The fight to save a farming pioneer, with doves, food, and fun

Wakelyns farm looks beautiful from above and when you visit. In an area known for large fields used for industrial farming, Wakelyns is like a vibrant green space. In the summer, you can hear the gentle sound of turtle doves and see bright red bullfinches, birds that are now rare in the UK countryside.

But Wakelyns is more than just a nature spot. It's a working farm, a special place for studying agroforestry (farming with trees), and a centre for new ideas and businesses. However, it is now in danger. The owners need to raise £1.2 million to change it into a charity owned by the community.

Martin and Ann Wolfe bought the 56-acre farm in Suffolk in 1992. Martin, a scientist working for the government, wanted to do more experimental research than his job allowed. He wanted to grow crops using fewer chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers. To do this, he created one of Europe's first agroforestry systems.

His son, David Wolfe, who is now running Wakelyns with his wife Amanda Illing, explained that turning normal fields into 56 narrow strips of farmland with trees planted between them was considered very strange at the time. The farmer who sold them the land even said they had ruined a good wheat field.

Today, Wakelyns is an excellent example of agroforestry, which is now official government policy. The government plans to turn 10% of farmland into agroforestry systems by 2050 and wants to encourage more farmers to adopt similar methods to Wakelyns.

The trees planted between the farmland strips are themselves crops. After more than 30 years, some have grown into large trees used for timber. Others produce fruit like apples, cherries, and plums. The most profitable are hazel trees, which are cut down every seven years to produce high-quality sticks used for making traditional hedges. Each stick sells for £1.40, and Wakelyns cannot produce enough to meet demand.

The alleys between the trees are used to grow organic crops like wheat, lentils, and hemp. After these crops, the land is left to rest and improve its fertility. Vegetables such as potatoes, squash, and courgettes are also grown.

The farm's main idea is to create ‘resilience through diversity’, meaning strength through variety. Wakelyns developed the first commercial growing of lentils in the UK and is still the only place in the country that commercially grows black lentils. David Wolfe believes that if the UK wants to be able to feed itself, it should grow more peas and beans instead of crops used for making fuel.

Wakelyns' variety also includes a unique collection of different types of wheat and many varieties of apple trees. While large orchards, which usually grow only a few types of apples, might have a bad harvest, a mixed orchard like Wakelyns' will still have some varieties that do well each year. David Wolfe points out that farmers who grow only one crop are taking a big risk.

David Wolfe and Amanda Illing took over the farm in 2020 after David's parents passed away. They added a strategy called ‘enterprise stacking’, which means bringing people back to the countryside through various connected activities.

David explained that they have introduced more complexity by involving people. He sees it as a way of using land more effectively and sustainably. He contrasts this with most farms in the area, which have no plants that store carbon, little wildlife, no visitors, and no children. He says that on many farms, no one lives there, hardly anyone works there, and people are not gaining well-being from the land, and farmers often struggle financially. He says Wakelyns aims to use the land to provide nature, food, well-being, visitors, and enjoyment.

There are ten small businesses on the farm, including a bakery, an educational charity, and a honeybee operation. However, Wakelyns is more than just a collection of businesses. David explained that their model is about collaboration, with all these businesses working together and directly involved in the farm's production.

The main challenge for Wakelyns is to ensure the farm continues to exist in the future. David is willing to give his share of the farm to the community society, but his brother wants to sell his share. Therefore, £1.2 million needs to be raised to buy it. David hopes that enough people will invest in the community share offer to give Wakelyns a secure and democratic future. If they don't raise the money, the farm will have to be sold to the highest bidder.

People who already work with Wakelyns are eager for it to continue. Harry Read, a bird expert who grew up nearby, organises nature walks at Wakelyns. The farm has three ponds full of dragonflies, and many birds are seen there. He says that while he grew up surrounded by single-crop fields, people often describe Wakelyns as an ‘oasis’. He finds it very fulfilling and notes that many farmers, especially younger ones, enjoy visiting to learn.

Chloe Webb works in the farm’s bakery. She finds it rewarding to connect the process from farm to table, like making plum jam that day using plums grown on the farm, where the fruit travelled only 200 metres to the shop.

The bakery supplies food for events and meetings held at the farm. The farm also offers accommodation, including rooms in the main house and camping pods. The pods can be moved to different fields depending on the crop rotation, ensuring they don't interfere with farming.

Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown run a business that aims to bring back a natural fabric, hemp, which was once common in Suffolk for making sails. They use the farm's hemp crop to create textiles and hold a festival where people camp, help with the harvest, and share skills related to hemp textiles. They don't pay rent, but the farm earns income from the festival. They reported having the best hemp crop in the UK last year, which they attribute partly to the ‘Wakelyns magic’.

Kitty Wilson Brown mentioned that Wakelyns provides opportunities for young artists. She believes that involving people in working on the land this way is very beneficial, as most young people don't get such chances. She added that seeing sustainable businesses thrive there proves that this model works and that it would be a great loss if it disappeared.

Carrie Phoenix, who leads a charity that brings schoolchildren to the farm, called Wakelyns an incredibly rare living laboratory. She stated that children find it fascinating and often ask why all farms aren't like this. She believes the farm will become even more valuable over time and its loss would be significant.

David Wolfe, who is 61, wants people to collectively own the farm. He hopes to create a stable future for Wakelyns that is not dependent on just one or two people. He wishes that in the future, he can be in a care home feeling happy that the farm is continuing its work.