By Hamish Evans – Middle Ground Growers
We are Middle Ground Growers, a small ecological farm on 1.5 acres in Bathampton, Somerset. We aim to grow healthy food whilst increasing biodiversity, sequestering carbon and building topsoil, using the tools of organics, permaculture and agroecology. Our fruit, veg, eggs and apple juice are packed in to veg boxes and delivered around Bath on our solar cargo bikes.
We have recently upscaled the market garden, and with the help of a BWCE grant of £5,000, installed 3kW of solar panels and match-funded a new cargo bike. The solar now powers our whole farm – 4 cargo bikes, our electric tools, and even a walk in cool-room to keep our produce fresh and extend the season.
There are great shifts happening in society both at a local and global level. We can all be part of the transition to a more ecological and more joyful world. Right now is the time to begin making these changes, given the urgency of the ecological crisis and the potency for change as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the farm we have witnessed dozens of people making such changes, buying food seasonally, locally and organically. We can vote 3 times a day with the foods we choose to consume. Industrial agriculture contributes to 25% global emissions and is a huge contributor to biodiversity loss and pollution.
Meanwhile, a shift in land use and agricultural practice could sequester as much carbon as humanity emits, and rapidly increase biodiversity. This necessitates a radical shift in how we live, eat and produce calories and nutrients. This shift is not only an ecological necessity for planetary health, but a choice that brings us great joy, freedom, personal health and community resilience. We have begun building a strong community around this renewable farm project and with our partners such as BWCE, to co-create real change at a local level, with global scope. We invite everyone to be part of this and to take this moment of emergence as a point of transition and making the best choices for ourselves and the planet we depend upon. Whilst the issues are systemic, global and overwhelming, the solutions are overwhelmingly simple, local and empowering.
middlegroundgrowers.com veg boxes, markets and wholesale
07708006001
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