The Agroforestry Research Trust have today issued a press release detailing the intention of their landlord, the Dartington Hall Trust, to end the lease of their groundbreaking 2 acre food forest project — housed on the Dartington Estate for the last 31 years. The garden has brought over 50,000 visitors to the estate, hosted important scientific research on carbon storage, and become what is often described as the best example of a food forest (or forest garden) in the temperate world.
Martin Crawford, founder and director of the Agroforestry Research Trust, says:
“We’ve put in decades of work to achieve this exemplar of a food forest system. This seems like a complete betrayal of trust by the DHT, who are only looking at money – they have given us no reasons but think they can get more money by flattening and building there or using it for something else instead of the rent we pay.”
A food forest or forest garden is a complex agroforestry system using trees, shrubs and perennial plants to mimic an ecosystem but with lots of crop plants. Think fruit and nut trees underplanted by fruiting shrubs and vegetables. They are very sustainable systems to grow food and store carbon at the same time. The food forest at Dartington has inspired the creation of thousands of such systems throughout the world, and more recently has inspired the Royal Horticultural Society to diversify their plantings at Wisley, and the National Trust to start its first forest garden at Shugborough.
Martin continues:
“Our charity and the DHT have had a long association with the understanding that ours is a long term land-based project which after 31 years still has a long way to go. For example, long term measurements of carbon storage in such systems are vitally important in climate change research.
Throwing us off is not the same as giving a tenant in a building notice – they can easily move. This food forest is irreplaceable. It is literally priceless. What the DHT are doing is ecological vandalism.”
The Agroforestry Research Trust are appealing for help protesting this decision, with the aim of securing the long-term future of the forest garden. They have requested help in writing to the Dartington Hall Trust, and are calling for an economic boycott of the Trust. Find out more information/get involved here, where updates and messages of support will also be posted. Supporters have set up a petition on change.org, which you can sign here.