FOOD + DRINK
FROM FARM TO TABLE SUSTAINABLE FARMING IN KENT
NEVER FAILING TO LIVE UP TO ITS PRESTIGIOUS IDENTITY , KENT , ‘ THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND ’ IS UNSURPRISINGLY HOME TO THE PIONEERS OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING IN THE UK ; WITH EVERYONE FROM FRUIT GROWERS TO CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMERS LEADING THE WAY IN THE NATION ’ S STRIVE TO BECOME MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY , WHILST PROMOTING GOOD HEALTH AND NUTRITION ACROSS THE NATION . insideKENT ’ S OLIVIA RICCINI HAS DELVED INTO THE SUSTAINABLE FARMING WORLD AND ASKED SOME OF THE COUNTY ’ S MOST PROLIFIC FARMERS ABOUT THEIR UNIQUE JOURNEYS INTO THE SOMEWHAT UNCHARTERED WATERS OF SUSTAINABILITY .
APPLE PICKING AT CASTLE FARM
The concept of organic food has been floating about for almost 70 years , its popularity rising in households all over the UK thanks to clever marketing and a rapidly growing interest in our own health and the need to know exactly what we are putting into the temples that are our bodies . Since the late 90s , ‘ organic ’ has been the punchline in comedy sketches teasing the ‘ yummy mummies ’ amongst us , but the demand for organic , perhaps thanks to health conscious , environment saving millennials , is one which has now overflowed into most of our lives . As humans we want the very best for ourselves and for our planet , so when it comes to choosing between chemically enhanced , treated foods and the completely natural , why would we not select that which has been untouched ?
If you were still not convinced that organic food had much of an edge over fruits , veg and even meats , treated for pests and diseases with chemicals , enter organic food ’ s best friend – sustainable farming .
Over the last few years , we are hearing the word ‘ sustainable ’ more and more , regarding everything from fast fashion to fossil fuels . Sustainable farming , in a nutshell , uses farming methods that consider ecological cycles which are sensitive to micro-organisms and their contribution to the ecosystem and wider environment . By practising methods that are economically viable , environmentally friendly and do not entertain non-renewable factors , the concept contributes to the growth of natural , nutritious , healthy foods that ultimately benefit public health and our standard of living .
In order to become officially organic , farmers must go through an extensive and long process to prove they meet the standards required . It can take years for farmed soils to become fully cleansed of synthetic products but once they have achieved this , producers can use the EU Green Leaf symbol or the Soil Association organic symbol . There is a similar process for formal sustainable farming accreditation , for which successful applicants will be recognised as a ‘ Sustainable Producer ’.
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