We have all heard the message that our consumer society is not usually a good thing for the environment. But it all depends what you are consuming, how it has been produced, and where it has come from. Buying certain products that come from the local countryside can help to sustain familiar landscapes, support the rural economy and reduce pollution. Choosing organic produce will help wildlife because organic farmers do not use chemical pesticides or fertilisers. Buying locally also maintains employment, cuts down on transport and the consequent congestion and pollution, and reduces packaging.

Kentish cobnuts

If you look at the countryside of the Stour Valley, the areas that are most attractive to you, and to wild plants and animals, are likely to be those that lean more towards traditional ways of managing the land: chalk downlands, traditional orchards, fields with hedgerows and ponds, ancient woodlands. Modern agriculture tends to lead to grasslands ‘improved’ with chemicals, large arable fields with few hedges, and the neglect or removal of old orchards, woodlands and ponds.

It is important to remember that everyone has to make a living from their land. That means one of the best ways you can help farmers and growers who are managing the land in wildlife friendly ways is to buy their products! By buying local produce, food and drink, you will be contributing to the future of the countryside and wildlife you enjoy seeing every day.

A good example is a very traditional Kentish crop – the cultivated hazelnut or cobnut. Cobnut ‘plats’ are a distinctive and sadly disappearing feature of Kent’s landscape and are often good wildlife habitats. The Kentish Cobnuts Association has been set up to conserve plats by marketing their nuts.

As well as eating and drinking your way to a more sustainable countryside, buying local timber products helps to conserve the Stour Valley’s superb woodlands. Woodland craftsmen are keeping alive ancient methods of managing woodlands which also benefit wildlife. Products include charcoal, tools, furniture and fencing.

So how can you get your hands on local products? At farmer’s markets producers have the chance to sell direct to the public. At markets held in Wye and Ashford you will find a variety of products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products, wines, fruit juices, speciality foods, woodland products and plants.

For fresh, seasonal organic fruit and vegetables delivered direct to your door, why not join a local organic ‘box scheme’. As well as the pleasure of eating tasty produce free of chemicals, you can enjoy the variety of different crops appearing in your box as they come into season.

Kentish Fare is an organisation set up to promote Kentish food and drink. The Kentish Fare logo is an assurance to consumers that they are buying local products. Its members are farmers, growers, food and drink producers, and can be found in the Kentish Fare Chronicle magazine and on the web.

Finally, there is an online guide to buying countryside products in the Stour Valley on this website. Happy consuming!

Will Hirstle
Consultant, Clarity Interpretation

Useful contacts:

Wye Farmer’s Market: 01233 813303 www.wyefarmersmarket.org.uk

Ripple Farm Organic Box Scheme: 01227 730898

Kentish Stour Countryside Project
Sidelands Farm, Wye, Ashford, Kent TN25 5DQ
01233 813307
kentishstour@kent.gov.uk