Category Archives: farming

The Many Voices of Our Food Producers

Here is a link to a super article written by Harry Greenfield, joint coordinator of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Agroecology, for the Sustainable Food Trust blog. Greenfield addresses the issue that farmers make up an incredibly diverse community with multiple voices and anybody who writes about agriculture must remain aware of this diversity. TheContinueContinue reading “The Many Voices of Our Food Producers”

Rewilding: to subsidise or not to subsidise?

I have recently been having a number of conversations with others relating to the need to engage farmers and landowners with the rewilding debate. The rewilding campaign has, perhaps predictably, been led from within the conservation movement itself and has perhaps sidelined and isolated many of those who actually manage the majority of land -ContinueContinue reading “Rewilding: to subsidise or not to subsidise?”

History, Environment and Complexity

I have been away from the blog for a couple of weeks due to a particularly busy period of deadlines and other projects. As a ‘doer’ I tend to fill my life with projects and get involved as much as I can, in so much as I usually always have a few voluntary projects onContinueContinue reading “History, Environment and Complexity”

Wildlife on Farms: Why should we care?

Over the Christmas period I spent a good deal of time walking on my family’s farm on the Essex coast, thinking about the future and  looking at the challenge of managing habitats and maintaining a healthy balance of wildlife on the farm moving forward. I trawled through the latest countryside stewardship options (we have been inContinueContinue reading “Wildlife on Farms: Why should we care?”

My perspective on the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2016. Why there is a need for two farming conferences at the same time in the same city.

With delayed Basic Payment, pitiful profits, environmental pressures and uncertainty over our future in Europe the stresses faced by farmers are broad and significant. It was therefore brilliant to see such optimism and pragmatism by delegates at the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) where I spent my Wednesday and Thursday this week. There are twoContinueContinue reading “My perspective on the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2016. Why there is a need for two farming conferences at the same time in the same city.”