Guy Singh-Watson has over the last 30 years taken Riverford from one man and a wheelbarrow delivering homegrown organic veg to friends, to a national veg box scheme delivering to around 80,000 customers a week.
Tired of meetings, brands and the assumption that greed is our predominant motivation, Guy converted the business to employee ownership in 2018, using the proceeds to buy a small farm and return to growing organic vegetables. In common with many of Riverford’s new co-owners, Guy is an advocate of using business to shape a part of the world, however small, to be kinder, more considerate and sustainable; more like the world most of us want to live in.
His weekly newsletters connect people to the farm with refreshingly honest accounts of the trials and tribulations of producing organic food, and the occasional rant about farming, ethical and business issues he feels strongly about.
This year, for the first time, I am not soothed by Keats’ words. His complacency feels out of reach in a world rocked by Covid, Brexit, and climate catastrophe, and a farming year that refuses to…
By Guy Singh-Watson - 23rd September 2021
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Rather than showing that it is possible for businesses to find the solutions to get us out of the mess we are all in, Riverford may be the exception that proves the rule.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 14th September 2021
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Please take this catalogue of misfortunes in the context that we also count our blessings, still love what we do – and are past the worst of it.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 9th September 2021
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After a COVID-induced 18-month absence, last week I finally made it back to my farm in the Vendée, France.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 1st September 2021
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We must learn to farm for carbon, biodiversity and food in the same space, with differing local emphasis according to land quality and ecological sensitivity.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 18th August 2021
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Am I farming for wildlife, carbon sequestration, or food? Am I a custodian of the land, or a business? Order and production compete with nature – and like many of my neighbours, I feel confused and…
By Guy Singh-Watson - 11th August 2021
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This year, for the first time, I am not soothed by Keats’ words. His complacency feels out of reach in a world rocked by Covid, Brexit, and climate catastrophe, and a farming year that refuses to…
By Guy Singh-Watson - 23rd September 2021
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A traditional farmer on the outskirts of Bristol is fighting to keep her land out of the hands of housing developers.
By Nina Pullman - 23rd September 2021
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Fertiliser is in the news this week, but it’s a broad area that includes anything from sewage sludge to green manure. We find out more for Your Questions Answered.
By Wicked Leeks - 22nd September 2021
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Treated sewage waste is often applied on farmland as a fertiliser. While contamination issues have brought controversy to the practice, is a small-scale, localised approach the answer?
By Hugh Thomas - 22nd September 2021
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With historical links to so-called 'witchcraft', foraging for food is one of the few ways we can sever reliance on the established food and medical system, writes Louise Gray.
By Louise Gray - 21st September 2021
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Try homegrown quince poached in white wine for a delectable dessert, baked into a tagine or infused into vodka for a perfect gift or seasonal tipple.
By Becky Blench - 21st September 2021
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