Community resilience is the ability of a place and its people to adapt, respond, and thrive in the face of change. It’s about building the strength, skills, and connections that help a community look after itself — not just during difficult moments, but every day. At its heart, resilience grows from relationships: neighbours who know one another, local groups that share knowledge and resources, and a shared sense of responsibility for the wellbeing of the whole village, parish or town.

In practical terms, community resilience includes everything that helps reduce vulnerability and increase local capacity. This might mean generating clean, affordable energy close to home, improving the efficiency of our buildings, or creating shared systems that reduce waste and reliance on distant supply chains. It also includes growing more food locally, restoring nature, and designing our landscapes to cope with heavier rain, hotter summers, and rising energy costs.

But resilience is not only about infrastructure — it’s about people. It’s the confidence that comes from learning new skills, the security of knowing support is nearby, and the creativity that emerges when a community works together. It’s the ability to adapt with optimism rather than fear.

Community Resilience Initiatives in Cornwall

There are a number of established community resilience initiatives across Cornwall, many of them centred around growing food. These include:

  • Sustainable Food Cornwall
  • Roseland Environment Action Community Team (REACT)
  • Grown by Newquay Orchard ~ Fentenfenna
  • Camel CSA ~ Wadebridge
  • Nourish Kernow ~ Camelford
  • Aral Farm ~ Newquay
  • Real Food Garden ~ Lanivet
  • Grassroots Garden ~ Redruth
  • Bosavern Community Farm ~ St Just
  • Goonown Growers ~ St Agnes
  • Community Roots ~ Porthtowan
  • Soul Farm ~ Falmouth
  • Loveland ~ Flushing
  • Treverbyn ~ Stenalees
  • Keveral Farm ~ Looe
  • CHAOS Farm ~ Portloe
  • Kehelland Farm ~ Camborne
  • Tamar Grow Local ~ Callington
  • Tregonvenek ~ Liskeard
  • Gleaning Cornwall

Keep an eye on the Watt & Wild Notebook for more details about food resilience and these organisations.