FARMERS, food producers and landowners are embarking on a mission to get more food produced in Oxfordshire.

Environmental charity the Earth Trust is hosting a conference on Thursday to kick-start the Good Food South Oxfordshire project.

The aim, at the trust’s headquarters in Little Wittenham, near Didcot, will be to find ways to lower the carbon footprint of food consumed in the county. Earth Trust CEO Jayne Manley said: “It has been estimated that each year up to two billion tonnes – 50 per cent of all food produced globally – never reaches a human stomach.

“Tackling waste will not only help us feed more people, but also reduce the carbon footprint of our food.”

The trust says it wants to build a network of local people which will drive a practical programme to tackle food related issues.

John Gordon, chairman of the South Oxfordshire Sustainability network of community action groups, said: “Our aims are simple – to develop a local food policy for our area which leads to much more of our food being produced, marketed and sold locally.”

Anyone interested in attending the conference should email philip.pritchard@earthtrust .org.uk