Nourish Cumbria: Strengthening the Local Food System through Agritourism

Purpose: Nourish Cumbria is a consortium of agricultural, tourism and public health leaders that emerged from the former Local Economic Plan, and is part of Cumberland Food Partnership. Cumberland Council, through this Food Partnership, have commissioned this research to create a first tranche of data to populate an interactive map, ready for a hard launch in the summer of 2025. The research aims to discover what food is being grown or raised in Cumbria, by how many people, and where it goes (how much stays within the county). It also asks what skills and infrastructure gaps texist that are hindering business development. Methods: Mostly qualitative data is being collected using a questionnaire created using Smartsurvey. This was refined following feedback from pilot responders and the Nourish Board. Initially, producers are asked to complete the survey themselves, but the next phase of data collection will involve face to face data collection at agricultural shows etc. An agritourism workshop in March brought together interested parties from hospitality; tourism; agriculture and the creative industries, and their opinions about agritourism and farming were captured through slido. Results: The survey results will be manipulated by a web developer to produce the Nourish Cumbria map. A report will also be produced for publication. Conclusions: Devolution in Cumbria presents an opportunity to strengthen Cumbria’s food system and food culture through the development of agritourism. Nourish Cumbria’s initial research will inform policy makers of the importance of agriculture to Cumbria and identify skills and infrastructure opportunities.