Guy's Revolution: Going nuts for the future

Riverford founder Guy is back a new Revolution video. This time he proposes the idea of planting acres of nuts to cut farming emisions, reduce soil loss and sequester carbon. But what are the barriers? And will he convince others farmers to follow his lead?

[@philipgodden4035]

We would love to sponsor the planting of a walnut tree. Perhaps many of your loyal customers would like to do the same?

[@theresam.3066]

Yes, that's an interessting concept. Few month ago I adopted two blueberry bushed via crowdfarming and recently received my first box. They taste insanely good, not comparable with the ones you get at the supermarkt and not even one was moldy. I really think leaving out the middle chain benefits the farmer and the quality of the produce .

[@riverfordorganicveg]

Delighted to hear you are loving our veg Theresa! Alot of our customers combine growing their own with buying our boxes and we like to think of ourselves as an extension to your garden, bringing freshly picked veg that tastes homegrown.

[@joycejames4879]

Your approach and what you do is the reason we buy from Riverford. Perennial produce is a great idea and we look forward to seeing this in the future. Love the new plastic free/compostable packaging! The world needs more people like you!!

[@RichardVobes]

Always love your rants. Planting walnut and hazel nut trees is brilliant.

[@riverfordorganicveg]

Thank you Richard!

[@123uschie]

I just joined this channel,what a breath of fresh air. Thank you for intelligent viewing.

[@LeilaniHolmes]

Why don't you crowd fund it? I like to plant trees to offset my own carbon footprint but I don't have my own land to plant on so I pay to have them planted elsewhere (woodland trust usually), but I'd be just as happy to crowdfund a tree or three for Riverford to utilise and take care of.

[@Consciousbreathyoga]

Thank you for everything you do! Thank you x

[@riverfordorganicveg]

Thank you😁

[@anahidkassabian4471]

Guy, doesn’t the success of Riverford tell you that consumers are demanding what you want to do? I know we’re picky, and want more selection than can be grown locally and seasonally and all of that, but the fact that people are looking for plastic free, local, seasonal, organic produce at all gives me a lot of hope. Please don’t forget all the good you’ve already done 😄

[@thedr00]

Completely Anahid. Imagine what families would be getting if Riverford got the contract instead .

[@anahidkassabian4471]

@@thedr00 A friend of mine is flipping out because during lockdown, the school lunch meals are being sent home instead of just giving them the money to buy food. Her kid quite rightly refuses to eat the stuff, not least because at 10 she’s already an excellent cook. If the schools contracted with local organic farms and sent home boxes, kids would be happier and healthier.

[@thedr00]

@@anahidkassabian4471 Plus they'd be supporting local businesses, local farmers, reducing carbon footprint etc etc. The myopia of this government continues to astound me. I hope your friend is ok!

[@anahidkassabian4471]

@@thedr00 Thanks! I share some of my box with them every week, and we all do what we can. It’s just infuriating that food safety, like housing safety and other basic needs, are handled so poorly. I’d be thrilled if some of the changes in agricultural policy that Guy was talking about get made, but the same short-sightedness there permeates all areas of climate change policy, as well as labour laws, benefits programmes... I’ll stop. You get my point, ☺️

[@wazazaza2]

Are you the musicologist Anahid Kassabian? If so your starbucks / world music article bent my mind a couple of years ago!

[@jensweetbaby]

Thank you very much, from my entire family. Truly inspirational!

[@riverfordorganicveg]

Thank you Jen!

[@magikmoment]

Pioneering approach, fascinating facts, great to witness dreams becoming reality. Inspiring.

[@drjoe-jamestilley7328]

Fantastic! From the heart - I am fully behind Riverford and your vision!

[@rirmgigs]

I absolutely love this. So unbelievably true. Not just shouting the change, BEING the change. We must continue to lobby our MPs and government and let them know. My ridiculous excuse for an ex-MP Bill Wiggins has recently tried to undermine the entire environmental legal planning system by wanting to make environmental protection optional. Wtf. 🤬

[@diannedogwalker8935]

I have the same dream.....thank you Guy! I am vegan would love to eat walnuts and hazelnuts grown in this country. 🥜🌰

[@helenwillson9058]

This is brilliant! I love your passion and drive - keep up your amazing work and hang on to your principles - we desperately need more like you to move us forwards. Thank you!

[@denise8561]

Great rant and an excellent idea. Good luck to you.

[@riverfordorganicveg]

Thanks Denise

[@tangalooma7257]

Spot on.

[@alicerobin9152]

Great to see & hear, Guy - we will share on our Leaves of Green page

[@jamessaunders4528]

Great rant. Sounds like your describing agroforestry. I really enjoyed Restoration agriculture by Mark Shepherd great read or listen as a audiobook. I completed my first PDC in UK first lockdown. Have you thought about sea buckthorn (Hippophae)? You’ve probably seen it wild on the coast. I would love to buy more perennial produce locally. Especially if it’s new to me.

[@davidmolliesomerville7767]

Walnut trees can be good in an urban environment too. We have one near us in Bradford in West Yorkshire

[@EarlEBird-fz6yr]

Absolutely fabulous job, I wish you the very best of luck!

[@andreeitner2283]

Love what you're doing

[@dustinfocus]

Beautiful. The market is the only blunt force instrument that couldn't actually crack a walnut.

[@4canspoon]

Brilliant. I hope it works out.

[@Zollistic]

Inspiring as always

[@riverfordorganicveg]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@dawidpolakowski3749]

Sometimes dreams can come true.

[@aliclark1682]

I salute your organic approach and introduction of perennials. Wondering why you chose to limit your nut trees to only hazels and walnuts? It is a monoculture of sorts, and pests and disease will have an easy pathway through the rows of trees. Can nut trees co exist with fruit trees too?

[@christoshtz]

what a sweetheart

[@tobyninja6369]

This guy needs some international air time 👏💪🔥

[@thedr00]

That's such a better use of land/space and funds. What a wonderful idea. I hope this kicks off a movement. If I wanted to do something like this myself, do you have any planting /seed advice to offer?

[@jackiewand-tetley7624]

Love walnuts - especially good for our mental well-being in the winter months. Great idea grazing animals between the trees. How do you get enough publicity & other farmers to take this whole idea on board?

[@tuscan440r]

Brilliant, drag the industry where it needs to go. Interested to know though with the every increasing rise of veganism do you see the nut market growing for products like vegan cheese?

[@sophietopham8822]

plant based here so get more of our protein and healthy fats from nuts and seeds daily - great idea we could do that or sponsor or donate for example?

[@tessachurchard2270]

Inspirational stuff. Any books or reading you would recommend if someone had interest in doing something similar please? Cheers Tess

[@tomatao.]

how come you're planting rows going up and down the hill rather than against swales on contour? genuinely interested in the reasoning. Is it only for exposure to the sun because north to south?

[@riverfordorganicveg]

Guy has a cunning plan to make them harvest themselves, by allowing the nuts to roll down the hill and gather at the bottom.

[@tomatao.]

@@riverfordorganicveg won't you lose harvest to squirrels and other nut loving animals that way? I'd have thought you'd also still want convenient access on contour for pruning/weeding/ground cover. Also, the top trees would have less water in hot summer months

[@riverfordorganicveg]

​@@tomatao. The main reason Guy planted these north south is for better sunlight utilization . Where he is specifically using trees to counter soil loss, he plans to plant across the slope and possibly incorporate banks / trenches to slow water movement down the slope.

[@markc8626]

why is Riverford not expanding at other sites

[@wbesecurity7317]

smart

[@louisebowe5210]

This seems like a great idea but i would want to know that somebody has surveyed the field first (at the right time of year) for the grassland wildlife value given it is unimproved pasture? Some of those types of fields have lots of botanical interest and there are few left nationally. I'm sure you have !? (I speak as an ex wildlife surveyor in South Hams and I know that unimproved pasture with diverse herb species was rare, some of the best I ever saw was always on the steep slopes for obvious reasons).

[@riverfordorganicveg]

Hi Louise, such a beautiful and diverse area to work in your role! Please rest assured our dedicated sustainability team monitor and survey wildlife and habitats across our farm landscapes before we undertake any new initiatives, so that we can have the most positive impact.

[@adrianpierce3047]

thanks, brilliant , that reality is so clear .....crazy that this invisible shied of ignorant short term destruction has gotten this far, need to hit the brakes and do 'a government you turn' seriously..

[@SandyJane]

Great idea to plant walnuts, but please don’t demonise farmers, all farmers are not the same, and they all plan way ahead of the next season. Independent farmers need to be congratulated for the wonderful way they have looked after our landscape for hundreds of years. I am not in agreement with massive factory farming, that should be banned, especially large grain farming where they rip out ancient hedgerows to increase field size and spray crops with glyphosate. And while I’m having a mini rant, a definite no to GMO‘s! Let’s just all grow more food, taking care of the landscape, and our wonderful wildlife.

[@rirmgigs]

One thing i respectfully disagree with you there is that farmers have been looking after our landscape. Whilst it’s true that those rolling hills, stone walls and heavily grazed landscapes are beautiful in their own way, they are devoid of biodiversity. And they didn’t farm for aesthetic reasons. It simply became what it is through increasingly intensive farming systems over the centuries so they could raise animals for food. And we have become accustomed to this kind of landscape and see it as beautiful and ‘wild’ because it doesn’t feature as much concrete as we are now used to. Look at the New Forest for example. Massively overgrazed, a national park yet species such as the hazel dormouse ( a great indicator of a biodiverse environment) literally cannot exist there apart from the less managed outskirts of the NP. I also don’t think Guy bashed farmers. He said that most want to go on the journey of looking after the environment alongside their farming practices. Let’s encourage them to do more, they know their land better than anyone could, so they know where the best opportunities lie. We need to give them that chance through subsidies and governmental / legislation changes 🤞