Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Although Ireland still has a fairly good natural environment in comparison with some other countries, we are putting ourselves in grave danger because of the tendency to damage and even destroy our natural environment in the pursuit of commercial profits.
If it is true that we only have 10 years or so to bring about the great transition towards regenerative and sustainable farming systems, then our need to create an informally coordinated network of beacon farms, hopefully working collectively to become more than the sum of their parts in the educational process, becomes absolutely imperative.
If we want to eat a sustainable healthy diet, then locally grown, chemical-free vegetables are an essential component. But who is going to grow that healthy, tasty veg? There is a worrying dearth of training opportunities in the UK for people interested in becoming ‘growers’ – and it leaves the reality of sustainable food production with a doubtful future.
“Even if every teenager doesn’t end up farming for a living, they hopefully become responsible participants in our food system,” says Gold. “The aim is to give them the tools they need to make their own healthy decisions…
John Agostinho’s path to farming full-time took him from an IT career in New York City, to an ever-growing flock of sheep in the Hudson Valley.
