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Annual Review
www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 1 Introduction
This Annual Review covers a period of success and progress for Garden Organic, from the start of 2013 to spring 2014. The financial figures and reports show continued consolidation of our position, and resilience in the face of challenging times in the fifth year of an unprecedented recession.
Our success in delivering the Master Composter and the Lottery-funded Master Gardener schemes has been reflected in the number and range of these projects being renewed through alternative funding sources - testament both to the success of seed-corn funding and the beneficial outcomes, externally evaluated by Coventry University, which are demonstrating really meaningful impacts on the participants. Of particular note is the Master Gardener project at HMP Rye Hill, which commenced in March 2013, and which has proved successful beyond expectations in engaging a challenging offender group battling substance misuse.
Our education work has also continued to deliver well in excess of anticipated outcomes - our success in securing the lead for Food Growing Schools: London was demonstrated by the engagement, within three months, of over 600 London schools in the autumn of 2013, and a range of exciting food growing opportunities. This reinforces our existing organic growing work in the Food for Life Partnership, which goes from strength to strength.
This Annual Review provides in-depth analysis and considered comment on our range of activities, and I hope you will find it both interesting and informative. Paul Wilkinson James Campbell Chief Executive
Our vision is of a healthy and sustainable world that has embraced organic growing.
Our purpose is to get more people growing organically.
Our mission is to promote and advance the use of organic growing
Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales President: Professor Tim Lang
Vice-Presidents: Raymond Blanc, Garden Organic Chief Executive James Campbell, our Ambassador James Wong, our Thelma Barlow and Susan Hampshire Patron HRH The Prince of Wales and our Vice-President Raymond Blanc meet at our Chair of Trustees: Roger Key stand at The Edible Garden Show. 2 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Contents
Programmes 4 Feature 17 To learn more about Garden The wonderful work of our Sharing skills across Europe Organic’s work and help us to volunteer mentors grow even more … LEADER 19 Feature 6 Growing sustainable Website: Impact of the Garden Organic communities www.gardenorganic.org.uk Master Gardener programme Email: Research 20 [email protected] Education 8 Expanding our knowledge Facebook: Learning to grow organically of organic growing GardenOrganicUK Twitter: Feature 10 Feature 22 @gardenorganicuk Horticultural therapy flourishes Growing Health Headquarters: Campaigns 12 Chief Executive 24 Ryton Organic Gardens, Coventry Fighting for an organic future Looking to the future CV8 3LG Just prefer to talk? Feature 13 Membership 25 Call us on 024 7630 3517. Bees – understanding the current Members update situation Finance 26 Heritage Seed Library 16 Our financial review Protecting our organic heritage
Our new Annual Review iStock We would love to hear your views on the new style of our Annual Review. In response to previous feedback from our readership, we have now made this publication three times larger so that we can provide much more in-depth coverage of our work. You will find detailed explanations of our organic growing programmes, education projects, campaigns, Heritage Seed Library and research initiatives. And you can read a series of features on key issues and successes for our charity in 2013. We are very grateful to NFU Mutual for sponsoring this publication. We really hope that you find it enjoyable and useful – let us know what you think by emailing [email protected].
Design and print by CottierSidaway
Every order from The Organic Gardening Catalogue helps support Garden Organic’s vital work. Order online at www.organiccatalogue.com or call 01932 253666.
www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 3 Programmes The wonderful work of our volunteer mentors
Our Volunteer Mentor Networks Team coordinate and manage Medway, Somerset Community Food a number of programmes each designed to promote the and G4S, the global security solutions company. This is an important step core principles of organic horticulture and the benefits that forwards, allowing the Garden Organic composting and growing your own produce can bring. Master Gardener model to attract more sustainable funding streams in the future after the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme ended in March 2014.
The delivery model has been reviewed and continues to be adapted to ensure that we have a cost-effective and flexible approach to meet the needs of the multiple partners in the future.
Our Master Gardener volunteers made these outstanding achievements across the eight networks, from the programme’s launch in May 2010 to the end of 2013: 23,572 volunteer hours
Garden Organic Master Composters, Norfolk, in action. 5,012 people regularly mentored (including 1,783 under 16 years) 65,029 food-growing conversations held Garden Organic Master people of all ages – either encouraging 897 community events supported Composter programme householders to start composting at home for the first time or providing 112,925 website visits across all Our Master Composter programme is existing composters with guidance Master Gardener web-domains a national volunteer scheme delivered to ensure the momentum is kept. The in partnership with a range of local promotional activities of the Master For an in-depth feature on the impact authorities and waste companies. Composter volunteers are actively of the Garden Organic Master Gardener This programme, based on cascade diverting waste from landfill. It is programme see p6. learning, has continued to develop widely recognised that composting at through 2013 - with more than 60 home diverts around 150 kg of organic Conference new volunteers trained, and support waste per household per year from In September 2013, Garden Organic provided to more than 400 volunteer landfill. During 2013, more than 4,850 hosted its annual National Volunteer Master Composters across ten local Master Composter volunteer hours Masters Conference bringing together authority areas. were recorded! composting and growing mentors from across the UK to celebrate their The Master Composter volunteers Garden Organic Master proactively support and promote home achievements. More than 215 Master composting in their local communities. Gardener programme Gardeners, Master Composters, Sowing Volunteers are provided with training The Master Gardener team expanded New Seeds participants, Local Food upon becoming a Master Composter its existing networks by attracting 92 Project Coordinators and other like- to equip them with the knowledge new volunteers in 2013. Their training minded volunteers gathered at our and confidence to promote home involved five induction courses headquarters, Ryton Organic Gardens, composting. Methods of promotion in spring 2013, after ten weeks of in September for a day of activities to vary widely amongst volunteers recruitment in four networks. celebrate the work and achievements of building from their own strengths, the Masters volunteers network. including writing in parish council In addition to the five existing newsletters, holding regular Q&A networks in Warwickshire, Norfolk, A series of themed workshops took sessions on local radio, attending and Linconshire, North London and place across the day with subject areas holding stalls at public events, and South London, Garden Organic also including community composting, writing blogs. developed three commissioned wildlife gardening, soil science and fruit models for mentor networks. These growing advice. Guest speaker Professor Master Composters engage with new networks are with Public Health Chris Baines, a Garden Organic
4 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Programmes
ambassador and campaigner for The Big Dig urban nature conservation, provided The Big Dig is a national project, led an inspirational speech on the nature by Sustain, which aims to get more of the future highlighting the actions people involved in community food required now to protect our natural growing. Garden Organic was the environment. partner organisation for Coventry and supported 18 community gardens The National Volunteer Masters Awards across the area. These included a Ceremony saw individual and group new community garden at University achievements across the Masters Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, volunteer network recognised and where we engaged local businesses rewarded within four key categories to create the garden designed by our – Achievement Award; Master Award; gardens team. Innovation and Social Media Award; and Group Achievement Award. In total, the Big Dig project recruited, trained and supported a team of Garden Organic Sowing New 31 Master Gardeners in Coventry, Seeds project Together, they volunteered over Sowing New Seeds received a new 900 hours in 18 months. One of grant from the Supporting Change and these Master Gardeners manages a Impact Fund from the Big Lottery. The Cooking Zimbabwean Kale at Spitalfields City community garden and its produce overall aim of this one-year project Farm as part of our Garden Organic Sowing is all given to a local food bank, New Seeds project. was to further develop the resources ensuring its beneficiaries have access created in the original Sowing New to locally grown, fresh produce. Seeds (SNS) project by taking them to As part of the Big Dig project, we nationalities were represented. also engaged a large number of new geographical areas and working Additionally, 74% of people who with new groups. people at wider community events took part said that it had improved including the ‘Godiva Festival’ at the their understanding of other cultures. Training hubs were set up in Coventry, War Memorial Park, Coventry, ‘Dig for This is a clear demonstration of Victory’ at the Coventry Transport Birmingham, London (Spitalfields) how SNS activities can be used to and Bradford. All of these areas Museum, and a heritage open day at attract a wider audience from ethnic The Weaver’s House, Coventry. were selected as they had access to communities to food growing activities beneficiaries from areas of social in the future. deprivation and a high proportion Back to my Roots of people from a BME (black and hens@home Back to my Roots was a project minority ethnic) origin. At each hub, delivered in Coventry by Warwickshire four training sessions were held Garden Organic developed a new Wildlife Trust, Garden Organic and with a total of 160 people trained in volunteer programme in 2013 Groundworks, funded by the Big growing exotic crops, propagating called ‘hens@home’, also supported Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme. herbs and spices, food preparation and by the Big Lottery Fund’s Local This project encouraged a greater cooking, and seed saving. At least five Food programme. This project was number and diversity of local people local community organisations were inspired by increased interest from to grow their own food by training represented at each site and there householders in keeping hens in both ‘food growing champions’, supporting was a focus on groups that specifically urban and in rural areas. Existing community growers, and managing targeted the disadvantaged. Garden Organic volunteers (Master four food-growing demonstration Demonstration plots of exotic crops Composters and Master Gardeners) gardens in target neighbourhoods. were set up, and groups of people have benefited from the opportunity to The project also delivered satellite been identified that have an active attend a one-day in-service training training to groups as diverse as the plan to continue to maintain the plots course on hen keeping, so they could users of youth clubs, food banks, after the project. also become ‘hen mentors’. As part of toddler groups, Coventry Carers’ the project, Garden Organic has also Centre BME group, and Allesley The evaluation carried out by produced a guidance booklet that is Walled Garden, a community garden Coventry University showed that the available for community groups and modelled on the original 18th project was very effective at reaching local authorities to support people century garden. BME communities. Overall, 47% of wishing to keep hens in domestic/ people that took part were from community gardens or on allotment ethnic minorities and 29 different sites. www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 5 Feature Impact of the Garden Organic Master Gardener programme By Anton Rosenfeld, Master Gardener Training Coordinator
The Garden Organic Master Gardener programme has implemented mentor network schemes in eight areas during the period 2010 – 2013. Evaluating the impact of this model was a key component of our business plan. In order to move forward and attract funding streams beyond the lifetime of the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme, it is essential to be able to demonstrate that the programme can elicit behavioural change that has a positive impact.
Findings Master Gardeners are supported to mentor their households for the period of one year. During this time, there were significant impacts on health, environment and social benefits.
Health benefits Overall, life satisfaction had increased for 84% of volunteers and 77% of households since taking part in the programme.
For the volunteers, the reasons given for the increase were mainly centred around the satisfaction of helping Training for new Master Gardeners in Breckland, Norfolk. others in the community and feeling part of a group. Reasons given were: • enjoy helping others; • meeting new people; Approach Social impacts Did the programme have an impact on • personal satisfaction; and Coventry University Applied Research • supporting the programme. Centre in Sustainable Regeneration people’s community links or networks? Has it impacted on their knowledge (SURGE) was chosen as an For the households, the satisfaction independent organisation to evaluate of food growing? Has it changed the amount that they spend on food? was derived from being outside and the programme. It was selected for growing their own produce. Their its expertise in evaluating projects reasons were: connected to local food growing. Over Health impacts the lifetime of the project, four rounds Has the programme had a positive • therapeutic benefits of growing their of questionnaires were sent out both impact on health and wellbeing? Did own food; to the volunteer Master Gardeners and the programme change the amount of • feeling better about themselves and the householders they were mentoring. fruit and vegetables consumed? more confident; This allowed us to evaluate both • being outside and proud of their the short and longer-term impact of Views on the programme garden; and the programme. The questionnaires What have the participants gained • encouragement from Master allowed quantitative data to be from the programme? Were the Gardeners. collected, whilst qualitative data was households satisfied with the advice collected through comments, focus they received from their Master The amount of time growing food groups and interviews. There were Gardener? increased for 44% of volunteers and a number of evaluative objectives 67% of households. At least 50% of to measure the impact, under the households spent one to two hours a following categories: week growing, with 27% of volunteers “Encouraged me to think spending more than 8 hours. This Environmental impacts more about freshness increased time spent outdoors, This was to evaluate the impact of the and taste of fruit particularly in growing activities, has programme on food growing. Did it and veg.” been shown to have positive effects on change the amount of food grown or health and wellbeing. where people buy their food from?
6 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Feature
“It has been overwhelmingly positive for me and my children. We garden together and love being able to have ‘free’ meals from the garden.”
• having a larger growing space; • being more productive; • putting more effort into food growing; and • having more growing knowledge.
A greater range of foods was also grown – with an increase for 66% of households and 76% of volunteers. The main reason given was that they were simply trying out new varieties. Just under half of respondents changed their shopping habits – 40% of households and 47% of volunteers. The most common change was to buy more food locally.
A Medway Master Gardener showing a young visitor A lasting impact at a community event how to sow seeds. The results suggest that being mentored by a Master Gardener is not a quick temporary fix. It was very encouraging that the programme Participating in the scheme has also capacity to grow a greater quantity continued to have a lasting impact had positive effects on consumption and wider range of food. beyond the one-year mentoring period. habits – 14% of volunteers and 19% After three years, 65% of households of households increased the amount The amount spent on food also and 95% of volunteers were still more of vegetables consumed. On average decreased for 24% of volunteers and satisfied with their life. They were also five portions a day were consumed 29% of households. The most common still consuming more vegetables and by volunteers and 4.5 by households, reason given for this was that they spending a similar number of hours which is positive compared to recent were buying less as they were using growing food each week. In fact, 94% UK averages. the food they had grown. Others of households were still growing food reported no change or an increase and 78% were growing at least the Social benefits in the amount they spent on food for same or a wider range of crops. Satisfaction with feeling part of a other reasons, such as increase in food community increased for 61% of prices or a change in shopping habits. volunteers and 34% of households. Views on the programme Comments from volunteers inferred Environmental benefits Overall, the feedback from volunteers that ‘feeling part of a community’ was Growing your own food can reduce and householders was very positive. one of the key benefits from taking emissions through reduced food miles The majority of households (78 %) part in the programme. and energy in processing and storage. were generally satisfied with the The programme had a large impact The Garden Organic Master Gardener advice that they received from their on growing knowledge with 94% of programme increased both the Master Gardener and 93% enjoyed volunteers and 88% of households amounts of food produced in being part of the programme. reporting an increase. This improved 77% of households and 55% of knowledge had knock-on effects by volunteers. Reasons for increasing boosting people’s confidence and production were: www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 7 Education Learning to grow organically
Garden Organic’s education work is focused on our charity’s aim of getting more people growing organically. We work with pupils and teachers in schools, students in colleges and people with special educational needs. We want everyone involved to access the many benefits of growing food, understanding the natural world and engaging in hands-on, practical activities. We do this through our training, outreach projects and activities at our demonstration gardens, Ryton Organic Gardens.
Food for Life Partnership 12 other Food for Life Partnership Authority (GLA), RHS, Morrisons, Capital The Food for Life Partnership (FFLP) is events, including award ceremonies Growth, FFLP and School Food Matters. a network of schools and communities and events showcasing the work This partnership aims to get every across England committed to of the partnership to potential school in London growing food - no transforming food culture. The aim is commissioners. matter what size area they have. In to reach out through schools to give 2013, we successfully gained funding communities access to seasonal, local We hosted eight further training from the Big Lottery and the GLA to and organic food, and provide them sessions and events both locally at help achieve this goal. with the skills they need to grow and Ryton and beyond. These included cook fresh food. Since 2007, Garden training with Coventry City Council The Food Growing Schools: London Organic has been a partner in the teachers on starting organic food project will support every school in Food for Life Partnership. Through our growing and ways to integrate our capital city to be a food growing work, we continue to provide support growing into the science curriculum. school, aiming to strengthen and and training as part of commissions We also delivered growing training build upon existing activity to support across England. Throughout 2013, we as part of the Morrisons ‘Let’s Grow’ them to fully embed food growing have worked on developing activities programme for schools. And as part of into school life. The ultimate aim is for new settings including healthcare the Big Dig celebration event at Ryton to demonstrate how every school – and early years. in July 2013, we invited more than 140 and the community it is part of– can pupils and staff from local schools benefit from food growing, so that Training to take part in educational activities school leaders, staff and volunteers around the theme of biodiversity. have the skills and confidence to get During 2013, Garden Organic involved. The project received funding delivered 25 growing training Food Growing Schools: London from the Big Lottery Fund in autumn sessions on behalf of the Food for 2013 for a three-year period. Life Partnership, training over 230 As a result of Garden Organic’s leadership of the Food Growing in school professionals across nine local Garden Organic will support schools Schools Taskforce, we have formed a authority commissions in England. In with: addition, Garden Organic supported partnership with the Greater London • helping to find free or low-cost gardening materials and tools; • a ‘matchmaking’ service to find volunteers (including those with specific skills); Ray Spence Ray • curriculum links: lesson plans and ideas on linking food growing throughout the curriculum; • options for growing in small or difficult spaces; • an advice hub: on phone and email; • food-growing guides and resources; • training for teachers and volunteers; and • a Grow Your Own Picnic event – we are encouraging schools to start Pupils learning about our ‘roly pig’ composter at Ryton Organic growing now to harvest and eat a Gardens at a Warwickshire FFLP awards event. home-grown picnic.
8 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Education
Schoolchildren making bee hotels as part of the Big Dig Celebrations 2013
Growth involved in growing crops and make we want to encourage more students Growth is a well established project, horticultural-related products for sale and volunteers to work alongside our run from Ryton Organic Gardens with within a small enterprise. gardeners in order for them to gain an aim to support adults with learning hands-on experience and knowledge of difficulties. We have a number of Ryton Organic Gardens what organic growing entails. clients who visit the gardens on a Our headquarters at Ryton host our weekly basis and engage in a variety organic demonstration gardens, Work experience of horticultural tasks and creative managed by a team of experienced We welcomed students and pupils from projects. See p10 for an in-depth organic horticulturalists and local schools, colleges and universities, feature on horticultural therapy. committed volunteers. The aim of the and across Europe to participate gardens is to provide education and in work experience and on-the-job 14-19 therapy gardening information about organic growing training with Garden Organic during practices to all visitors. In 2013, 2013. This included a range of activities This project, funded by Santander until we introduced a different type of including a review of our safeguarding 2013, has allowed us to support young signage, with the ambition that each policies, development of marketing people with a variety of needs in their visitor would take away snippets plans and support in the gardens and school, college or residential setting. of information that they could then various administration tasks. The scheme has had many successes implement in their home, school or and helped us determine our work allotment. with this group for the future. Courses Following a survey to members and the In 2014, we are continuing to focus general public, we reviewed the Ryton Growing Enterprise on this and have a plan for making Organic Gardens course programme. Our next step has been to design the displays in the garden and the Results revealed a need for short a new project ‘Growing Enterprise’ interpretation more explicit about best courses for novice growers and courses which is funded by the Daylesford organic practice. We will continue to on how to live more sustainably. We Foundation. Based at Ryton Organic demonstrate best organic practice, in met this demand by providing a large Gardens, this initiative aims to provide accordance with the organic gardening variety of courses on site, ranging opportunities for young people with guidelines. We want to increase school from ‘A beginner’s guide to vegetable Special Educational Needs (SEN) and group visits to expand learning growing’ to ‘Organic pest and disease and/or challenging behaviour to about how they can manage their management’ for the more experienced learn about organic gardening, get growing spaces organically. In addition, organic gardener. www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 9 Feature Horticultural therapy flourishes By Colette Bond, Head of Education
Anyone involved in organic growing knows that there are many positive reasons for getting involved: the sense of satisfaction when you harvest a pumpkin or tomato that you have grown; the gentle glow after a rigorous weeding session; the calm feeling watching a robin retrieve a worm from the top of freshly turned soil or the satisfaction of sharing growing tips with a fellow grower.
More widely there is increasing of their products, which to date have research, evidence and national included: vegetable and plant sales; recognition that growing can have fresh pressed apple juice; bug houses; multiple benefits from a health and lavender bags; comfrey plants taken wellbeing perspective. from root cuttings; windowsill sow and grow pots, bird feeders and “The therapeutic value and wellbeing boxes; decorated jars and Christmas boost that people get from gardening, decorations. growing food, being in and looking after Discovering the joys of organic gardening the environment has a strong impact The groups have a dedicated growing through our Growing Enterprise project on our physical and mental wellbeing. space in our gardens, which they are It helps us to strike a balance as we helping to design and plan. Students cope with life’s ups and downs,” said will be growing crops and adding Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and them to pizzas, soups, herbal teas and the gardens through his senses and Wellbeing, Public Health England. salads. has become much more confident in these unusual surroundings. When he This is an area where Garden Organic Case study – Hayleigh started the sessions, he did not enjoy touching soil and found it difficult to has much experience in delivery and it Hayleigh has speech, vision and concentrate on the tasks. Now into is a key focus of development for our learning difficulties. She had done his second half-term, he has been organisation. As well as our work with some gardening in the past, but was helping to sow seeds in compost and prisons and research into the health lacking in confidence. She enjoyed the been open to feeling new textures and and wellbeing outcomes of growing, first set of sessions that she attended sensations. Support staff who come our Education Team runs two projects so much that she begged her teachers with him have remarked on how calm which use horticultural therapy to to let her join another group so that and engaged Shahrukh is while he is support the participants in their own she could spend more time with the on the project and are delighted by personal journey. project. Hayleigh has been able to what he has been able to achieve. show other students what she has Growing Enterprise – working learned and has become a very reliable with young people and capable member of the team. Growth – a social and therapeutic horticulture Growing Enterprise was launched in Constantly smiling and encouraging autumn 2013 at our headquarters, others, it is a pleasure to see her project Ryton Organic Gardens in Warwickshire. experiencing the gardens and enjoying This project has been running for This project has already engaged with taking part in establishing the growing more than 25 years at Ryton Organic over 50 students, who attend for two- space, as the weather warms up and Gardens and the participants are hour sessions each week in blocks of seed sowing begins in earnest. Her responsible for maintaining three at least six weeks. Six local special teachers have been amazed at how gardening spaces – The Memorial schools and colleges, one of which is a engaged she has become with the Garden (Sensory Garden), the purpose- pupil referral unit, are currently taking activities and are hoping that she will built Growth Garden and in our new part. be able to continue attending through fruit garden. A variety of tasks are also to the end of the school year. undertaken in other areas of the site, Students develop social skills, build as and when appropriate. self-esteem and learn about running Case study –Shahrukh a small business, while enjoying the Shahrukh has a severe visual and With these resources, we are able gardens and learning about organic hearing impairment, and mobility to offer a safe and accessible horticulture. Groups have held sales difficulties. He has enjoyed exploring environment for our clients, who have
10 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Feature
Young people working on our Growing Enterprise project at Ryton Organic Gardens
physical and mental challenges, and support the delivery of the programme. of our work. By working with local provide a structured and appropriate We have continued to provide a organisations and authorities, we work programme to suit individual diverse range of tasks and have want to identify ways to increase needs. introduced individual development participation and make our services plans for clients. available more widely. Key objectives of the project are to: • help individuals gain self-respect, Comments from people benefiting Individuals are now given self-esteem, respect for others and from this project include: responsibility for their own direct increased independence; payments – these are cash payments given in lieu of community care • develop client social skills through services that individuals have been teamworking and interaction with assessed as needing. They are intended both staff and visitors; “I love Thursdays, it’s my favourite day of the week.” to give users greater choice in their • provide the opportunity for outdoor care and we want to ensure they are physical activity to improve both the aware of the opportunities at Ryton. mental health and physical fitness of “I enjoy coming here because I see all my friends.” clients; We also want to build on the • encourage clients to take home the “It’s good to have a laugh, but successful models developed at Ryton organic produce that they grow to and take our services to alternative help them achieve their ‘5-a-day’; when we’re working we have settings and demonstrate to doctors, • help to reduce stress through the to concentrate because what health care professionals and others therapeutic nature of gardening in a we’re doing is important” how horticultural therapy can be an calm and relaxed atmosphere; and effective alternative to traditional • develop employability skills through routes for support. on-the-job training. Building on our current projects and For more details about our This project has developed over the experience, we are working to develop horticultural therapy projects contact last year and we have increased our horticultural therapy programmes Colette Bond, Head of Education, by the number of volunteers who help and raise the profile of this aspect email at [email protected]. www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 11 Campaigns Fighting for an organic future
Garden Organic’s Fighting Fund was launched to help us campaign against those issues that threaten our nation’s biodiversity. Thanks entirely to the very generous support of our members, we have been able to achieve so much since this fund was launched two years ago – from helping to protect Britain’s declining bee population to lobbying against European Union legislation that could damage the diversity of our seeds.
worked hard with our suppliers to cut European Union seed legislation. When costs. This improved our rate of return, first published, this draft proposal so that for every £1 we spent on the would have outlawed all seed swap appeals we raised £5.66. This rate of networks, including our own Heritage return compares favourably with those Seed Library. We lobbied hard and achieved by many other charities, but achieved initial amendments to the we know how important it is to use our proposals and then their rejection resources carefully and we are aiming altogether by MEPs. It is likely that this for a further improvement in 2014. legislation will be reintroduced after This funding to support the campaigns the European Parliament elections in has had a big impact, with many May 2014 and we await to see what battles won. However in most cases, it format this will take. This battle has is clear the work will need to continue seen us take on the European Seed to achieve lasting success. Association (ESA), which represents the big seed producers. They have the Our Bee Heard campaign involved financial resources to outspend us, but working with Friends of the Earth, and thanks to our members we have been other environmental organisations, able to put the case effectively and to collect a petition and lobby MPs to convince MEPs to take our side in the put pressure on the Government to argument. develop a National Bee Action Plan. A petition signed by 64,000 supporters With continued support from our The honey bee that starred in our Bee Heard campaign. was handed in to 10 Downing Street members, we will keep fighting on and 160 MPs also pledged their all these fronts – defending our bees support. As a result, the Government and other pollinators, and saving is developing a ‘National Pollinator our heritage seed varieties for future In 2013, we sent out two appeal Strategy: for bees and other pollinators generations to enjoy. letters asking our members to support in England’, which was put out to our vital campaigns by contributing consultation in March 2014. to our Fighting Fund. One focused on our Bee Heard campaign aiming to We also had success in our campaign For the latest information reverse the decline of bees in the UK. against neonicotinoids, a group of on our Fighting Fund campaigns visit: The other covered the full range of insecticides that we believe are a www.gardenorganic.org.uk/campaigns our campaigning work, which has also major threat to bees. In April 2013, 15 included raising awareness about the of the 27 European Union member impacts of clopyralid, a chemical found states voted to restrict the use of in weedkillers, and trying to increase three neonicotinoids for two years the profile of horticulture in the from 1 December 2013. While the UK National Curriculum. voted against the ban, the majority of member states were in favour. This Our members responded with provides a welcome respite for our fantastic generosity to both appeals. bees, but the debate will clearly be had We received donations of more than again next year when the ban comes £111,000. Most of these were also up for renewal. eligible for Gift Aid, which boosted the total income to nearly £130,000. This Joint action with other environmental enabled us to give real impetus to all organisations was also the name of of our campaigns. At the same time, we the game in our fight against proposed
12 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Feature Bees – understanding the current situation By Sally Bucknall, Garden Organic Trustee
In recent years, significant losses of honey bees, bumblebees and other insect pollinators throughout Europe became evident. This heightened interest in all pollinators because of the vital role they play in the pollination of the flowers that provide our fruit and vegetables and the biodiversity in our landscapes.
drones are ejected from colonies in late summer. David Aston Surviving through the winter Uniquely, honey bees can survive through a British winter as a colony. They achieve this by converting nectar into honey, which can be stored for long periods in the combs and is available for the winter bees to eat. A typical colony requires at least 20 kg of honey stores to successfully overwinter. During the summer months, an individual worker bee is unlikely to live more than six weeks. Her role is the tiring job of collecting forage and bringing it back to the hive where house bees process the nectar into honey and store it in the honeycombs. These are the summer bees. Bumblebee on astrantia In late autumn, when winter stores have been built up, the number of bees Honey bees and a very few species bees were quite common. Nowadays, in the colony reduces to around 12,000 of bumblebees are the only bees we are dependent on beekeepers to living in a state of reduced activity managed by humans for providing care for honey bees and take steps to in a tight cluster around the queen pollination and the encouragement of control varroa. Bees are now housed and their food supplies. They do not biodiversity. All western honey bees in hives, sturdy wooden boxes where hibernate - instead the cluster moves belong to a single species called Apis the colony can be safe and protected slowly over the food stores consuming mellifera. In the UK, we have around 24 from bad weather. They live as a colony them through the winter. The bees species of bumblebees. Another group of around 60,000 bees in the summer. in the cluster, called winter bees, are of bee species are solitary or semi- They are totally social and unable physiologically adapted to survive solitary bees. All of them, together to survive individually if they are until the following spring. In a long with wasps, butterflies, moths, flies removed from their hive, as is the case winter, they may become exhausted and many other insects, can act as when they are taken for research. and a late spring without fresh pollinators. Sometimes, it is difficult to Each colony supports a queen who, supplies can stretch them to their distinguish the different types of bees after her mating flights, never leaves limits. This is when the beekeeper and charts that help are available in the colony unless the colony swarms, needs to check their food supplies and wildlife books and online. All bees are she dies, or is replaced by worker bees if necessary feed them sugar syrup or vegetarian – their food is pollen and or the beekeeper. Her function is to fondant and pollen supplements. nectar, which they gather from a wide lay eggs and as she moves across the range of different flowers available comb to leave a single egg in each The current situation throughout the year. empty and cleaned cell she is attended A few years ago, doom-laden stories by other female bees called worker of the deaths of honey bees came Living in a box bees who feed and groom her. The to Europe from the USA. American Prior to the early 1990s and the males called drones also live in the commercial beekeepers with hundreds onslaught of the varroa mite and the colony. Their function is to mate with of colonies were finding hives viruses associated with it, feral honey the queen, after which they die. Most containing only a queen and a few
www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 13 Feature
Bees – understanding the current situation
dead or dying honey bees. This came use of herbicides, pesticides and pollinators. The only dependable to be called ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ inorganic fertilizers. source of pollination services that (CCD) and, whilst it still exists in the society can draw upon are those from USA, its cause has not been found. The intense management of arable honey bees managed by beekeepers. The specific signs and symptoms monocultures has destroyed arable associated with CCD have not been weeds, which are now in serious Nutrition seen in the UK or Europe. decline. And the practice of ploughing Both honey bees and bumblebees right up to the field boundary together are totally vegetarian and feed on with spraying out hedge bottoms and Farming practices pollen for protein and nectar for tussocky vegetation has resulted in Historically, farming practices in energy. The quality of available significant losses of bumblebees, the parts of the UK have maintained a forage is important, especially the queens of which overwinter in these patchwork of small fields growing pollen from which the bees derive areas. mixed grasses and a range of crops proteins - the building blocks of surrounded by hedgerows of mixed which are combinations of a number Bumblebees are more vulnerable than plant species and wild flowers. After of amino acids. For optimal nutrition, honey bees. They build temporary the Second World War, landscapes these amino acids need to be the nests and the colony breaks up in changed rapidly and dramatically. This right ones in the right amounts and late summer. Only the newly mated led to a huge reduction in biodiversity proportions. The quantities and ranges queen will survive if she is lucky. She with the loss of wildflowers, of amino acids vary from one pollen will search for a suitable winter nest exacerbated by the grubbing up of type to another. And it is now well site where she may not be safe and hedges or inappropriate hedgerow demonstrated that bees need to forage is always in danger of being eaten management through the use of across a range of pollen types in order by predators or dying of cold and mechanical flails, the ploughing of to obtain the variety and quantities of damp. Changing weather patterns are natural grassland, and the extensive proteins and amino acids required to also likely to seriously impact insect ensure their health.
Nectar is the principal source of energy both immediate and for storing in the form of honey. It consists mainly of sucrose, fructose and glucose David Aston together with other sugars and many other natural substances. Whilst quality is important, so is availability. Bees need to know when and where suitable forage can be found throughout the flowering year.
Shelter Whilst honey bees have the benefit of living in a hive, a good beekeeper needs to ensure that the hives are weatherproof and off the ground on stands, so that air can circulate below the floor. It is preferable to have the entrance facing a southerly direction and small enough to be defended from attacks by robber bees, wasps and hornets. Hives should be sheltered from prevailing winds and not located in frost hollows. Shelter for bumblebees has to be found by the queen and one of the reasons for the recent decline of bumblebees is the loss of suitable hedge bottom vegetation and small mammal holes for her to shelter in through the winter. Honey bee on verbascum
14 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Feature
Bees – understanding the current situation
The Government aims to set a new direction to support our pollinators, drawing on the skills and experience David Aston of current initiatives, public enthusiasm and key stakeholders, such as the British Beekeepers Association, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the NFU and CLA (Country Land and Business Association).
The strategy has three main elements: • Gathering evidence on pollinator status and the impacts of pressures. The strategy proposes 12 evidence actions to provide a sound base for future policies to support pollinators, including developing and implementing a sustainable monitoring programme for pollinators. A solitary bee • Priority policy actions. The strategy proposes 18 priority actions for the The general tidying up of gardens and contribute to reduction in forage Government and other stakeholders municipal spaces destroys the places availability and shelter, as well as for implementation from 2014. They that are suitable for nests, so please direct or indirect effects on a lethal or reflect current evidence and build leave hedge bottom vegetation and sub-lethal basis. on, improve and expand current dead leaves until late March. initiatives to refocus the essential Neonicotinoids have featured highly needs of pollinators. Pests and Diseases recently and have been blamed for causing declines in insect pollinators. • A commitment to review and All species suffer pests and diseases Much work still needs to be done to refresh the strategy’s aims and and bees are no exception. The most reconcile the results and observations actions as additional evidence pressing pests and diseases that honey made in the laboratory to the actual becomes available. From 2016, bees face in the UK are the parasitic risk to the insect pollinators in there will be new evidence from mite varroa, the microsporidian field conditions. It does seem that the monitoring programme and disease Nosema spp. (a gut inhabiting bumblebee colonies are more sensitive other projects supplying evidence. pathogen) and associated viruses. to pesticides such as neonicotinoids In addition, lessons will be learnt Beekeepers and the bee inspectorate than honey bee colonies. from the effectiveness of the policy are in a state of alert for the arrival of actions and the partnerships and exotic pests such as the Asian hornet The National Pollinator collaborations built up between and the small hive beetle in the UK 2014 and 2016. Using this evidence, and the European Union. In general, Strategy the Government will work with good nutrition and beekeeping Defra, together with a number of other interested parties to review husbandry skills will achieve thriving organisations and interested groups the aims and identify any additional honey bee populations in the UK. including Garden Organic, have policy actions and ways of working developed a proposed National to strengthen the Government Pesticides Pollinator Strategy to support bees and response by 2019. The use of crop protection products other pollinators and the Government and other pesticides in society has has launched a public consultation on Beekeepers and other directly generated concerns that they are the proposals. The strategy sets out interested parties will be asked to play a causal factor in the decline of ways to safeguard these important a crucial role in ensuring a healthy, pollinator species. Pesticide is a insects and the role they have in thriving honey bee population to general term covering a range of pollinating many food crops and wild enable them to contribute to the substances that may be used as plants, and the contribution they make pollination requirements identified in insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, to the security of our food and the the strategy. herbicides etc. Their use may biodiversity of our landscapes.
www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 15 Heritage Seed Library Protecting our organic heritage
Our valuable work to conserve, share and promote our Heritage Seed Library’s wonderful collection of more than 800 rare and unusual varieties went from strength to strength in 2013.
Seed Guardians different varieties from our ‘Orphans and fruits being made available from Our Seed Guardians are Heritage Seed List’. In 2013, 105 of our guardians the Sowing New Seeds collection Library (HSL) members who play a opted to take the Orphans List and for the first time. A total of 3,469 crucial role by taking on the extra 72 took varieties from it to grow for members ordered seeds from the responsibility of growing seed for us. We included 26 varieties in this 2013 catalogue. Most people who our collection. We recruited 20 new list, and 16 of these were going out to sent their order in before the March guardians in 2013 - bringing the total guardians for the first time following deadline received their first choices. of active participants to 185. Some trialling by the HSL. These included choose to grow the same varieties French beans ‘Klapprotts Graubeige’ Seed swaps, events and every year, while others take on and ‘Robison Purple Pod’, and peas training. ‘Lockie’s Early’, ‘Rutland’, ‘Sharpe’s Liberty’ and ‘Timperley Wonder’. The Garden Organic Potato Day Seed Swap in January 2013 was as popular In total, 115 guardians returned a as ever with lots of visitors bringing total of 331 batches of seeds to us along seeds to swap or leaving in 2013, covering the full range of donations in return for packets of vegetables in the HSL collection. This HSL seed. We also supported 24 seed equates to nearly 27,000 packets, swap events throughout the country which represents about 50% of the in 2013, providing ‘starter packages’ seeds we supply to our members. of seed and information on the HSL. The remainder are produced at Ryton We also attended ‘Lets Liberate Organic Gardens. We were sent 16 Diversity’ in Basel, Switzerland, and new varieties for future trialling ‘The Great Seed Festival’, a seed and potential inclusion in the HSL exchange themed event hosted by collection. the Millennium Seed Bank in Ardingly, West Sussex, in conjunction with We also forged links with Lindsay Seedy Sunday, Brighton. The HSL ran Berry, former Garden Organic gardener seed-saving workshops at Ryton and and now Head Gardener and Trainer at for Master Gardeners at Gressenhall, Ordsall Hall, Salford, in 2013. Lindsay Norfolk, and in London. We also ran a now manages a small network of training session in Toxteth, Liverpool, guardians in the Manchester area, who to help a local group set up and grow locally to produce seeds to return manage their own seed library. to the HSL collection. Leonardo and Gruntdvig Growing at Ryton The Leonardo and Gruntdvig The HSL grew 123 varieties from the programmes (now Erasmus+) provide collection on site at Ryton in 2013, funding to support UK vocational including 15 pre-accessions (new education and training (VET). Our varieties) for trialling. The quantities Heritage Seed Library secured funding produced from this grow out represent to support two ‘Life Long Learning almost 25,500 packets of seeds. We Projects’ to improve training and also carried out agronomic trials on skills whilst working together with onions from the collection thanks to a European partners (see p17 for a generous legacy donation. detailed report).
HSL catalogue and distribution We offered a total of 218 varieties in the Heritage Seed Library Catalogue in 2013. This included 36 new varieties Dedicated Seed Guardian Adam Alexander and 22 of these were exotic vegetables growing tall peas for our HSL collection.
16 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Feature Sharing skills across Europe Neil Munro, Heritage Seed Library Manager.
Our Heritage Seed Library (HSL) is currently involved in two ‘Life Long Learning Projects’ through the European Commision’s Leonardo and Grundtvig funding streams (now renamed Erasmus+).
Both of these projects support UK vocational education and training (VET) organisations, staff and volunteers to work together with European partners to improve training and skills. These two partnerships bring together 12 groups from across Europe in total, and run from Grundtvig partners gathering in Górzno, Poland September 2013 to June 2015.
The Leonardo Partnership is entitled, ‘Growing Agricultural Biodiversity: one of which we hosted. This is what seeds, attend workshops and socialise. knowledge and practice in Europe’. was achieved through these meetings: This event moves around the country There are six themes to the meetings every year to give a boost to each covering: Seed Enterprises; Seed Leonardo regional group. The Spanish seed- Exchanges; Vegetables; Fruit; Cereals; West Sussex, UK – September 2013 saving organization Red De Semillas and the town council hosted the event. and Legislation. These meetings are This was a Seed Exchange themed to exchange competencies in these event held at The Millennium Seed The main activity of the two days was areas and to share resources, technical Bank, Ardingly, and it was entitled, information and the best ways of meeting, swapping seeds and sharing ‘The Great Seed Festival’. The event experiences, but there were also managing and maintaining agricultural was hosted by The Millennium Seed biodiversity. workshops including ones on: grafting Bank in conjunction with the HSL and fruit trees; seed saving; ethical Seedy Sunday from Brighton. It was finance; visits to the local gardens; the The Grundtvig Partnership is entitled a great opportunity for people to see ‘Seeds for The Future’ and its aims are role of women in agro-biodiversity; and get involved with a seed exchange growing and drying peppers; and a to compare best practices in the areas in the UK. There were talks on various of educating people in seed saving, round table on the past, present and topics, including an introduction on future of traditional varieties in the how to help organise growers and seed saving given by our HSL staff. establish supporters’ networks, and region. There was also a volunteer-run Both the HSL and Seedy Sunday set up bar and food stand, stalls selling food the best approaches to dealing with stalls where visitors could come and the potential problems that could and plants, theatre performances and exchange seeds. Seeds could also be music. Many of the townsfolk gave use come from the European Union’s new bought from various stands, and there PRM (Plant Reproductive Material) of their houses to accommodate the were plenty of food stalls and participants for free. legislation. related crafts.
These partnerships are arranging There was lots of interest in the Leonardo various visits to the countries involved seeds from the UK, and the seeds and to experience first-hand how crops are Villanueva de la Vera, Spain – growing techniques were shared with grown, collected and made available October 2013 many visitors. We visited the area on to others. There are 25 meetings being Again, this event near Madrid was held the edge of town where people have organised through Leonardo and four under the Seed Exchange theme of plots of land for food production. through Grundtvig. Clearly not all the programme. It was a chance for There was also a seed-saving visits can be attended by everyone, so the 25 regional Spanish seed-saving workshop and there was a good level during 2013 we chose to attend five, organisations to come together, share of knowledge among the participants, with lots of very specific questions www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 17 Feature
Sharing skills across Europe
4. For all proposals, which impact upon biodiversity, consultations should take place with the public, and the decisions should be made by elected representatives. The protection of biodiversity is not a “technical detail” in the meaning of the Treaty on the functioning of the EU.
5. Labelling requirements should be truly transparent and reflect the technological developments, including new microbiological breeding methods, and any technical and legal restrictions of use.
6. Official controls governing seeds and plants shall remain a public Leonardo and Grundtvig visitors being given a tour of Ryton Organic Gardens. service and shall be provided free of charge for small operators (micro- enterprises). from the audience about their own what could be done collectively across particular experiences. the organisations that attended. After This declaration was signed by 40 lengthy discussions late into the night, organisations including Garden Organic. Grundtvig the meeting resulted in the ‘Vienna Górzno, Poland – October 2013 Declaration’ that came up with a common statement of demands that We are now looking forward to the This first Grundtvig meeting each organisation signed up to. These next series of visits that will complete was hosted by Stowarzyszenie demands are: these Leonardo and Grundtvig projects. Dla Dawnych Odmian I Ras (The Staff from our HSL are set to host Association ‘For Old Varieties and 1. People, whether they be farmers another two of these meetings in Breeds’). The meeting consisted of or gardeners, must not be the UK. several workshops and presentations obliged to buy seeds or other that covered a wide range of ’plant reproductive material’ from Leonardo and Grundtvig areas including cereals, cattle and commercial providers. Any regulation Ryton Organic Gardens, England – vegetables. There was also a tasting must guarantee the rights of farmers, May 2014 session held in the evening to allow gardeners and all collectives to This was a combined Leonardo and delegates to sample local produce, use, exchange and sell their own Grundtvig meeting, which brought including vegetables, meat and seeds and plants, to respect all together 26 people from five beer. The following day, there were Human Rights Declarations and the organisations. The first day was at workshops. One of these was on seed International Plant Treaty (ITPGR-FA). saving and ended in a meal made from our Warwickshire headquarters, Ryton Organic Gardens, showing the work of local varieties and foraged plants from 2. The industry standard should not The Heritage Seed Library, and then the local area. be the adopted standard for the there was a presentation from the seed and plant market. It implies seed company Real Seeds and another Leonardo a technical and legal definition from, Brockwell Bake, an organisation Vienna, Austria – November 2013 that natural plants cannot comply growing and baking with heritage with and it does not recognise the This meeting focused on seed wheat in London. The following day significance of biodiversity. legislation and was hosted by Austrian was spent at the gene bank at WHRI seed conservation organisation Arche at the University of Warwick, where 3. Freely reproducible plants should Noah. It looked at the flow of updates Charlotte Allender gave us a tour and not be subject to compulsory regarding the new PRM legislation explained the way that this gene bank registration for varieties or that has been proposed. The first part conserves and distributes vegetable certification of seeds and plants. of the meeting explored what each accessions. Finally, we were given a Biodiversity should take precedence country had been doing in terms of tour of Charlecote Mill and shown the over commercial interest, as it is a lobbying against the legislation, and whole process from wheat to flour. the rest of the meeting focused on public good, just like water.
18 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk LEADER Growing sustainable communities
LEADER is the chosen European approach to deliver the specific measures of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and enables a ‘bottom-up’ community involvement approach to rural development. The current programme started in 2009 and finished at the end of 2013. In central Warwickshire, it provided funding and support for 241 different community actions/events and projects with total beneficiaries of 59,949 people, 55 businesses and 73 public sector organisations (mainly schools). LEADER is funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and Defra.
and existing sites), 12 school garden projects and 11 community groups/ clubs across the central Warwickshire area. In total, our Get Growing! project had 10,984 beneficiaries. It is notable that a much greater diversity of food growing initiatives was achieved than originally anticipated, including beekeepers, pig clubs and community supported agriculture (CSA) schemes.
LEADER Big Gather In order to showcase the success of the first Central Warwickshire Villages LEADER programme, Garden Organic secured additional funding to hold the The Big Gather event in July 2013 ‘Big Gather’ celebration. By taking part in both the lead-in activities and the final event itself, communities shared knowledge, inspired and learned from Central Warwickshire Villages (France), Saaremaa (Estonia) and each other. This was an engaging way LEADER Programme Hiiumaa (Estonia) promoted growing to demonstrate the success of the food, local food and healthy eating projects that had been funded through Garden Organic is the lead body within schools. The external evaluator the programme relating to community responsible for the management and for the programme concluded: “I was growing, community arts and events, delivery of the Central Warwickshire impressed by the range of projects and links between communities and Villages LEADER Programme. This which resulted from the funding. They land-based businesses. More than project delivered in partnership with are characterised by their variety, 600 people attended the final Big Warwickshire County Council and the ingenuity, vigour, ability to include Gather celebration at Ryton Organic Central Warwickshire Local Action community members, voluntary effort, Gardens in July 2013. This event gave Group ran from 2009 to 2014. The and the sustainability of activities into visitors an opportunity to ‘see, hear £1.2m rural grant funding programme the future.” and experience’ the achievements of aims to create sustainable and the projects, and share and learn from inclusive communities, and create a the knowledge and experience of strong sense of place within the rural LEADER Get Growing! those involved. Numerous workshops, villages of central Warwickshire. Garden Organic successfully completed the three-year ‘Get Growing!’ project, demonstrations and exhibits ran throughout the day, allowing visitors Our programme received international funded through LEADER, in 2013. to take part in food growing, local food recognition during 2013 for the Garden Organic secured this funding related sessions and art activities. The ‘Growing Gastronauts’ project, which to support 34 new and existing Big Gather also included a community came first in the LEADER Nordic- community food growing initiatives picnic lunch where visitors could Baltic Cooperation Awards - Local in the area. The project provided: eat together and share some of the Recourses and Environment category. gardening support and advice; training produce grown by the community This transnational cooperation courses; growing equipment; publicity groups and by other local farmers. project between Central Warwickshire, materials and resources for 11 Shropshire Hills, Valle Du Loire allotment projects (including both new www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 19 Research Expanding our knowledge of organic growing
At Garden Organic, we conduct research in three main areas to develop new techniques and to support our implementation projects: • Organic gardening – primarily for the direct benefit of gardeners, including our members. • Organic gardens, food and communities – investigating the benefits of gardening and aspects of the food distribution system. • Horticulture – mainly concerning commercial producers and the wider environmental effects of organic growing.
Almost all our research is externally brownfield sites in England that are funded and collaborative. The unsuitable for agricultural production Centre for Agroecology and Food that could be used for energy crops. Security (CAFS) is a joint initiative between Garden Organic and We have been working on a WRAP- Coventry University. This enables us funded project (led by Cambridge to be involved with a wider range Eco Ltd) to investigate the potential of applied research, postgraduate of brownfield sites for growing a and professional education and mixture of herbaceous plants (grasses, consultancy on agroecological farming legumes and other flowering plants and food systems, both in the UK such as chicory, ribwort plantain and and internationally. In 2013, the first sunflowers). These can be used as a students were enrolled for the MSc feedstock for anaerobic digesters. Field course ‘Food Security Management’. trials were set up in Leicestershire and Measuring the biomass from the plots Garden Organic staff are responsible Essex on two quarry sites owned by after a digestate application. for teaching on some of the modules. LaFarge Tarmac.
Four key research projects are The aim was to examine the use of described below. digestate and compost to promote concentrations of readily available growth of the plants. Establishment plant nutrients it makes an excellent Growing herbaceous plants of the crops was much more difficult liquid feed, whilst its solid fraction can suitable for anaerobic on these quarry sites than would be concentrated and used as a peat alternative in growing media. digestion on brownfield have been the case on farmland because of the poor state of the soil. sites using digestate as a soil However, they responded well to the Vegetable variety trials improver. applications of digestate and there The selection of appropriate varieties Anaerobic digestion (AD) is becoming were interesting differences in the is key to successful organic growing an increasingly important technology growth of the various species tested. and Garden Organic has a nationally in the UK. It enables the production In July 2013, a successful event for important resource in the accessions of biogas, which can be used directly stakeholders was held at one of the held in the Heritage Seed Library. as a fuel but is more commonly fed sites to disseminate the results and Unfortunately, we have never had to gas engines for the production a final report of the work will be the resources to fully ‘characterise’ of electricity. A slurry like material, available from WRAP. (describe the appearance and ‘digestate’, is produced that can be performance of) many of our varieties used as a soil amendment. In Germany, Anaerobic digestate could also be and to compare them to those that large areas have been planted with a useful material to use in other are currently commercially available. maize as a feedstock for AD, but the applications and we have produced Thanks to a generous legacy donation use of agricultural land for energy a literature review (also funded by we were able to set up replicated rather than food crops is controversial. WRAP) concerning its potential for scientific trials to evaluate cabbages, There are more than 66,000 ha of horticulture. As digestate contains high cauliflowers and onions. Measurements
20 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Research
included pest and disease resistance, members found this crop to grow Foodmetres – shortening food yield and crop quality assessments. and whether they regarded it as supply chains in metropolitan There were large differences in worthwhile. Both the leaves and the areas performance, which will provide useful seeds of amaranth can be harvested, information for future catalogues. but the plant is rarely included in Foodmetres is a three-year European UK seed catalogues. The seeds we Union Seventh Framework Programme Members’ experiments provided were collected as part of project looking at ways of shortening the Garden Organic Sowing New food supply chains in metropolitan Members’ experiments have been Seeds project. areas. FoodMetRes is short for central to the research work of the ‘Food planning and innovation for organisation since our charity was This sustainable Metropolitan Regions’. founded more than 50 years ago. All • Cut and come again leeks. experiment was set up to test the Seven universities and eleven small our members are able to participate idea that cutting back the foliage and medium size enterprises (SMEs) and many regularly take part. Garden in late summer can eliminate pests are involved with case studies in Organic provides full instructions, that damage leeks, but still give the the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, record sheets and any seeds or other crop time to regrow to a useful size. Slovenia and Kenya. The Garden materials that are needed. Many of the Leek moth (Acrolepiopsis assectell) is Organic Master Gardener, London, team widely accepted practices of organic a problem that began in the south was actively involved in selecting gardening were originally developed of England and is spreading north, the case studies within Lambeth and using members’ experiments. The idea whilst the allium leaf mining fly Enfield. was once scorned by many scientists (Phytomyza gymnostoma) was first but ‘citizen science’ is now a well noticed in The Midlands in 2003 and In 2013, the researchers held a kick- respected research method. In 2013, is now quite widespread. off meeting at Coventry University’s four experiments were conducted: London campus and made several • A bumblebee survey. This experiment site visits to nearby food growing • Legumes and nitrogen fixation. was run with funding from Coventry sites. Very interesting trips to urban Legumes will only fix nitrogen when University and was linked to gardening examples in Rotterdam the correct strain of Rhizobium our campaigning work against and Berlin were also included in the bacteria is present in the soil. We neonicotinoids (pesticides linked research schedule. sent out the seeds of four species to declining bee populations) and of legumes to find out if the soils to support bee conservation. The One aim of the project is to study of UK gardens could benefit from aim was to relate bee populations innovations and shortening food inoculation with these important to management of gardens and supply chains – reducing the actual micro-organisms. allotments, especially of food distance food travels, but also cutting production areas rather than the number of ‘middlepersons’. Another • Amaranth (calallo or dhata) as an the ornamental borders often aim is to study urban agriculture, unusual vegetable. Our aim was to recommended to attract them. and specifically horticulture, and its evaluate how easy Garden Organic potential contribution to food supply in different metropolitan areas
In October 2013, we gave a conference presentation at the 2nd International Symposium on Organic Greenhouse Horticulture in Avignon, France. This focused on why urban horticulture needs organic standards, and how our Organic Gardening Guidelines can contribute to this. Urban gardening is constantly evolving and reaches from amateur or hobby growing to professional production either for own consumption or selling/sharing with others across communities.
To find out more visit www.foodmetres.eu.
An onion variety trial shortly after planting out. www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 21 Feature Growing Health By Margi Lennartsson, Head of Commercial Programmes
Growing Health is a national project run jointly by Garden individuals and representatives of Organic and Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming, organisations with a knowledge and interest in the health and wellbeing and funded by The Tudor Trust. This project has been benefits of food growing - working investigating how community food growing can be routinely to establish and build relationships and develop a common language used by health and social care services as a way of promoting between health and social care health and wellbeing for individuals and communities. professional and community growing organisations.
• identifying and working with case studies to explore existing and potential relationships between
Photo credit Photo health and wellbeing professionals and community growing organisations, especially considering the new health structures that are emerging and embedding in local areas. Working with the case studies, we have also been able to identify the barriers that are currently preventing food growing being incorporated into these structures and explore ways to overcome them. In 2013, reports were produced for several of these case studies. Growing Opportunities project, Ideal for All, Sandwell. Credit ‘Ideal for All’. • promoting the project and raising awareness of the opportunities and benefits of using community food The health, wellbeing and social in both urban and rural settings. growing as a natural part of the benefits of gardening, horticultural These include: growing at community health service provision. This has therapy and food growing are spaces; shared gardens; community been achieved through face to-face becoming better established and supported agriculture and care farms; meetings, online communications, documented. Across the UK, there gardens at residential and care homes; social media, and arranging and are many growing initiatives that are and therapeutic/social horticulture/ hosting three conferences: used by different groups to: provide other projects where more than opportunities for exercise; address one person grows food and benefits – ‘Growing Health’, Birmingham, physical and mental problems; socially, physically or mentally, or any September 2013. We organised this encourage social interaction; develop combination of these. conference together with Learning for skills and provide access to fresh, Public Health West Midlands. It was local fruit and vegetables. The The Growing Health project therefore for public health professionals from people involved include those with aims to develop information and the West and East Midlands. mental health problems, physical ‘mechanisms’ that will allow food – ‘The Green Care, White Care’ impairments, long-term conditions, growing to be routinely commissioned, conference, London, November 2013. learning difficulties and those in and patients referred to community This event was organised jointly with recovery/rehabilitation. Despite this, food growing as an effective form of Thrive for health professionals from it is still rare for health and social health and social care provision. Public Health, clinical commissioning service providers to use community groups and social care services. food growing as part of their regular In 2013, we were doing this by: services. Health referrals to growing • building a broad network of partners – ‘Growing for Health’, London, April projects are still a novelty, available for and stakeholders to inform the 2014. We organised this conference only few people. project, support future campaigning for community growing groups to activities and encourage good provide an opportunity to share Aims and achievements practice to be shared. and learn how community food growing initiatives can work and Growing Health encompasses all get commissioned by health care forms of community food growing • running an active project advisory group - consisting of more than 25 providers.
22 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Feature
• reviewing the evidence that links to psychiatric services, whilst also range of stakeholders representing community food growing with health improving alertness, cognitive community growing groups and and wellbeing outcomes. This review abilities and social skills. various part of the health sector. From was written mainly by our Garden • alleviate symptoms of dementia working on the case studies, we have Organic research team during 2013 and Alzheimer’s disease, such as built relationships at a local level to – using online access to the global agitation and aggressive behaviour, between community growing groups academic literature, which was which can in turn improve and the local Health and Wellbeing enabled through our collaboration circumstances for carers. Board partners, including Public Health with the Centre for Agroecology and • provide productive manual activity departments, clinical commissioning Food Security at Coventry University. and beneficial social interaction for groups and GPs. On a national level The review demonstrated the people tackling drug and alcohol we have worked to raise awareness of strength of evidence for the benefits dependency. the opportunities to use community of gardening and food growing • help people manage the distress growing as part of the health service for physical and mental health associated with mentally by interacting with various sectors of and wellbeing, while also showing challenging circumstances, such the NHS and associations of health knowledge gaps and areas of future as making the end of life more professionals. research. peaceful, sociable and enjoyable for hospice patients. For much more information about the The benefits Growing Health project, including a summary of evidence, fact sheets, a In summary, the review of evidence Building relationships commissioning guide and further case showed that to improve health, Through Growing Health, we have studies visit www.growinghealth.info. regular involvement in gardening or made extensive contacts with a wide community food growing projects, or formal horticultural therapy (HT), can:
(Physical health) members of staff, including a garden • increase overall levels of physical project worker, dementia project activity and fitness, burn more worker and outreach project worker. calories and hence contribute to There is also an art and craft project healthy weight management and worker, which is an unpaid role. reduce the risk of obesity. Volunteers are crucial to the garden, • increase fruit and vegetable both in terms of running sessions consumption for adults that grow and providing office support. Horticultural therapy at food, and also pupils participating in Sydenham Garden For this project, the majority of food-growing activities at school (as the funding comes through grants, well as improving their attitudes to Case study – trusts and foundations, development healthy eating). Sydenham Garden, London organizations, and Lewisham • reduce physical pain, and help Council. with rehabilitation or recovery Sydenham Garden’s mission is to from surgery or other medical promote the physical and mental In 2007, Sydenham Garden was interventions. wellbeing of residents living in the awarded a five-year grant from • help people cope with physically London boroughs of Lewisham and the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching challenging circumstances, such Bromley. It provides a community Communities programme. It was as intensive cancer treatment or garden where horticulture is used also part of the Mind Ecominds learning how to live with chronic for therapy and rehabilitation, and project. In May 2013, Sydenham conditions such as asthma or severe opportunities for training for work Garden has also been commissioned allergies. and artistic expression are given. by Lewisham NHS with a three-year The garden was founded in 2002 contract. by a small group of local residents (Mental health) There are a variety of therapeutic including a local GP, who had the • contribute to improved social gardening sessions through the vision and dedication to convert interactions and community week for co-workers. A typical a neglected nature reserve into a cohesion. placement lasts between 12 and community garden. The laying out • reduce the occurrence of episodes of 18 months and during 2011-12 of the garden began in 2005 and it stress, and the severity of stress and Sydenham Garden received 173 was officially opened in April 2006. associated depression. referrals and held 79 introductions • reduce reliance on medication, The garden is run by six paid with potential co-workers. self-harming behaviour and visits www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 23 Chief Executive Looking to the future By James Campbell, Chief Executive
The future for Garden Organic and for organic growers and gardeners looks increasingly positive. More and more individuals, groups and communities are expressing keen interest in growing organically, and the impact of our range of organic growing based health and wellbeing programmes is becoming increasingly recognised across a variety of sectors, from health to criminal justice, as being both meaningful interventions and cost-effective. Our campaign work has grown in recognition over the past few years, and working in partnership with other like-minded organisations across the UK and Europe, we have made significant impact on policy and process in areas as diverse as plant reproductive material regulation and the impact of artificial pesticides on pollinators.
Moving forward, we will be working structures, moving across to a monthly specifically growing to save seed, hard to nurture and support our direct-debit payment system, which to secure these varieties for future loyal members, who provide so will significantly reduce administrative generations and to make these more much for organic growing and costs and enable more member funds widely available. gardening - undertaking members’ to go to protecting and supporting experiments, engaging in national our organic heritage for future We will also be stepping up our role and international campaigning, using generations. protecting our organic heritage for the iconic Heritage Seed Library, and future generations by lobbying and responding magnificently to appeals We will be promoting the Heritage campaigning in the best interests for specific initiatives where Garden Seed Library more actively, drawing of organic growing; identifying Organic can make a difference. We the attention of a wider growing challenges to organic varieties by, will be simplifying our membership public to the benefits of growing for example, inappropriate proposed and nurturing local varieties grown legislation, and standing up to for flavour rather than for uniform commercial interests when these appearance. The exciting new threaten organic best practice and
Ray Spence. Ray organic heritage vegetable gardens future security. We will aim to raise at Todmorden in West Yorkshire awareness more widely about these and Great Milton in Oxfordshire issues, bringing our 60 years of will be wonderful examples of this embedded knowledge in the sector commitment, and demonstrate to to bear, and using our extensive a wide range of growers the many organic horticultural knowledge and benefits of heritage varieties. We will experience. also be encouraging more members to become active Seed Guardians,
Legacies Legacies are incredibly important • supporting the development of If you are considering leaving us a to us. Ryton Organic Gardens is the new programmes, demonstrating legacy, and want to find out more wonderful, attractive site it is today, the benefit of organic gardening about how Garden Organic uses in part due to legacy gifts. Legacies across the country, in fields such legacies to spread the organic have helped in all stages of our as horticultural therapy and message, please come to one of development from the earliest days: education. our Supporter Days. The next one is planned for October 9, 2014, at • helping the development of the A legacy gift is always about the Ryton Organic Gardens. If you would visitor facilities and many of the future. They are given by people of like to find out more, please contact individual gardens at Ryton, such as foresight to help achieve something Anne Durant on 024 7621 7701 or The Paradise Garden. they believe in. A legacy gift to us [email protected]. • supporting infrastructure – many of demonstrates a belief in an organic, the sheds, huts and other buildings sustainable future for ourselves and at Ryton were brought to fruition our planet. thanks to legacy gifts.
24 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk Membership Members update
Our members are vital to maintaining the high level of activity we strive for. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and provide an update on our progress in 2013.
• Local Garden Organic networks – Delivering efficiencies We started to talk to local groups 2013 has seen a focus on reducing the to find out how we can support administration required to manage them better. This is something we memberships and the associated costs. will be looking to develop fully This is very important work as it means in 2014, including introducing more of the generous donations and voluntary ‘Local Hub’ Co-ordinators membership subscriptions we receive to bring together all the activities can go straight towards supporting our in the region, and support the local fantastic projects. Garden Organic members. If this is something you would like to get How members can help us even involved in email phenderson@ gardenorganic.org.uk. more – at no extra cost. There are a number of simple ways Developing the online members can increase their support members’ area that will not cost them a penny: The Fresh Rootz Café at Towards the end of 2013, we • Switching their payment method to Ryton Organic Gardens. introduced a new log in system so monthly Direct Debit reduces our that members can now use their email costs. address as a username and select a password of their choice. We knew Bringing Garden Organic • They can Gift Aid their membership from feedback that members found subscriptions if they are a UK nearer to you the previous login details difficult taxpayer, allowing us to claim 25 We understand that for some, Ryton to remember. The new members’ pence back for every £1 donated. Organic Gardens is too far to travel. To area also includes your membership ensure members based further away details, allowing you to manage parts • Letting us know their email address, still enjoy inspirational gardens, and of your membership online, including so we can send key updates at low feel a part of a group of like-minded renewals, change of address and Gift cost. These members will continue to individuals, we are working to increase Aid declarations. Of course, members receive The Organic Way by post. the membership benefits local to are always welcome to call instead if them. These include: they prefer to talk to us! Members who would like to make any of these changes should email • Partner gardens – We now have Changes at Ryton Organic [email protected] or a total of 28 partner gardens, with seven new for 2014. Of the Gardens call 024 7630 3810. new gardens, we are particularly We now have a new café serving excited about the introduction of vegetarian and vegan street food, run Thank you to everyone who has The Yeo Valley Organic Garden by local caterers Fresh Rootz. This supported us during 2013. We hope you in Somerset. Also new for 2014 new place to relax and enjoy our will continue to help us promote are: Drummond Castle Gardens, beautiful gardens is already proving organic growing in the years to come. Perthshire; Grimsthorpe Castle very popular. In the main entrance Gardens, Lincolnshire; Bryan’s to our site, a small shop has also Ground, Herefordshire; Abbotsbury been opened selling seeds, Garden Sub-tropical Gardens, Dorset; Organic publications and greeting We think we could be missing Sussex Prairie Garden, Sussex; cards. We have also updated the out on over £110,000 every indoor exhibition space, garden layout and Ty Hyll, Snowdonia. For a full year from missing Gift Aid list of our partner gardens email and opening times. For the latest [email protected] information visit our website Declarations. or call 024 7630 3810. www.rytongardens.co.uk. www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 25 Finance Our financial review
Although 2013 was a difficult year for charities, we finished it ahead of expectations with just a small, unrestricted deficit of £15,032 (£21,024 in 2012) compared to a forecast deficit of more than £90,000. A fall in both legacy income and membership subscriptions was offset by: more income generated from donations, appeals and charitable gifts; and more income from our gardening projects, including our Master Composter and Master Gardener programmes.
Restricted income increased from Total Income £2,900,377 £631,027 to £995,512 (2012 9% compared to 2013) due mainly to the 26% Donations, appeals & charitable gifts Food Growing Schools: London and 24% Master Gardener projects. Legacies
Net current assets increased from Membership £17,697 to £86,407 (2012 compared Fees for garden projects 14% to 2013), reflecting an increase in 5% our cash balances. During the year, Admissions & grants we repaid £90,369 of debt in the 22% form of loans and finance leases. Other
Restricted reserves Restricted income remains central to Total Expenditure £2,905,701 the work of Garden Organic. During the year, we continued to run our Gardening restricted projects, whilst developing 8% 19% opportunities for new funding. The 5% Education award of these restricted funds will enable Garden Organic to work in 12% Information & training areas where it would not be able to work otherwise. Research 19% Marketing & PR For more detailed information, 19% please see our 2013 Annual Report Fundraising, publicity & retail and Acccounts, available on our 18% website www.gardenorganic.org.uk. Executive & governance
Public benefit Garden Organic’s Trustees confirm that through our members and also the As a membership organisation, they have referred to the guidance tens of thousands of individuals around a quarter of our annual contained in the Charity Commission reached through our many charitable income is received from membership general guidance on public benefit programmes in schools and the wider subscription. This income is used to when reviewing the charity’s aims community. The Trustees are clear fund our work through our agreed and objectives, its performance and in that there are health, wellbeing and strategy. Our members are active planning future activities. environmental benefits in our work. supporters for the charity and partake When reviewing annual performance The balance of research-related and in research experiments, contribute progress against the agreed practical knowledge dissemination to our campaigns, and support the operational plan, the Trustees matches well with our overall dissemination of good organic considered the range of beneficiaries charitable objects. gardening and horticultural practice. that the charity works with, both
26 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk NFU MUTUAL IS PROUD TO SPONSOR GARDEN ORGANIC
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J13406_GO_Ad_266x187_2014.indd 1 02/01/2014 10:05 www.gardenorganic.org.uk Garden Organic – Annual Review 27 We would just like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all of those people and organisations that helped us to achieve so much in 2013.
This includes our members, volunteers, project participants, Seed Guardians, local groups, visitors, The Organic Gardening Catalogue, donors, sponsors, partner organisations, Trustees, ambassadors, and everyone else who has played their part in our successes.
Some of our fantastic volunteers attending Garden Organic’s National Volunteer Masters Conference 2013.
Organisations recently funding EU – Leonardo Lifelong Learning The Recycle Works our work: Programme The Saintbury Trust EU – Grundtvig Lifelong Learning The 29th May 1961 Trust Santander Programme The Alan Edward Higgs Charity The Sheepdrove Trust EU – Seventh Framework Programme Anson Charitable Trust The Sheldon Trust Farm Carbon Cutting Toolkit Baron Davenport’s Charity The Social Action Fund Fisherbeck Charitable Trust Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme Shropshire County Council G4S Birmingham Public Health Somerset Community Food GLA Breckland Council Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust Gloucestershire County Council The Brook Trust Straight plc Grimmitt Trust Buckinghamshire County Council Stratford-on-Avon District Council JHF Green Trust Children in Need Suffolk County Council J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust CHK Charities Ltd Suma The Hartnett Conservation Trust Coventry University Triodos Bank Keep Calm Gallery The Daylesford Foundation The Tudor Trust Leicestershire County Council Defra The Twitten Charitable Trust Lincolnshire County Council Delfland Nurseries Ltd Veolia Marsh Christian Trust The DJ & M Wood Trust Vinceremos Medway Council The Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Warwick District Council NFU Mutual Foundation Warwickshire County Council Norfolk Community Foundation Duke of Portland’s Charitable Trust William A Cadbury Charitable Trust Norfolk County Council The Earl Castle Stewart Trust Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc Northamptonshire County Council Ecotricity Worcestershire County Council The Oram Foundation The Edward and Dorothy Cadbury Trust Orbit Heart of England The Ernest Cook Trust Thank you to the many other The Other Hat Esmée Fairbairn Foundation organisations which have supported Oxfordshire County Council EU – Cost Action our projects in other ways. Patsy Wood Trust EU – Erasmus + The Phone Co-op EU – European Agricultural Fund for Rural Garden Organic is the working name of Development Ratcliff Foundation the Henry Doubleday Research Association. Registered charity number 298104.
28 Garden Organic – Annual Review www.gardenorganic.org.uk