Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate

Social Enterprise Kent (SEK) is leading the Kent arm of an ambitious new initiative, Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate, to redirect edible surplus produce from Kent farms into local communities, preventing food waste and fighting food poverty.

With support from Defra’s Resource Efficiency and Waste Prevention Programme, SEK is scaling up its food redistribution capacity by working directly with farmers, volunteers, and community partners across the county.

Project Goals

Recover and redistribute 50+ tonnes of surplus produce

Build partnerships with 20+ farms across Kent & Medway

Launch a structured gleaning and logistics system with cold storage and electric vehicle distribution

Empower 1,500+ people with affordable, fresh food

Reduce carbon and water waste from unharvested food

Recover and redistribute 50+ tonnes of surplus produce

Build partnerships with 20+ farms across Kent & Medway

Launch a structured gleaning and logistics system with cold storage and electric vehicle distribution

Empower 1,500+ people with affordable, fresh food

Reduce carbon and water waste from unharvested food

Potential funding for YOUR STAFF to continue harvests!

Partner With Us — Tell Us Your Surplus Email Natasha 

To reach these project goals, SEK aim to create new community gleaning opportunities in Kent. Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested, or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. Gleaning is often organised by food recovery organisations or volunteers to reduce food waste and fight hunger. It helps redistribute surplus food to social supermarkets, food banks, shelters, or people in need. Gleaning can also apply beyond farms, such as collecting unsold food from markets.