The Agroecological Way: Short course in Agroecology

The Agroecological Way is a five day course that aims to introduce participants to the key principles of agroecology and grant first-hand insight to a broad range of agroecological enterprises in order to understand the key opportunities and challenges within the sector.

The course aims to get participants thinking like agroecological farmers, weighing up complex interactions within agro-ecosystems and considering their influence on farm management to balance productivity with regeneration

Who is the course for?

Whether you’re a young person looking for the opportunity to do meaningful work, someone tired of their job and seeking a career change, or you simply care about the decisions that are taken about Britain’s farmland and countryside, then this course will provide you with tools to take action and contribute to the agroecological transition.

Where will the course take place?

The course will take place at Tamarisk Farm, on the coast of West Dorset. Tamarisk is an organic mixed farm operating on 600 acres, much of which is rented from the National Trust. The farm has 25 Red Devon beef cattle and a flock of 200 ewes which are a mixture of Dorset Down, Jacob, Shetland, Herdwick and Klun. There are 90 acres in arable rotation, growing wheat, rye, barley and drying peas and a one acre market garden that provides salads and vegetables for local wholesale and restaurants. The farm also sells sheepskins and a range of woollen yarns, free range eggs from pastured hens supplemented with home-grown cereal, and grain and flour which they mill on-site.

The farm is home to a number of unusual plants, including nine species of orchid, grass vetchling and dyers greenweed, and also provides habitat for both resident and migratory birds including kestrels, barn owls, hobby, merlin and corn bunting, as well as dormice and great crested newts. The land is managed to protect this biodiversity and to provide valuable scrubland and wetland habitats through careful grazing and crop rotations.

Course content

- Key ecological principles applied in agroecology

- Introduction to common agroecological methods

- Mixed arable and livestock farming

- Fibre and sustainable textiles

- Horticulture

- Political agroecology 

- Seed sovereignty

- Introduction to soil microbiology

- Opportunities for new entrants

There will also be optional activities such as birdwatching, fermentation and fibre processing so that participants can get a taste of the practices and relationships with nature that agroecology can inform.

Accommodation

Included within the cost of the course price is a tent pitch at Two Wings Camping within the village of West Bexington, where the farm is located. The campsite has access to compost toilets and hot showers.

For the possibility of renting a shepherd’s hut, yurt or cottage on the campsite for an additional cost, please get in touch at theagroecologicalway@gmail.com 

If you would like to arrive the evening before the course starts it is possible to book an extra night camping for £8.00.

Food

Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided and as much of the produce as possible will be sourced from Tamarisk Farm. The menu will be primarily vegetarian with the occasional option for meat, prepared by our brilliant cook Anna Vogel. Please inform us if you have any allergies.

Teaching Space

The theoretical sessions are taught in a beautiful old threshing barn which is in the heart of the farm. It's kitted out with sofas and a projector so makes a comfortable learning space, but please be advised that there is not much natural light. The practical sessions will be held across the fields of Tamarisk Farm.

How to get here

Tamarisk Farm is located in the village of West Bexington, Beach Road, DT2 9DF. We are 15 minutes drive away from the town of Bridport. The nearest train stations are in Weymouth and Axminster, which are both on the X53 bus route.

For more information please visit our website www.theagroecologicalway.com