Why do we need this project?

• 56% of adults in Brighton & Hove eat less than the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.


• Deprived wards in Brighton & Hove have a life expectancy up to 10 years below more affluent wards.


• Brighton & Hove has one of the largest ecological footprints in the country, with 18% attributed to how we produce, distribute and consume our food.

Our current food system is responsible for up to a quarter of our carbon emissions, relies on oil for production and transportation and is a major contributing factor to global warming. We are facing growing numbers of adults and children suffering from obesity and food related disease, and rising food prices in the past year has shown the impact of our current globalised food system. As a society we need to explore ways of providing healthy food which does not impact negatively on the environment.

Harvest aims to help tackle these key issues and we have a vision for what Brighton & Hove could be like in 20 years time (pdf, 96Kb).

Policy updates

Over the course of Harvest, we are releasing a series of updates about the policy implications of the project. To receive these updates, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or read them online.

• Harvest annual report 2010-11 (read online)
• Harvest annual report 2009-10 (pdf, 1.64Mb)
• Harvest winter update 2009 (pdf, 436Kb)

Brighton & Hove was also the first Local Authority in the UK to adopt planning advice to encourage the provision of growing spaces in new developments as part of its commitment to sustainable development - via a 'Planning Advisory Note' launched in September 2011 and drafted in partnership with Food Matters as part of Harvest. Download the advisory note from the Food Matters website.

The Harvest project has also been featured in national research and policy including:

• Making Local Food Work: Influencing Consumer Buyer Behaviour report
• Sustain's City Harvest database of urban agriculture projects
• Sustain: Good Planning for Good Food report
• The Federation of City Farms and Gardens 'growing trends' case studies, including Harvest as an example of a Local Food Coalition, our work on a project connecting the Universities with their local community and our Grow Your Neighbours Own garden share scheme.

Harvest lead partner Food Matters has also been funded by Making Local Food Work to deliver a project exploring the possibilities of a Sussex Food Hub.

Harvest Business Plan

Many months of research and consultation went into planning the bid for Harvest Brighton & Hove. We have made some parts of our Business Plan available in case others find them useful, although of course many things have changed since it was written in November 2008.

• Harvest executive summary (pdf, 157Kb)
• Why Harvest - assessment of need (pdf, 286Kb)
• Harvest evaluation methodology (pdf, 137Kb)