Nestled between Snowdonia and the Irish sea lies an 80-acre permaculture farm that paints a picture of mixed farming at its most magical and mountainous. In Henbant’s grazing fields, agroforestry rows, poultry and pasture buzz with biodiversity. Peek into the agriwilding area, and you might find cattle grazing amongst wood pasture, and pigs if you’re lucky. In the market garden, you’ll discover neat rows of onions, leeks and salad, overlooked by a wood-fired sauna.
This May, over 40 people from across the UK and beyond travelled to this picturesque patch of North Wales for ORFC in the Field at Henbant, an intimate two-day workshop series exploring permaculture, people and poultry. From new entrant farmers and forestry students, to permaculture newbies and long-timers alike, we welcomed a group whose diversity in background and interest reflected a key ethic of permaculture itself: our rich mix of participants made for vibrant community, ready to explore the myriad of benefits and practices within permaculture – and how to bring them to life.
After a delicious dinner from the outdoor pizza oven, local folklorist Eric Maddern told us of the myths of this age-old landscape. We were ready to follow in the footsteps of kings, sorcerers and farmers before us – and of course for bed, before a busy two days ahead.
In theory: A deep-dive into the permaculture movement
Up bright and early for Day 1, we received a warm welcome from the Henbant team – quite literally, as occasionally wintery Welsh weather means roaring fires are a must! If you’re asking ‘But what exactly is permaculture?’, you’re not the first or last person to do so. Regenerative livestock farmer Hannah Thorogood’s session on applying permaculture design to livestock offered the perfect introduction, focussing on how bringing animals into your farming system can align with key permaculture principles and ethics. Heralded by sparrows swooping through the barn’s rafters, we discussed the importance of cooperation over competition, using biological resources and considering relative location when designing farms, smallholdings and gardens.
Hannah’s session was complemented by a lunchtime talk from Andy Goldring, Chief Executive of the Permaculture Association, who explained how many major developments and actors in the agroecology movement have their origins in permaculture. And not just in the UK – our evening fireside talk on Wednesday night featured John Wilson exploring the international permaculture movement, and his work across east and southern Africa.
Poultry and potions
Our following workshops showcased just some of the varied and visionary practices of permaculture. With Ember Checkley of Thrive Poultry we learnt about the significance of rare poultry breeds. While just three corporations own the intellectual property of commercial poultry genetics, and two of these companies own 90% of the world’s poultry, breeding, buying and consuming heritage poultry plays a vital role in food sovereignty and restores the value of more resilient and adaptable breeds. Regenerative poultry management involves steps like constant movement, living ground cover and recovery periods; there are lots of systems into which you can integrate these including pasture-raised mobile coops, mulit-species rotational grazing and silvopasture.
With Matt Dunwell, consultant and lead tutor on Bristol’s practical sustainability course Shift, we got our hands dirty making biofertilisers, working with the microbial magic of rotting and composting processes to build functionality into our soils: a permaculture solution to current fuel and fertiliser shortages. They’re easy to make for any scale with ingredients like milk, bran and woodland duff. ‘I’m going to get started, it seems so obvious and doable, and really important’, one participant said, sharing their excitement of ‘the connection between working with the microbes of our natural environments and the food quality and nutrient density we produce.’
Permaculture in practice and possibility
During our farm tour, Matt Swarbrick, one of the farming team at Henbant, led us through the different pockets of this mosaic landscape. Through the wonderful interactions of livestock, plants and people, we witnessed permaculture in action. The sequencing of poultry following cattle in the grazing fields, pigs living amongst woodland pasture and the use of biofertilisers on cattle bedding all demonstrated a key principle of integration above segregation.
Our time at Henbant has not only given us the theory, the tools and the connections to approach land management from a permaculture perspective, but perhaps most importantly, it has shown us that permaculture is possible. ‘It gives me a lot of hope,’ another participant reflects. ‘I’ve seen it happen, I know that there are places like Henbant where people are doing cool things, we can come here to learn, and we can go off and do our own cool things.’ We leave Henbant with a renewed sense of energy, hopeful for, as Henbant put it, ‘a more beautiful world we know is possible.’