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.
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
5
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
11
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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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
2
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
22
It will take public outcry to prevent what now seems inevitable: the desecration of hard-won food and environmental standards, in a desperate scrabble to sell financial services.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 11th June 2020
5
Most British strawberries today are grown in coconut fibre under acres of polytunnels and the season has been extended far beyond summer, writes Louise Gray in her latest Roots to Fruits column.
By Louise Gray - 23rd July 2021
0
UK fruit is at its peak of ripeness and flavour; juicy sun-warmed fruits that make for blissful eating whether enjoyed as they are or in one of these show stopping recipes.
By Becky Blench - 22nd July 2021
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Market forces have driven agriculture towards specialisation and scale; the increased yields have reduced the price of food over the last 70 years, but with catastrophic environmental costs.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 22nd July 2021
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British farmers are trialling alternatives to soya in animal feed, known to cause deforestation in the Amazon.
By Jack Thompson - 19th July 2021
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As the summer holidays approach, Anna Turns tries a new green cooking book with her daughter and finds a wealth of education and creativity.
By Anna Turns - 19th July 2021
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‘The Angry Chef’, aka Anthony Warner, tells Jack Thompson why food doesn’t have an ‘easy answer’ and why feeding the masses is a forgotten side of sustainability.
By Jack Thompson - 16th July 2021
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