REBEL REBEL - REBEL FARMER
Turning his back on modern intensive farming processes, this farmer is one rebel with a cause
It’s not often you’re given the gift of a courgette, but when it’s the size of your arm and organically grown (with zero chemicals), it becomes a gift to remember.
Ed Kyrke-Smith, better known as the Rebel Farmer, welcomed us to his micro-farm near Wye to develop his permaculture principles and regenerative methods for producing food.
That means, no chemicals.
“I started it because I wanted to feed my son Freddie proper food,” says Ed. “I didn’t want to feed him things that were covered in chemicals and plastic.”
Becoming a parent changed Ed from a born-and-bred Londoner into an aspiring bohemian, ready to change everything and move his family to rural Kent.
“I suddenly felt quite claustrophobic in London. We had a real soul-search to understand what we really wanted to do with our lives. And then we came across this place.”
The ‘Rebel’ tag came because Ed wanted to farm in his own way, rejecting modern intensive farming processes.
Using a ‘No-Dig’ method for his farming, he builds his own soil by composting local waste products such as animal muck, spent mushroom waste (see page 28), tree chippings and even the waste of local breweries.
By mimicking nature, Ed uses principles such as companion planting, where flora and fauna can work in tandem to regenerate soil or even stop pests from eating certain plants.
“I didn’t want to feed him things that were covered in chemicals and plastic”
“So under the tomatoes, for instance, we have got these edible flowers, which attract the insects, but then I also want predatory insects, too. I want biodiversity to create balance. If you can get everything in here, then it will balance it out. Like, we have blackfly, which aren’t great, but if I sprayed them with chemicals, then the predatory insects wouldn’t come either, so if you leave it, the ladybirds will come and their larvae will eat the aphids. It’s just done naturally.”
Having started with an honesty box out the front gate, Rebel Farmer now sells products and plants on the Open Food Network through Kent Food Hubs, where people can choose from his various tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, grapes, squash, Jerusalem artichokes and many more.
The Rebel brand has this year also seen growth through collaboration, for example having worked with the likes of renowned Folkestone bakery Dockers to create Rebel Farmer Beetroot Bread.
“That went really well and sold out,” says Ed. “We’re also working with Anthony Birch [Silver Birch Fine Foods], who took a load of ingredients to use at the City Feast street food events in Canterbury.”
Working with local schools, the Rebel Farmer has also moved into teaching the younger generation about the merits of regenerative agriculture.
New for 2020, Rebel Farmer is using his open field to welcome guests for a rural getaway in the new 21-foot-high traditional Sioux tipi.
Sleeping five and furnished to a high standard with coir mat, rugs, blankets, comfy double bed and singles, the experience will allow visitors to get back to nature with a roaring open campfire and views of the North Downs.
With only one tipi, guests have sole use of a basic shower block on the field and compost toilet as well as a Webber BBQ for cooking, fridge, electric rings and kettle. There are also opportunities for growing workshops and farm experiences, as well as having locally sourced (very locally sourced for some ingredients) breakfast and BBQ boxes provided.
Ed adds: “We just want to work with more people and grow the brand and get it out there because we think it’s really powerful.”
