Growers' Workshop

"Tough times: how do we make organic growing financially viable?”

This event has been called by Iain Tolhurst, M.B.E. (Tolly), champion and pioneer of small-scale organic growing in the UK and world-wide.

Read full paper by Tolly on our website TolhurstOrganic.co.uk

We are grateful to Sheepdrove Trust for their financial support in organising the workshop.

"Farming is in crisis. For the smaller scale producers, it’s a crisis of mega proportions, but for most of us - we keep it quiet and will invariably put a positive spin on the story of our farms. This is incredibly sad, but it is also incredibly troubling, because we are losing the very best examples that we desperately need for the security of food production in a world with ever growing insecurities.

What can be done to halt this demise of the most important members of society?

We can embark on a journey towards some degree of resolve and that means talking about our issues and facing them head on. Getting a handle on what we face, owning up to the difficulties of our farms and looking at establishing a way forward for the preservation of what we all passionately love and believe so much in.

We shall have a Growers’ Workshop, just one day (yes we know a month would be too short) to meet up and explore the subject. Hear other people’s stories, take a hard look at what we do well and what we do less well. This will involve as many growers as possible, who can take a valuable day out to attend, and facilitators to manage the day. Support will be sought from partners (OGA, Soil Association, LWA) and possibly related businesses such as Riverford, seed companies etc. Funding will be sought to cover venue costs and admin expenses, as well as presenters’ expenses if that is the case. The event will be free of charge, but with a £20 booking payment, covering the meal and refreshments. The day will have presentations and break out groups and of course a fantastic lunch to celebrate the power of food. We may not draw up a plan of action, but we will at least be talking about it and having a great day out!"