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Guy Singh-Watson, the organic entrepreneur

With its emphasis on consistency and efficiency, the global food system is often accused of putting profit ahead of people and the planet. Growers looking to do things differently have the odds stacked against them

Since Guy began farming a couple of fields organically in 1986, he’s grown Riverford from a one-man operation into a multimillion-pound business that delivers boxes of organic, seasonal produce from a collective of farms to customers UK-wide. By establishing a model for others to follow he hopes to bring organic fruit and veg into the mainstream.

What was the food system like when you founded Riverford, and how has it changed?

I started selling to local shops in the 1980s. As the business grew, I briefly supplied the supermarkets but didn’t like the way they treated us. Then a friend persuaded me to try a veg box scheme. I thought people would object to handing the choice of their weekly veg over to us, but they really cared about the flavour, the seasonality, and that connection to the grower and how their food was grown. Supermarkets dominate the market even more now – 90% of all food in this country is sold through the big six, who typically only buy from very large farms with partners around the world so they can give continuity of supply at a low price.

Guy Singh-Watson
Why has Riverford been so successful?

I think it’s because we’ve stuck to our core principles – looking after the farm and the wildlife that lives there, respecting our employees and customers, and trying to change the world a bit. Organic growing techniques are improving all the time, such as the use of parasitic wasps to manage aphids in polytunnels, so we can now almost match conventional yields.

Do you see a bright future for organic farming?

There are always challenges. Maintaining soil fertility is the number one issue. After decades of using cow manure I’m now converted to using good compost. Pest and disease is another issue, but once you understand the ecology of your land and grow crops suited to those situations, you go a long way towards dealing with problems. We’re also exploring agroforestry, with bands of walnuts and hazelnuts running between fields. Many more farmers want to farm differently. They need better protection from supermarkets driving down standards and prices. We set up the Get Fair About Farming campaign to support farmers, and over 100,000 people signed our petition to Parliament in January 2024. So there’s cause for optimism, but still a long way to go.

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