UK land workers have decreased power to access farmland
The Land Workers' Alliance (LWA) was formed recently to represent the voice of small-scale farmers, growers, producers and land workers in the UK, and campaigns on many issues. Currently, the entire country's farmland is in the hand of less than 1% of the population, and as land prices escalate, access to land is unfeasible for many. The average age of farmers between 60 and 70 years, so the future of agriculture is vulnerable, yet a growing number of young people want to work the land in ethical, sustainable ways, so LWA os campaigning to facilitate access to land of the 'new peasantry'. It also campaigns for reform of Common Agriculture Policy of Europe, which currently favours large-scale industrial farming over small artisanal producers. LWA has just affiliated with La Via Campesina (literally, 'the peasant's way'), a global organisation concerned with food sovereignty and land workers' rights.
Lorna Howarth, "Frontline: The peasant's way," Resurgence &Ecologist, November/December 2013, no. 281: p4.