Europe's last truly sustainable farming?

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Richard Perkins is a globally recognised leader in the field of Regenerative Agriculture and is the owner of Europe’s foremost example, Ridgedale Farm, Sweden. He is the author of the widely acclaimed manual Regenerative Agriculture, regarded as one of the most comprehensive books in the literature, as well as Ridgedale Farm Builds and Farm,Fish,Hunt,Pick,Bake.

His approach to no-dig market gardening and pastured poultry, as well as his integration of Holistic Management, Keyline Design and Farm-Scale Permaculture in profitable small-scale farming has influenced a whole new generation of farmers across the globe. Garnering more than 16 million views on his blog, and teaching thousands globally through his live training at the farm and online, Richard continues to inspire farmers all over the globe with his pragmatic no-nonsense approach to profitable system design.

[sippinghotchocolate]

I grew up on station farms in New Zealand in the 70s and 80s where the economy relied on sheep farming where sheep were raised for both their meat and wool. A small community of families where everyone that lived on the station had a role to play. There were a number of shepherds (with skills in managing horses and dogs); a shepherd to milk dairy cows (we had a dozen dairy cows), a cook (for the shepherds); a mechanic; and of course my father who contracted his services to build the fences and during shearing season, help with shearing the sheep. Most families had a small kitchen garden and maybe a couple chickens. One year we raised pigs but mostly the men hunted wild boar. I have lots of good memories of living on the stations especially during spring when the lambs' tails were cut (in the evenings all the families on the station would gather round a huge bonfire and cook the tails--so delicious) and then again in summer for shearing season. Most everyone that had a specific role also had many other skills.

[chelinfusco]

I never learned so much in such a short period of time. How you retain so much useful information is remarkable. Then you explain it so the layperson can grasp it or at least get the sense of what you are conveying. It was also wonderful to see all three of you together, four counting the dogie, having such a lovely time.

[Elfunkox]

7:48 when they are hanging the rye to dry on the wooden rail system it is exactly how they used to dry rice in japan. Even the tying method, lol. I'm very interested in this method of reclaiming land from the forest, especially for ruminants, as that seems to be the most suitable method for the economic conditions here. :) Wow, great video!

[voluntaryist]

Masanobu Fukuoka details how he created a sustainable farm, and afterward enriching the soil every year in "The One Straw Revolution". For example, he started by burying trees in hard red clay to lay the groundwork. He grew the highest output of rice with the least input and he did it without pools of water. It took multiple companion crops of legumes planted first, then temporary flooding to weaken them, then rice starts. Before each harvest, he started a new crop to keep growing year round.

[MrMcGillicuddy]

The Edo era of Japan is very impressive. They were pretty much self sustained. The amazing level of repair and recycle is astonishing and inspiring

[williammcduff]

Richard, Very interesting video and it's true that this type of model doesn't work well on a commercial basis. When I was growing up in the late 1950's & early 1960's I'd spend summers at my aunt and uncles subsistance farm and as you say it was a lot of manual labour. They had some laying hens, 1 cow, 1 horse and a few pigs as well as about 1 acre of market garden.
The surplus produce was either used for bartering or sold at the farmers market on the weekends to buy essentials which they couldn't produce, such as coffee, sugar, flour, etc....
During the off season home made bread, preserves, etc was sold at the market when the crops were finished for the year. No commercial fertilizers just the manure from the animals was used for the market garden.

[kahae]

The quote from Plato was very illuminating. I remember Paul Gautschi (who uses his "back to Eden" style of agriculture which requires no outside inputs - somewhat similar to the ramial chipped wood concept) saying that the Hoh rainforest close to him can receive 14 feet of rain a year yet this does not cause undue disturbance because the very dense layer of leaves, needles and rotted tree branches and twigs simply absorbs the moisture, Rainfall where Gautschi himself is, is low, but he employs this concept in his orchard which has not been watered or fertilised in 40 years and yet fruits heavily - as numerous videos will attest - and enables him to grow vegetables and strawberries directly under the trees. A modified system is used in his huge vegetable garden because he has to find a way of using the compost produced by his poultry. However the result is a soil that is pH neutral and can grow an enormous range of food crops very successfully.

[emmavik-fredriksson]

Fascinating, of course I heard of this in school (I'm swedish) but interesting to hear your thoughts about this kind of farming. Did you know they grew a special kind of turnip, called "svedjerova". Apparently those turnips thrived in the ashes and the ash prevented the many diseases that usually hit the cabbage family!. Great video.

[juwright]

Absolutely outstanding! This has to be your best video to date. THANK YOU for taking us along. 👍🏻

[andrewtowell]

In brief my understanding was you plant some grains, corn, sunflowers etc to supplement the chicken diet with, while having them forage over a diversely planted pasture, ideally under a chicken tractor. Collect the chickens (high nitrogen) manure as you go and store. Scythe or mow some grass (greens). Collect hedge row trimmings and/or coppice (browns), shred it up small and make proper hot aerobic compost from it. Relieve the subsoil of any compaction it may have and use your aerobic compost at that soil layer to prevent it reoccurring, planting green manures along the way. So the basic premise is you grow plenty of food for the chickens and get the soil into a condition were its cycling properly with a soil food web, providing most of its nutrients from the abundance of rock found in all soils (sand, silt, clay). Plant a market garden and transition to a minimal surface tillage while top dress with small amount of compost and teas. Yes a little fuel is used along the way but I guess you could even grow a biofuel crop if you like. Thoughts?

[cofoothills]

love that fencing; excellent info today

[allanturpin]

Richard- since you asked, I happened to watch your Impermanence film yesterday, and a gentleman you interviewed who did 12 meter row agroforestry said he hadn't needed any outside inputs in 25 years.
Seems more sustainable, but perhaps you were thinking of other traditional farming practices?
Thanks for the vid.
Love the old carpentry skills too.

[laurabunyard]

Richard, I lack the money to take your courses, so I just watch your videos and glean information from them. Thank you very much.

[timcent]

2 things: I missed the introduction of the lady in the video
and
Quote of the day : "you never know unless you know".
Fabulous video Richard. Many thanks.

[MrMcGillicuddy]

Very interesting talk Richard. I'm thinking of building a timber frame barn for a small flock of sheep and was considering utilizing the cedar, birch and poplar on my property. Was thinking I could line the roof with birch bark after weighing it for some time to cure and flatten and then lay cedar shakes over it. I figured that would really make it last if I take my time. Then use the poplar bark for siding.

I have been pondering closed loop system of basic needs production on my 48 acres. 3/4 of it is woods. I have about a half acre of annual garden space and many acres of space I plan to convert into silvo pasture. Most of the property already has good grass for sheep and I'm going to seed the area I'm clearing that was an old apple orchard. Burning the brush and stumps should feed the new seeding. I am going to set up a row of 100 pollarded trees for tree hay and harvest tree hay from the forest paths I made after the thinning the hard wood stands. I figure I can make supplemental feed that way and rely on hay until the pollards are mature. I calculated that I can feed 15 sheep thru the 5 month winter from the pollards once they are 10 to 20 years old. Just harvest 33 per year and keep that rotation permanently. I can supplement all the sheep with a annual plot of root crops just for them. If I lamb each year I could potentially have 400 lbs of meet and 300 lbs of cheese put away each season. I'm going to start 3 bloodlines with three rams so I can maintain the breed myself as well. That coupled with a three acre orchard with chestnuts, hazelnuts, and a variety of fruits and perrennial vegetables I think it's possible labor wise. It's pretty good foraging country out here too. I've harvested plenty of lobster mushrooms, chanterelle, hen and chicken of the woods, lions mane, porcini, etc and lots of wild asparagus, cattail, maple sap burdock root and all kinds of edible common weeds.

Anyway I think it's very possible to be closed loop but most of our culture has become so domesticated and institutionalized by the consumer culture that they can't imagine it anymore. " Subsistence " makes it sound like absolute drudgery but it is not. Maybe in that landscape but I can see it being very pleasant and you'd stay in good shape without working 70 hours a week for a corporation

[lazarus]

Slash and burn in scandinavia was a very carefully managed system. The timber was not burnt but harvested before carefully burning the branches. On a very good year you could harvest up to 200 times the seed.

[keveenkorakor]

Hi Richard and compagnie. Baba Bear here, from France. Thanks for amm you create and sharing your thoughts. I'm wondering if a truly sustainable farm is one that enters a symbiotic relationship with the nearby ecosystem -farms working together and feeding one another with their unique strengths. I like to be as autonomous as possible yet I realize how better my life is when I collaborate with my neighbors' talents. Some have lots of land while some have lots of ideas. So, instead of sustainable ag, could we head towards symbiotic living?
Ps: loved ur book and ur work

Love love love

[cherylcarlson]

Lovely countryside but my chest ached for your breathlessness which told me there was no way I could climb to see in person. Thank you for the many closeups just a few seconds after I was thinking wonder about...Love the fencing, have seen in photos but never from all angles, such a good way to deal with uneven terrain.

[BioGartenReich]

Great, thank you for this inspiration.

[TheGrowingDutchman]

Great video Richard, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on this!