A Nature Focused farm
So why when designing the farm did we settle on the principles of regenerative agriculture and agro-ecology, and what does that mean?
Well it all starts with one key factor SOIL, the health of every living being on the planet depends on healthy soil, and it is the thing which is being degraded at an unimaginable rate. I think by now we all know this in theory but how does the focus on healthy soil influence how we farm and what does that mean in practical terms?
Well regenerative agriculture has 5 core principles which are:
1. Disturb the soil as little as possible
2. Keep the soil surface covered
3. Keep living roots in the soil
4. Grow a diverse range of crops
5. Bring grazing animals back to the land
But i would also like to add a few more, i think regen ag can be much more then a narrow set of principles for how we manage our soils and crops, but an invitation to look at our farms not field by field, nor, crop by crop but as little ecosystems in their own right.
Who are the players in that ecosystem, how do we design our farm to work for them all, and how, when managed correctly can each individual element or animal help the whole to thrive?
Utilising these principles as a framework we designed a farm which works holistically with nature, whilst also producing as much food as we are able. As stewards of this land those are our key drivers, nature restoration and protection and nutrient dense food production.
We believe that by mixing old fashioned farming practices and modern technology farmers can come up with farming concepts which stack up for people, place and planet. We would love to see a farming world where slowly but surely the amount of people working on the land rises, where land and practical based skills are both paid well and seen as good jobs, the loss of our rural skills and communities over the last 100 years has been so sad to see, lets start to bring it back again!