FOOD + DRINK
LODDINGTON FARM
THE FARM THAT ’ S LETTING NATURE BACK IN
insideKENT ’ S LUCY MOHR , MEETS THE FRUIT GROWER WHO IS RISKING EVERYTHING TO CREATE A FARM FOR THE FUTURE .
© Lucy Mohr
JAMES SMITH
Fifth generation fruit farmer , James Smith , of Loddington Farm ( www . loddingtonfarm . co . uk ) in Maidstone , has made the courageous decision to entirely change the way he farms . With a new focus on regenerative farming , in just over a year , James has set about bridging the stark juxtaposition between producing food as a commercial venture and allowing nature to flourish .
Before chemistry , economies of scale and centralisation , nature and farming worked together in relative harmony ; diversity and natural methods being the ‘ norm ’. But as consumerism , science and demand has risen , so has mass farming and the belief that to be a successful farmer , you must eliminate nature from the process . Factory farming – as it is commonly referred to – has intensified climate change and released vast volumes of greenhouse gases . Current data suggest that we need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in developed countries by at least 80 % by 2050 .
James , whose medium-sized fruit farm has been farmed by his family for five generations , made the decision to go against everything he had learnt to recreate a farm that works in harmony with nature , as opposed to against it . His aim : to remove all synthetic pesticides , herbicides and fertilisers . Despite already being a successful fruit grower , he felt a responsibility to address the cognitive dissonance between his love of nature and the way he feels he has to farm commercially “ It ’ s my duty to farm in a better way .” James tells me .
With regenerative farming , the core belief system is that the health of the soil is the most important aspect . Through embracing nature and encouraging the natural ecosystem to thrive , soil health is maintained and maximized . To achieve this , Loddington is introducing ‘ mob grazed ’ livestock to help circulate nutrients through the soil , weeds are now allowed to grow around the base of fruit trees and the diversity of produce and commercial projects is at the core of decision making . Better , healthier soil means better , healthier produce . “ By mimicking nature to help the cycle of nutrients that would happen naturally in the ecosystem , we are driving the growth of how we grow our soil ” James explains , “ I do as much as I can to minimise risk and closely monitor results ."
James also recently acquired Owlet Fruit Juice ( www . owletfruitjuice . co . uk ) a company for which the farm has supplied the apples , pears and berries to since it ’ s own inception . The purchase not only adds value to fruit that is out of specification for fresh fruit sales ; producing healthy juice that is grown , pressed and bottled on a farm that is affecting real change , it also provides the brand to get the whole farm story out .
Making the changes like the ones James is doing takes a lot of self belief and a genuine passion to want to leave a positive legacy . As a father , husband , employer , owner of 150,000 fruit trees , and with farming forefathers looking over him , there is a lot of responsibility on James ’ shoulders – a few wrong
decisions or an unexpected late frost can dramatically change his profit margins – but so far , regenerative farming is working . There ’ s better output , lower costs and a reduction in environmental damage .
I spent the morning with James and his team ( who all had a personal and / or local connection and an evident shared passion ) walking through every orchard and discussing the changes and vision for each fruit variety he was growing . In between orchards , we were surrounded by blossoms , wildflowers and bees quietly going about their business of pollinating the fruit trees . At the heart of the land is the crystal clear reservoir . So clean that James swims in it every morning .
Being in this beautiful place , surrounded by nature working in harmony , eating stunningly delicious fresh fruit , and drinking freshly bottled juice all made with fruits grown within yards , I felt privileged to be there . For what James and his team are doing is building a much healthier and more sustainable farming roadmap that could secure the future of farming in Kent , and beyond .
It will be interesting to see which farmers will follow suit .
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