What's the problem?
Buckinghamshire might not be the first place you’d associate with a struggling food system – but rising food insecurity, disappearing farmland lost to property development, and deepening inequality tell a different story.
Skyrocketing housing prices and a high cost of living are increasing pressure on local residents, while areas like High Wycombe have become food insecurity hotspots, with 1 in 7 households struggling to get by.
Many low-income families fall through the cracks of the benefits system, and older residents face isolation and poor nutrition with limited access to good food and support services. Food deserts are growing, school food education is shrinking, and young people’s wellbeing is in decline. Despite being a rural county, opportunities for new entrants in sustainable food and farming are few and far between.
