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Why this action matters
Backed by researchCommunity control of land enhances resilience by leveraging local knowledge and place-based food systems, which are critical for adapting to climate change and reducing environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions and land use. Evidence shows that plant-based diets and sustainable land management practices, when guided by local communities, can significantly lower land and water use while supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Concept connections
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What this action would change
Backed by researchThe action itself
Transferring council-owned land to community ownership through land trusts or right-to-buy schemes enables local communities to establish food-growing spaces and green areas, fostering local food production and environmental stewardship.
What it would change in the UK
In the UK, community-controlled land can support the growth of plant-based food systems, which have been shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 83% in some scenarios, while also improving public health outcomes through increased access to fresh, nutritious food.
What it would change worldwide
The UK's experience with community land ownership can serve as a model for low- and middle-income countries, where similar approaches could help reduce land use impacts by up to 70% and support more sustainable food systems that align with global biodiversity and climate goals.
Where national politics stands
The percentage weighs up decisions that bind a body — a legal order it must follow, or a counted vote in Parliament — against words that bind nobody, such as a press release or a signature on an .
What councils have decided (35)
Supporting — 25
The research behind it
Published research about food and farming as a whole, not this action in particular
We are holding this summary back until we have checked it
This summary was written before we started checking summaries against the papers they cite, so it has not been checked.
Research and reports on this action
Land Use Framework for England
GOV.UK · 2026
Open the full report to read the findings ↗
Still Butchering the Planet
Feedback · 2024
Open the full report to read the findings ↗
Food Supply
UK Health Security Agency - HECC · 2023
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Research that argues the other way
We are holding this summary back until we have checked it
This summary was written before we started checking summaries against the papers they cite, so it has not been checked.