Thank you for the warm welcome from the Zsamboki Biokert team. Being Matthew’s son, I’ve been following the journey since the beginning and even put in some summer shifts weeding various vegetables. It’s fair to say I enjoyed being on the market stall more. Funny how things come back around, from January I’ll be helping the webshop evolve to suit our customers’ needs.
Matthew and I started the year by visiting the Oxford Real Farming Conference, a firm choice for those wanting to learn about agroecological farming, organic food and supply chain. The community is growing, from a small cohort of dedicated farmers to an increasingly professional and international crowd. This is almost certainly a positive, it’s demonstrative of the message landing with the wider public and the ideas once deemed ‘out there’ are being accepted as important truths.
On the way up, we visited Sandy Lane Farm outside Oxford. Farmer George and his family and team have built a vibrant organic farm and veg box scheme close to their local community. They serve about 400 families each week, made possible in part by the brilliant Growing Good tech platform they have co-developed and refined. This builds a tight feedback loop with customers and streamlines back office and logistical tasks for the team - they packed 400 boxes in a little under 2 hours!
The conference is thankfully not your average dry, academic networking opportunity. The ideas being explored are bold, practical and often even spiritual. They emphasise the connection we all need with Nature to feel healthy and energised. By accessing and supporting local, seasonal, organic food and the people who grow it, we start to become part of a food system that is resilient, truly sustainable and equitable. The main takeaway is from Satish Kumar, the 90-year young founder of Schumacher College, which could not be more fitting on a cold, gloomy January morning: ‘Hope isn’t something held, it’s something to practice’.
From Matthew:
It was great to take part in the conference with so many young people, who clearly feel part of a movement to change our food system and be ‘part of the solution, not part of the problem’.