STORIES · 04.09.19
Farming | Food | Sustainability
This week is the start of Organic September, a month-long campaign that the Soil Association leads every year in order to champion organic farming and spread awareness of the benefits it has for nature, for wildlife and for building and maintaining the soil fertility that is so vital for food production. It is a cause I passionately believe in supporting and so I wanted to share a little of its meaning and how you could get involved.
To farm organically means to farm in harmony with nature, according to the rhythm of the seasons. It means to farm without the use of chemical fertilisers or herbicides; to produce food and crops that are free from GM and do not contain any artificial colours or preservatives; and to rear animals under high welfare standards in truly free-range environments.
In a year of unprecedented protest and debate about the climate emergency, I believe it is so important we discuss and promote the role that organic food and farming systems have to play in helping to slow the effects of climate change and protect the future of our planet. We need to take action and moving to an organic system is one of the ways we can produce healthy food and protect the planet.
I would urge everyone to visit the Soil Association website to learn more about their campaign. There are ideas for how to get involved and how you can start to take small steps towards going organic in a way that is accessible for you, as well as an explanation of some the misconceptions there are around what organic really means. There are also lots of brilliant resources about how to eat out sustainably, where to shop organic, and how to order an organic veg box.
At part of our celebrations for the month at Daylesford, Jez, head of our Market Garden and his team will be hosting tours of our garden every Friday afternoon throughout September. You can come and get first-hand insight into the sustainable world of our organic farming. There is something for everyone to learn (and taste too). For more details, click here.
