Seeds of Hope

by Lorienne Whittle

The last harvest – as it were known 

As we come into winter 2024 the primary purpose of every field in Boothby is now nature recovery. In time we will produce food off this land – meat from the pigs, cows and deer, who will be integral to helping us shape and manage the Wildland, will be sold locally. ‘Fields’ will be largely a thing of the past as our animals free roam across hundreds of hectares – see our blog on field names. So, farming will continue but with the emphasis on benefits to wildlife and the environment.  

Shifting the focus, reshaping the landscape 

As for the benefits to society, rather than focusing on food production, Boothby will be reshaped – quite literally – for other positive outcomes including flood alleviation, improved air and water quality, more employment opportunities, increased and improved access and wider access to nature for all (school visits, volunteering, community events, tours etc).  

Through restoring natural processes, we will also be ‘producing’ pollinating insects and those that predate on arable pests. The number of these insects is being monitored, which could for example show how rewilding a core area benefits neighbouring arable farms. Continued monitoring is key to our work – enabling us to evidence our natural capital and make informed management decisions. Thats why we’ve put so much effort into collating a robust ‘baseline’ of information at Boothby and why we have a ‘control field’ which will continue in arable production. With ongoing monitoring, we can than make comparisons over time, as well as in relation to the land use.   

The last harvest supper 

Considering that a key reason we’re monitoring change at Boothby Wildland is so we can measure and demonstrate our impact, we must also consider food production as one of these ‘outputs’. Along with the birds and the bees, the carbon and the trees, could we consider what an annual September harvest supper from Boothby Wildland looks like?  

In celebration of this significant ‘last harvest’ milestone in Boothby’s rewilding journey, the Nattergal team gathered at the Lodge for a ‘last harvest supper’. Cooking up the lunch to host the wider team, we tried to ‘practice what we preach’ in terms of locally produced, environmentally sensitive and good quality ingredients.  

Venison from the Wildland – culled because we need to control deer numbers. The orchard provided plums for a chutney and apples for snacks and pudding. Onions grown in the blossoming veg plot and (slightly cheating but) figs kindly donated by one of our volunteers from her garden. Unfortunately, the elderflower cordial had long since been drunk! 

It was tricky. The food produced on this Grade 3 land was largely not food for humans – not directly at least, as most it was shipped off far and wide to be made into animal feed. It won’t be the official way in which we measure our food production output, but the ‘last harvest supper’ is a useful symbol to explain the journey we’re on and a challenge we must consider: How can we encourage life across the Wildland – not only enabling nature recovery but allowing nature to thrive – whilst producing food the sustains our own lives? 

Breaking new ground 

Worldwide, food unites us. It can nourish body and soul. And producing it can nourish the land from which it comes. Like any asset, Boothby Wildland needs protecting and taking care of, but our vision is to show that, with informed and considerate planning, the shift in focus for this land will result in a plethora of benefits.   

This last harvest signifies an important step as Boothby has fully transitioned out of arable farming. Looking ahead to 2025 we have more important milestones to look forward to, not least the river restoration project, the highlight of which will undoubtedly be bringing in beavers to the 200hectare ‘Glenside’ half of Boothby Wildland. Introducing ancient breeds of pigs will not only help break ground quite literally, but might also lead to a more varied harvest supper next year, with more produce directly off the land! 

At Nattergal’s first site we’re breaking new ground in many ways, whilst sowing seeds of hope that look set to blossom in many different forms. Stay tuned for our next Boothby blog , ‘Turning the Tides’, which will describes recent work on site to kick start nature recovery.