Grants Awarded to Local Food Partnerships through Welsh Government’s Community Food Strategy
All 22 Local Food Partnerships in Wales have been awarded funding through the Welsh Government’s Community Food Strategy, enabling them to deliver a range of tailored food projects that respond directly to the needs of their communities.
This project funding will support Local Food Partnerships to build capacity, develop targeted food projects and collaborate to address infrastructure challenges. It also reinforces the Welsh Government’s commitment to supporting all 22 Local Food Partnerships until March 2028, helping to strengthen local networks and drive forward community-led solutions.
The funding scheme is part of the Community Food Strategy and has been developed by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, and their respective teams. The funding scheme was open to all Local Food Partnerships in every Local Authority Area in Wales and forms part of the Welsh Government’s Community Food Strategy. As part of this scheme, the ministries have collaborated to develop a joint set of objectives and indicators which bring together the ambitions for both portfolios, including creating community food resilience and tackling food poverty and increasing the supply and diversity of local food.
To date, 22 small-scale projects have been awarded grants of up to £22,500 to deliver innovative practices in local authority areas across Wales. Examples include:
- Bwyd Powys Food piloting a scheme for subsidised veg boxes, cooking classes and shared meals in Flying Start settings, working with the Council, Health Board and local growers
- Bwyd Ceredigion mapping current and potential edible horticulture provision, co-producing a horticultural diversification action plan with farmers
- Conwy Food Partnership developing a targeted engagement campaign to embed community voices into the food partnership
In addition, two larger collaborative projects have also received funding of up to £240,000 with multiple Local Food Partnerships working together to deliver on regional priorities already identified. In North Wales, a project is underway to create a robust, regionally co-ordinated supply chain for fresh and frozen local vegetables for use across Ynys Mon, Gwynedd, Conwy & Denbighshire, through local authority school catering, care and hospitality sectors across all four local authorities. While in Mid and West Wales, the four food partnerships are coming together to develop a pioneering food resilience strategy for the Dyfed Powys area as well as delivering activity to start to address this challenge on the ground.
In 2022, through Welsh Government funding, Local Food Partnerships were established in every local authority area in Wales. By providing overarching leadership and coordination Local Food Partnerships draw local food initiatives into a supportive network. These networks make productive connections between local food stakeholders, including public bodies, farmers, academia and community organisations. They also facilitate collaboration on priorities and action for the local area.
Food Sense Wales, the delivery arm of Sustainable Food Places for Wales, has been overseeing this process through a central supporting role for the Local Food Coordinators, which includes one to one and peer support; encouraging the development.
“It’s great to see Wales’ network of Local Food Partnerships flourishing and creating a real, positive impact in their communities. It’s also really encouraging to see a diverse range of projects being supported” said Pearl Costello, Sustainable Food Places Manager at Food Sense Wales. “These grants will help communities across Wales respond to their areas’ needs as they work to create healthier, more resilient and sustainable local food systems.”
The Community Food Strategy was published in April 2025 with a vision to work in partnership to promote and strengthen the local and community food system in Wales; to increase the availability and consumption of locally sourced, healthier and sustainable food; and inspire improvements in well-being within our communities.
