Cornish farmers visit low carbon ‘future farms’

30 June 2009

Inspired by recently broadcast BBC documentary ‘A Farm for the future’, a group of Cornish farmers and land managers, led by the Soil Association, paid a visit to three low carbon, sustainable farms as featured in the programme to learn from their pioneering methods. [1]

In the programme Devonshire producer and film-maker Rebecca Hoskins sought advice from expert farmers and growers and learns that it is actually nature that holds the key to farming in a low energy future.

Chris Jones of Woodland Valley farm, near Truro, and Traci Lewis from the Soil Association led the tour, which was part-funded through REG, with the aim of setting up a network of Cornish producers for the purposes of developing best practice and training. The focus of the trip was on reducing waste and energy use with organic farming techniques, whilst still producing high quality food. They also looked at other farming methods which can help mitigate and adapt to climate change and dwindling fossil fuel resources. [2]

Lisa Guy, beef farmer from Higher Keigwin Farm in Morvah said,
"It was fascinating to observe three different approaches to low carbon, sustainable, food production. Each place we visited contributed a different outlook and application of the dilemmas that face us as farmers today and inspired many new ideas for me as well as more questions!"

It was a busy two days with the three sites as far flung as Snowdonia, Shropshire and south Devon, however everyone took it in good spirit and the travelling proved a great opportunity to develop the learning network:

• Chris Dixon’s Penrhos Isaf in Snowdonia has created a permaculture holding with a forest garden, working with and learning from nature to create a diverse and low-input system.
• Fordhall Farm in Shropshire have developed a ‘foggage’ system (combining permaculture, rotation and reduced inputs) of grassland management which allows them to graze cattle all year round.
• The final site was Martin Crawford’s impressive Agroforestry site in Dartington, where he has developed forest and nut gardens using perennial crops, with uses ranging from; food production, coppicing, windbreaks, medicinal and building. [3]

Chris Jones commented,
"It was so interesting to meet the farmers and growers that appeared on the original documentary, and I now feel a lot better informed.  All of them had original insights into the business of getting the environment to work for us, and refreshingly community was very much at the heart of the work they were doing.  However, I feel now that we have seen these things we need to think a little more deeply how we can apply these examples to our own situations, there is definitely  promise in keeping this group going."

Ends

For more information please contact:
Traci Lewis, Soil Association 07870 268654 / www.soilassociation.org
Chris Jones, Woodland Valley farm 01726 884127 / www.woodlandvalley.co.uk
Caroline Hanlan, Rural Enterprise Gateway 0845 602 3657 ex.8218 / www.businesslinksw.co.uk

Notes to editor:

[1] Soil Association Transition Farming advice
http://www.soilassociation.org/Farmersgrowers/Adviceandsupport/Transitionfarming/tabid/149/Default.aspx

Transition farming is the process by which UK agriculture moves away from its dependence on oil. In order to meet the challenges of a post 'peak oil' future all agricultural businesses will need to re-connect with local food communities.
Every farm or horticultural business uses energy and creates waste, but most could use less. Resource efficiency is about minimising resources used and the amount of wastes produced in order to increase efficiency.
Water used for agriculture represents approximately 2% of the water abstracted in the UK. In 2004, UK agriculture used 2.1 million tonnes of oil equivalents - and produced just over 7% of the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions.

On the Soil Association website more information can be found on:

• Waste minimisation
• Water efficiency
• Energy efficiency and production

[2] Background
The Soil Association (SA) are working with organic holdings geographically spread across the South West of England to develop models of best carbon practice with reduced greenhouse emissions (taking into account carbon sequestering and the improvement of nutrient retention through natural means).  Working in conjunction with a University to pilot a farming and food life cycle assessment method for farms looking to adopt new techniques and improve performance.
Chris Jones, one of the farmers taking part in this project, approached the Soil Association to set up a knowledge transfer network of producers, with the support of Rural Enterprise Gateway (REG) funding.

[3] Farms visited:

Chris and Lyn Dixon, Tir Penrhos Isaf, Hermon, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, LL40 2LL  Penrhos  http://www.konsk.co.uk
This site provides information on their permaculture holding at Tir Penrhos Isaf. They have been working at Penrhos (or Benthros, as it is known locally) since 1986 over that time they have continued to develop their permaculture design for the holding through the practical application of the ethics and principles of permaculture.

Charlotte and Ben Hollins Fordhall Farm, Shropshire http://www.fordhallfarm.com T: 01630 638696 E: project@fordhallfarm.com
Fordhall Farm, in Market Drayton, has been chemical free for over 65 years and rears organic beef, lamb and pork. Managed by tenant farmers, brother and sister, Charlotte and Ben Hollins, the farm offers a warm welcome to all. It is registered organic with the Soil Association

Martin Crawford, Director of the Agroforestry Research Trust Agroforestry Site, South Devon http://www.agroforestry.co.uk 
Their 2 acre forest garden, teaching space and trials site in Dartington,  Devon. The Agroforestry Research Trust is a non-profit making charity, registered in England, which researches into temperate agroforestry and into all aspects of plant cropping and uses, with a focus on tree, shrub and perennial crops.