Real Farming Trust
Real Farming Trust is a UK charity that supports agroecological food and farming through the Oxford Real Farming Conference, the LEAP blended investment programme for small-scale food businesses, and policy and food-justice advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Real Farming Trust does
Real Farming Trust is a UK-registered charity (no. 1061607) founded in 2010 that operates a portfolio of interconnected programmes aimed at transforming the food system around agroecology. Its core activities are the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) — the UK's largest annual gathering for the real food and farming movement, growing from 50 delegates in 2010 to 1,800 in-person plus 3,000 online attendees by 2024 — and the LEAP (Loans for Enlightened Agriculture Programme) blended investment offering, which has deployed over £1.3M in affordable loans (£20,000–£100,000), grants (up to £18,000), and mentoring to small-scale agroecological food businesses since 2019. The Trust also runs Food Justice, Parliamentarians for Agroecology (P4A), the Agroecology Comms Network, the Twinning project, Listening to the Land, and the UK-wide Extended Table initiative. Its primary beneficiaries are small-scale agroecological farmers, growers, Community Supported Agriculture schemes, social enterprises, and cooperatives, alongside food-justice advocates, researchers, and policymakers.
The Trust operates as a remote, UK-wide organisation with 11–50 employees meeting twice yearly in person. Its technology footprint is intentionally lightweight: a WordPress-based website (realfarming.org), Mailchimp for newsletters, Google Analytics for traffic, Eventbrite and Ticket Tailor for event ticketing, Survey Monkey for surveys, and basic social media channels (X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn). There is no proprietary platform, mobile app, or AI/ML infrastructure, and no patents or trademarks. Funding flows from grants, donations, and social-investment commitments from foundations including Esmée Fairbairn, CIVA, the A Team Foundation, the Halleria Trust, Power to Change, and The National Lottery Community Fund. LEAP operates as a programme with quarterly investment-committee decisions, distributing patient capital to early-to-growth-stage community food enterprises.
Real Farming Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Real Farming Trust
- Legal name
- Real Farming Trust
- Website
- https://realfarming.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Real Farming Trust is a UK charity that supports agroecological food and farming through the Oxford Real Farming Conference, the LEAP blended investment programme for small-scale food businesses, and policy and food-justice advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Real Farming Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Non-profit Services
- NAICS
- Other Crop Farming (1119), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO), Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)
Keywords
Where Real Farming Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Real Farming Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable activities and grants: Operates as a registered charity (number 1061607) funded through grants, donations, and charitable activities. Receives funding from social investors and grant-making organisations to run programmes including LEAP investment programme.
- LEAP blended investment programme: Provides affordable loans (£20,000-£100,000), grants (up to £18,000), and business mentoring to community food businesses. Combines social investment from multiple foundations with grant funding. Investment decisions made quarterly by Investment Committee.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | LEAP blended investment for agroecological businesses |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Real Farming Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Real Farming Trust is a UK registered charity that supports agroecological food and farming through a portfolio of programmes. It provides patient-capital loans via the LEAP programme, hosts the annual Oxford Real Farming Conference, and runs advocacy, communications, and capacity-building initiatives including Food Justice, Parliamentarians for Agroecology, and the Agroecology Comms Network.
Product overview
Real Farming Trust operates as a platform of interconnected programmes focused on transforming food systems through agroecology. The core offerings include the Oxford Real Farming Conference (annual gathering), LEAP funding programme (loans, grants, and mentoring for food businesses), Food Justice initiatives, Parliamentarians for Agroecology advocacy, Agroecology Comms Network, Listening to the Land, and Twinning projects. Supporting infrastructure includes a Social Impact Programme with grants, research reports (Food for Thought, Supporting Growth), parliamentary briefings, and webinar resources. The programmes work collaboratively to build evidence, provide finance, and advocate for policy changes supporting agroecological farming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over £1.3 million invested in small-scale agroecological food businesses through LEAP programme (2019-2025)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Real Farming Trust
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Real Farming Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Real Farming Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Coventry University Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR)coreResearch partnership providing academic capacity and impact expertise. Works with RFT and LEAP businesses to support assessment and development of social impact. Collaborated on Food for Thought and Supporting Growth reports.
- CSA Network UKminorPartnership for Twinning project webinar on CSA inclusion, bringing CSAs and urban community organisations together.
- Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN)minorCo-organised Taste of Agroecology event at Westminster with NFFN, Landworkers' Alliance, and Sustain.
- Landworkers' Alliance (LWA)minorCo-organised Taste of Agroecology event at Westminster. Partnership for policy advocacy and farmer engagement.
- Sustain: the alliance for better food and farmingcoreLong-term advocacy partner; co-coordinated open letter to Environment Secretary with 40+ organisations; co-organised Taste of Agroecology events.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Real Farming Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Soil Association: UK's largest organic food and farming charity with certification, advocacy, and farming programmes. Broader and more established than RFT, but operates in the same agroecology and sustainable food systems space with overlapping funder pools.
- Power to Change: Major UK independent trust supporting community businesses. Both a funder of RFT's LEAP programme and a comparable organisation targeting community-led food and farming enterprises with patient capital.
Direct peers
- Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN): UK farmer-led network promoting nature-friendly farming. Direct peer and direct partner on RFT's Westminster advocacy events, with overlapping practitioner base and policy advocacy goals.
- Food Foundation: UK think tank and charity focused on food systems transformation, healthy diets, and food poverty. Comparable mission to RFT's Food Justice programme, with overlapping policy and research outputs.
- Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming: UK alliance of ~100 organisations advocating for better food and farming policies. Direct peer and longstanding collaborator of Real Farming Trust, co-coordinating open letters and the Taste of Agroecology advocacy events.
- CSA Network UK: UK network of Community Supported Agriculture enterprises. Direct peer and operational partner on RFT's Twinning project, focused on the same small-scale agroecological food business segment.
- Landworkers' Alliance: UK union of small-scale and ecological farmers and landworkers. Direct peer and co-organiser of RFT's Taste of Agroecology event, with shared constituency of agroecological practitioners and policy advocacy.
- Food Ethics Council: Independent UK charity providing advice and policy analysis on food and farming ethics. Comparable size and mission to RFT, with overlapping council membership and policy advocacy goals.
Emerging players
- Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens: UK charity supporting community-managed farms and gardens. Comparable target audience and community-led model, with overlapping focus on food access and community development.
- Centre for Food Policy (City, University of London): UK academic centre producing food systems research and policy analysis. Adjacent to RFT's research partnership model with Coventry University CAWR, with comparable focus on food systems transformation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Real Farming Trust social profiles
Digital presenceReal Farming Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Real Farming Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Real Farming Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Real Farming Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Real Farming Trust
What does Real Farming Trust do?
Real Farming Trust is a UK registered charity that supports agroecological food and farming through a portfolio of programmes. It provides patient-capital loans via the LEAP programme, hosts the annual Oxford Real Farming Conference, and runs advocacy, communications, and capacity-building initiatives including Food Justice, Parliamentarians for Agroecology, and the Agroecology Comms Network.
Is Real Farming Trust a public or private company?
Real Farming Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Real Farming Trust founded?
Real Farming Trust was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Real Farming Trust based?
Real Farming Trust is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Real Farming Trust make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Charitable activities and grants are the primary driver. The others are LEAP blended investment programme.
Who are Real Farming Trust's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Soil Association and Power to Change. Direct peers are Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), Food Foundation, Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming, CSA Network UK, Landworkers' Alliance and Food Ethics Council. Emerging players are Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and Centre for Food Policy (City, University of London).
Does Real Farming Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Real Farming Trust.
What industry is Real Farming Trust in?
Real Farming Trust's product category is Agricultural Non-profit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAI, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems, with a secondary code of BPAGALAD, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative). Its NAICS code is 1119 and its SIC code is 700.