Earlier this year Radnorshire Wildlife Trust welcomed Lisa and John Sture as our new tenants in the bungalow at Pentwyn Farm. They are taking on five acres of land on the farm, under a farm business tenancy, with the intention of setting up a thriving market garden business.

Lisa and John are raising funds for their private market garden business, independent from Radnorshire Wildlife Trust but aligned with our vision for nature’s recovery and sustainable food production at Pentwyn Farm.

Their vision is to run a small commercial, mixed farm run on regenerative principles - building soil carbon, soil health, maximising water retention and building biodiversity. An abundant space of diverse food! They have a business plan, but this is not set in stone as they are still adapting the plan to the conditions at Pentwyn and the funding available.

Their intention is to develop a mixed farm of vegetables, mushrooms, microgreens, chickens, fruit, trees, and community. They would like to produce vegetables and locally adapted open-pollinated seed on up to 1 hectare of land, using Permaculture, No Dig and Regenerative Farming methods. On the rest of the land, they plan to produce eggs from pastured hens, a forest orchard of predominantly apples and pears, with other fruits and herbs grown alongside, and a small wild campsite. They will seek to involve the community by offering events that offer nature connection, and opportunities to volunteer and learn about growing vegetables, as well preparing and eating them, providing a greater understanding and connection to fresh, healthful ingredients.

Lisa said, “Our aim is to contribute to a resilient local food network and become part of the community here.”

If they can be successful at Pentwyn Farm, it offers a lot of opportunity for this form of food production to be taken up more widely in the Welsh hills. They have set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for some of the start-up costs, allowing them to fast-track to full-scale production. Anyone who wants to know more should look at their JustGiving page, here:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/WilderPentwynProduce