability, and market resilience. Sustained interaction and the dedication of significant time and resources by the researcher was considered crucial for generating meaningful insights and practical outcomes. 
The YGA provides a platform for collaborative learning and experimentation, where farmers, millers, bakers, and researchers can exchange knowledge, trial new grain varieties and flours, and reflect collectively on what regenerative and resilient grain systems might entail in practice. These examples illustrate how social science methods centred on participation, reflexivity, and the co-production of knowledge can help surface tensions, build shared understanding, and inform more grounded pathways for agri-food transformation. 
"The collaboration itself has been a huge source of new knowledge. We've gained valuable insights into organic arable farming with regenerative practices and learned more about the impact of farming on food nutrition. For example, seeing how our farmers are able to cultivate landscapes that are thriving with native birds and pollinators while producing high-quality crops has been incredibly positive." (YGA member)
FixOurFood researchers and YGA members have also co-designed and delivered public and academic engagement activities, for example at conferences and workshops. This highlights how practice-based knowledge is positioned alongside academic insight, reinforcing the project's commitment to mutual learning:
"鈥 having the chance to tap into opportunities through FixOurFood to connect with academic researchers has been enriching鈥. it is great to have a voice and be part of finding solutions and deepening our overall understanding of such important topics as food resilience and sustainability." (YGA member)
FixOurFood stakeholder food cart

Power

The FixOurFood researcher prioritised co-production with stakeholders as equal partners, focusing on understanding the issues faced by YGA members, facilitating reflection, and co-developing innovative solutions. Members also emphasised the importance of their shared vision in empowering a diverse group to build a resilient, local grain supply chain:
"We believe that bringing in sovereignty and more people and more voices, taking it away from really consolidated power centres will be key." (YGA member) 
 

Find out more about this project

Related references

FixOurFood (2024), Cultivating a resilient food future: FixOurFood鈥檚 collaboration with the Yorkshire Grain Alliance. Retrieved 6th May 2025. https://fixourfood.org/cultivating-a-resilient-food-future-fixourfoods-collaboration-with-the-yorkshire-grain-alliance/
FixOurFood (2025), Making low input farming work: a day at Ryedale Folk Museum. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
FixOurFood (2025), 鈥淲hat鈥檚 for dinner?鈥 LinkedIn.
Organic Research Centre (2024), Yorkshire Grain Alliance. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
Trevelyan, N. and Ehgartner, U. Biscuits with purpose. How the Yorkshire Grain Alliance is reimaging food and farming. Edible Archives. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
Yorkshire Grain Alliance (2023), Yorkshire Grain Alliance. Our vision for the Yorkshire food system. Retrieved 6 May 2025.