A NEW study is researching the possibility of making insulating blocks from farm materials. 

Experts at the University of Exeter are looking into a major new study, to test if low-carbon, plant-based insulating blocks could be made by agricultural workers from farm materials. 

They are hoping this 'Harvest to Home' system will support rural economies and tackle labour shortages. 

Arable farm workers in the region will be involved in the small-scale trial of a manufacturing process. Researchers will explore the human, environmental, and infrastructural barriers and opportunities for production through working with farmers and farm workers.

The project, entitled Ag.Lab: Off-Season Farm Production of Building Materials, is led by Dr Caroline Nye and Professor Matt Lobley from the University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research in partnership with Local Works Studio.

It is funded by a £3.3million grant from the Ecological Citizen(s) Network+, established in 2023 by UKRI’S Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Researchers will interview farm and agricultural workers so they can discover challenges faced and identify opportunities for future uses of the system or building materials.

Dr Nye said: “The needs of rural communities are often overlooked in policy decisions and rural poverty is exacerbated by low pay, insecure employment, unaffordable housing and poor public transport infrastructure.

"Participation and employment in a pioneering, environmentally sensitive new industry, centred in the countryside, could foster a closer engagement of deprived rural communities with the land and bring benefits of a distributed local economy.

“Producing building materials could offer stability to local farm workers who need employment out of season, allowing them to remain in the local area; benefits to the farmer of experienced, consistent, higher skilled workers and repeat ‘returners’ to seasonal work; and stability to farmers who need to find other markets or make more from a crop. This would hopefully translate into more competitive pay for farm workers.

“We hope this project will be a beacon for a new potential cohort of workers - the growing number of young people from non-agricultural backgrounds attracted to the promise of land-based ecological citizenship.”

The results of the project will be showcased via a podcast series and with a local network of farmers.