- News from the farm
Back to our roots
Following our beliefs rather than fickle consumer fashions made us stand out, and allowed us to stick to what we did well.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 29th July 2020
3Guy Singh-Watson
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.
Articles by Guy Singh-Watson
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- News from the farm
- Environment & ethics
- Technology
Gene editing will fall at the same GM hurdles
Genome editing is a powerful research tool, with huge potential to aid our environmental challenges – but all the signs are that it will be used to take us further in the wrong direction.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 23rd July 2020
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- News from the farm
- Environment & ethics
- Ethical business
Still cocking my leg out
As I enter my declining years, I am slightly disappointed to still feel the need to validate my existence by leaving a mark; a physical embodiment of my purpose.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 16th July 2020
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- Environment & ethics
- Ethical business
- News from the farm
Making measurement count
As previously, transport is our biggest sin, and the final delivery to the door is the most carbon costly – so we are converting over 70 per cent of our vans to electric by 2023.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 1st July 2020
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- News from the farm
- Farming
Seeds from a stony ground
In my experience, seed can do pretty well in stony ground; far from withering at the first challenge, the adversity can give strength lacking in those pampered by an easy start in life.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 24th June 2020
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- News from the farm
- Inequality
- Diversity
Unconscious bias in the field and the board room
Our co-owner council discussed the issue last week: reading the notes, I was struck by the depth, nuance and humility.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 17th June 2020
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Latest articles
- Health
- Farming
- Seeds
Breeding food for nutrition: common sense or quasi science?
The agri revolution led to a focus on crop yields above all else – but researchers are beginning to look again at nutrition in our food.
By Jack Thompson - 9th April 2021
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- Environment & ethics
- Fish
Seaspiracy questions reality of ‘sustainable’ fishing
The Netflix documentary has been welcomed for spotlighting damage from large-scale fishing while its claim that no fish is sustainable is disputed.
By Nina Pullman - 8th April 2021
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- Nature
- Biodiversity
Biodiversity is about habitats not just species
More than just reefs and rainforests, habitat diversity also covers the heaths, woodlands, fens and bogs closer to home. Here's how you can help protect and visit some of the habitat restoration…
By Becky Blench - 8th April 2021
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- Plastic
- Nature
- Mental health
Charity launches biggest-ever UK beach clean
Charity Surfers Against Sewage hopes to galvanise 100,000 Brits to clean a million miles of rivers, beaches and green spaces to counter the rise in single-use plastic since the pandemic.
By Nina Pullman - 8th April 2021
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- News from the farm
- Fish
- Environment & ethics
The uncomfortable truth about fishing
I found it hard to disagree with the main conclusion of Seaspiracy: that there is almost no sustainable fishing, and the labels claiming sustainability fall a long way short of delivering it.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 8th April 2021
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- Inequality
- Farming
- Politics
What can we glean from the loss of the Commons?
The pandemic has brought a fresh perspective on the power of community and feelings of injustice: let’s channel this anger positively and build dignified food security for all, writes David Markson.
By David Markson - 6th April 2021
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