A Farm for the Future

Shed
My recycled shed :)

This morning I have been watching A Farm for the Future, which was broadcast on BBC 2 last night. It is a film by farmer’s daughter and wildlife film maker Rebecca Hoskings (who unfortunately has a bit of a dull voice) who wants to give her family farm a sustainable future.

After hearing about our fossil fuel dependence and the Peak Oil problem, Rebecca meets some people who are already trying to produce food in a different way. There’s Patrick Whitefield, a famous permaculturalist, and a beautiful smallholding in Wales that’s small fields in the midst of woodland instead of a few scattered trees in the midst of fields and produces more food than the family who lives there can eat.

And there’s the Hollins from Fordhall Farm, talking about how the right mixture of pasture grasses can eliminate the need for extra fodder for livestock entirely.

Permaculture makes an appearance 29 minutes in. Martin Crawford (from the Agroforesty Research Trust) is on at the 37 minute mark and there’s some lovely footage of his forest garden and nut orchard (which I think should be called a Nuttery).

By the end of the programme Rebecca appears to be convinced that ‘modern’ farming methods are going to have to come to an end and be replaced by something that models more closely the natural order – but that means more people are going to have to be engaged in food production. We need more gardeners, more farmers and more biodiversity – and less transport, machinery, pesticides and fertilisers.

Sign me up for that future, it looks lovely :)

If you’re trying to track down a DVD copy of A Farm for the Future, then try contacting Permaculture Magazine.

On a similar note, Monty Don has also been talking about growing your own food.

Posted 21 February 2009, 19:59.   Posted in .

4 Comments for A Farm for the Future

  1. Emma, It does sound like a good future…If only the politicians in the US would start thinking along these lines! Clever recycled shed;) gail

    gail · Feb 21, 08:51 PM

  2. Thanks for the tip and thanks for your inspiring work, Emma!

    I succeeded in watching it from outside of Britain, and I’m happy for it. The film really emphasized the very important problems with modern agriculture and showed the possible solutions in small scale farming/gardening with permaculture ideas. These are the solutions I’m personally working towards and envisioning for all of us in the future.

    papa · Feb 22, 05:44 AM

  3. http://rapidshare.com/files/204382217/FfF.mov

    Anonymous · Mar 3, 12:46 AM

  4. Thanks so much for the tip about watching this brilliant film, and a great sum up you gave, but I disagree with one of your comments.
    We thought Rebecca’s narration was beautifully calm and unaffected, it was so refreshing not be talked down to like a child, or to be screamed at.
    Given the subject matter we think her approach was just right, many don’t know about peak oil and would find it shocking enough so you need someone calm and collected to talk about it, making it palatable so to lead the audience through all the doom and gloom to get to the positive proactive part about permaculture.
    It was amazing they got this commissioned on the BBC in the first place.
    Way to go BBC and way to go Rebecca Hoskins.

    sam · Mar 26, 12:53 AM

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