About Us
Farming for a better climate
About us
A natural ‘technology’ has existed for millions of years that takes carbon out of the atmosphere and stores it safely in the soil. It’s called the carbon cycle – plants working with soil microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoa. There are more microorganisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on the planet. Healthy soil has the unique ability to ‘draw down’ and sequester vast quantities of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases that are warming the planet.
There’s just one problem. Our planet’s soil has been steadily degraded for decades. Global industrial agriculture and the widespread use of pesticides have all taken their toll. We need to put the life back into our soil, and change how we farm, garden and graze.
The Carbon Farm is leading the charge on regenerative agriculture in Jersey, helping farmers to adopt practices that will keep their soil healthy, and giving individuals simple solutions to make a difference in their own gardens with our Carbon Composting Club.
Craig Dempster
As well as his role with The Carbon Farm, Craig is also the Commercial Director of Jersey Hemp, the first licensed CBD producers in the British Isles.
Chris O’Brien
A former chartered Wealth Manager who left the finance industry in 2019 to pursue his passion for the environment.
Rebuilding soil health
The Carbon Farm makes it possible for everyone to participate in soil regeneration, whether it’s by joining our Carbon Composting Club if you have a garden, or if you’re a farm, producer or landowner, hearing how regenerative farming can produce healthy soil and more nutrient-dense produce.
If you’re a business and want to help support The Carbon Farm’s initiatives, you can find out more about our sponsorship packages and educational opportunities for your teams to get their hands dirty.
The Carbon Farm’s call to action was inspired by the following short video from Kiss the Ground. We hope that once you have viewed it you will feel empowered to take action too.
Jersey Hemp
Industrial hemp captures 10 times more carbon from the atmosphere than trees. Source: Lemus R, Lal R (2005). The Carbon Farm has been working closely with Jersey Hemp, a licensed British hemp farm, to improve and track soil health and carbon sequestration through their industrial hemp cultivation. The Carbon Farm provides biologically complete compost to aid the nutrient demands of hemp.
Hemp being a pioneering crop regenerates soils for other crops and trees. Once established, hemp grows with little water and requires no herbicides or pesticides. This makes hemp the perfect cover crop as it returns nutrients to the soil helping rejuvenate the land. It can be used for soil decontamination purposes, for example, to remediate brown field sites. A case study is being initiated to monitor and record the benefits to the soil of hemp cultivation, and to develop a methodology to calculate the level of carbon sequestration with a view to producing Jersey’s first carbon offset.
Rocquette Cider
In three years, Rocquette Cider has gone from an organic farm with falling yields to a beyond organic producer, farming carbon energy into their soil to increase yields, biodiversity and the quality of their award winning cider.
From soil regeneration training to making their own biologically complete compost, The Carbon Farm continues to measure, report and guide Rocquette Cider’s progress towards optimising their farming practices to produce the highest quality organic cider on the market.
Moon Racing Stables
Owner of the Channel Islands’ premier horse racing stables, James Moon had exhausted his options to produce healthy pastures for his race horses. Multiple years of applying synthetic applications to his land had resulted in diminishing returns, recurring illness in his race horses, mounting veterinary bills and soil that was bereft of life. He desperately wanted to adopt a regenerative approach to his soil and reduce or negate his reliance on chemicals.
After an initial consultation and analysis, The Carbon Farm have been working closely with Moon Racing Stables to create nutrient dense pastures to sustain and improve the performance of his race horses. The Carbon Farm is continuing to monitor and track improvements in soil health and performance. Early results are looking promising as soil carbon levels increase.