“Have you heard about FarmEco? I went with Flower Pod and we looked at the animals, the pigs and the goats. The sheep were very friendly. I learned about the crops, what crops they do there.”
– Alastair, Green Citizen
“At FarmEco they gave us some good tips about how to help make healthy food. They are good there because they use all the things they produce so it is not wasted. They share food with people or feed it to the animals.”
– Thomas, Green Citizen
Dominic seeing how bread starts life as just a tiny seedling
The Green Citizens went to visit FarmEco, a local community farm which aims to reconnect people to the land and environment.
FarmEco focus on regenerative farming practices that work in harmony with nature. Our visit was led by Elizabeth, who shared lots of information about the arable crops they farm, the zero waste food cycles and the conservation work they do, like planting hedges and using trees to stop soil erosion.
The Green Citizens got a really good idea of how everything is connected: the farm has an ecosystem that benefits nature and people. We heard how cover crops are grown and then dug back into the field to return nutrients to the soil, removing the need for chemical fertilisers.
We saw the different ways of arable farming demonstrated in the wheat and maize fields, Especially fascinating were the beautiful Hebridean sheep reared underneath fruit trees, which were giving them shelter while benefitting from a steady supply of fresh manure! We also got the chance to interact with the animals, seeing how everything that the farm produced was used in some way – for selling, feeding or conservation.
Katie and Amelia identifying different ingredients in some animal feed
It was great to hear the group comparing the FarmEco site with their own work at Flower Pod. A lot of the principles are similar, just on a different scale. Their large wildlife pond got the group excited about the ponds that we will be building at both Flower Pod sites as part of the project.
We also spent some time becoming hedgerow detectives! FarmEco leave some of their hedgerows unclipped to let wildflowers grow and give cover to wildlife. As we drove home, one of the Green Citizens asked what was growing in all the different hedgerows along the A612!
Everyone had a lovely time and FarmEco gave the Green Citizens a tangible, accessible idea of how wildlife and people fit together.
Look out for Emma’s blog about her experience visiting FarmEco, coming soon.
Sam
Programme Lead
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