Food Systems Development

Project Applicant: Carmarthenshire County Council 

Project title: Food Systems Development

Investment Priority: Supporting Local Business

Location: Carmarthenshire

The Food Systems Development Project is a transformative initiative underway to help develop a thriving, sustainable, and inclusive local food system in Carmarthenshire. Through the Bwyd Sir Gar, the county's dynamic food partnership, the project aims to address a range of social, economic, and environmental challenges.

In collaboration with key delivery partners Hywel Dda University Health Board, Food Sense Wales, Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services and Social Farms & Gardens, Carmarthenshire County Council leads the project to enhance the local food economy, promote health and wellbeing, and contribute to nature recovery and climate resilience, There are three strands of project delivery that include; Connected Communities and Community Access to Healthy Food, Strategic Land Management for Public Goods and Building a Good Food Movement.

Building on its existing work, Bwyd Sir Gâr Food’s Food System Development Project aims to improve the local food system for current and future generations.

Bwyd Sir Gâr Food’s impact extends across the county and recent projects and initiatives have included:

• Delivering a pilot programme exploring local and sustainable public procurement,
• Developing of a community project through the Carmarthenshire Food Network
• Developing of a School Meals project with support from Welsh Government
• Working with Food Sense Wales to develop local supply chains through the Welsh Veg in Schools project
• Working closely with Carmarthenshire County Council to help shape a Food Strategy for the Public Services Board
• Being part of Machinery Ring developed and delivered by Social Farms & Gardens that will enable small-scale growers to loan machinery for use on their land in Carmarthenshire

More information on Bwyd Sir Gâr