Graham Harvey
When Colin Tudge, Ruth West and I put on the first Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) back in 2010, we were not sure it would survive even into a second year.
With little money and zero sponsorship, we were going head-to-head with the city's long-established farming conference, which enjoyed wide support from both farmers and agri-business companies.
I had covered the event many times as a farming journalist, so I knew its strength and influence.
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We were the minnows entering the shark pool, driven only by the belief there had to be a better way to farm the land than the chemical-fest that mainstream agriculture had become.
The established conference seemed a very corporate affair, mostly catering for large farmers and agri-business interests.
Stand up
Ours would stand up for small farms and those with an interest in organic and ecological methods.
We would also reach out to the many non-farmers who cared passionately about healthy food, animal welfare and justice for small farmers everywhere.
So, on a cold January day we launched the first ORFC in the Old Library in Oxford.
We put together a programme of speakers – farmers, scientists and academics, all sympathetic to our aims. By the time we got underway almost 80 people had packed into the small space. We didn't sell tickets or charge an entry fee.
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We simply asked our audience to leave a donation if they thought we had been worth it.
As our delighted supporters filed out at the end of the afternoon, I watched relieved as they generously threw money into the bucket. That night, as I walked back to my hotel through a city now under a blanket of snow, I dared to think we might have begun something important.
As the ORFC approaches its 17th year, it has morphed into an unstoppable movement.
Over the years, tens of thousands of enthusiasts have shared their knowledge, skills and ideas, providing a vision for a better, kinder way of growing food and caring for our land; one that would provide fair rewards for farmers and food justice for all.
Myth
While the so-called 'green revolution' has been sold to us as the only way to end hunger, it's now exposed as a myth perpetuated by the fertiliser manufacturers and biotech companies. The reality is, there are dozens of farming systems capable of feeding large numbers of people, without polluting our soils, air and rivers or heating our planet.
They go under a variety of names – agroecology, organic, intensive smallholder agriculture, regenerative farming and many more.
They have one feature in common, though. Their yields and production could be greatly expanded using local labour and resources, without the need for industrial technologies such as chemical fertilisers, pesticides or GM crops.
The creators of the mis-named ‘green revolution' gave the world a dismal fable of scarcity which has locked farmers into a deadly race to oblivion. At the ORFC we've provided a glimpse of something better – an agriculture that can deliver healthy, nutrient-dense food from a countryside rich in wildlife, while at the same time providing decent returns for farmers.
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We have challenged the scarcity myth. The true story of our beautiful world, we believe, is one of abundance and plenty.
Optimistic vision
This is the optimistic vision we have brought to Oxford and the world. It is one shared by a growing number of supporters, farmers and non-farmers alike.
It is why the ORFC has become such a joyous event.
While we may have had our doubts back at the launch, the ORFC's success over the next 20 years seems assured. Its big, foundational idea is clearly one whose time has come.
More information
ORFC takes place from January 8-9 both in Oxford and online. Further details can be found here: orfc.org.uk
