Meet the Farm491 member – Sapperton Wilder

Read our five-minute Q&A with Farm491 member, Chenie Prudhomme, Ecological Officer at Sapperton Wilder to find out more about her role and her experience working with Farm491.

Tell us about Sapperton Wilder.

Sapperton Wilder is an experimental project with a mission to demonstrate how reverting ‘marginal’ land back to nature while still producing food, can be low intervention and cost effective at scales achievable by the majority of landowners. The project began in 2021 and is now up to 180 ha of arable land which was previously farmed intensively. The land is now in a transition using regenerative agricultural principles, with this transition underpinned with extensive ecological monitoring involving the team, local Universities, and citizen scientists. 

 Tell us about yourself.

After working in various ecological fields in the United States for over 10 years, I came to the United Kingdom to get my Masters in Applied Ecology from the University of Gloucestershire. My dissertation fieldwork was based at Sapperton Wilder in the first year of the project, collecting data and setting up monitoring methodology. Once I finished my degree, it aligned with the project evolving and expanding to require an ecologist, so the timing was perfect and I was thrilled to join the team.

My day-to-day as the Ecology Officer is incredibly varied. I am in charge of the ecological monitoring of the farm, help to coordinate experts and volunteers, manage datasets and mapping, liaise with science and industry partners, and manage student research on site. I also assist our Estates Manager with land management activities like managing livestock and planting trees, as well as helping our Engagement Officer in leading farm walks and doing speaking events.

What were your biggest achievements of the last year?

A few highlights include that:

• We received a Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) grant from Cotswold National Landscape, which helped us install fencing and acquire the necessary equipment to integrate livestock into our farming system. In November, we welcomed a herd of 12 English Longhorn heifers and in January welcomed a bull into the herd. These cattle are already playing a huge role in increasing the soil fertility of the land. We are using them for the grazing benefits and in the future, some will be sold as beef and served in the local pub.
• We gratefully received an award from CPRE Gloucestershire in October “for both the inspired and practical implementation of regenerative farming and nature recovery, that maximises returns for the natural environment, maintains food production and benefits the whole community”.

 What were your biggest challenges of the last year?

• The uncertainty of stewardship schemes like SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive) and Capital Grants was a big challenge for us and many farmers.
• The weather – the drought last summer was detrimental to crops as well as some of the wildlife.
• We are still at the beginning of the project so we are in the process of setting up a lot of the behind-the-scenes systems that most existing companies already have in place (i.e. budgets, budgeting software, an office space, etc). Also, the land currently does not have any buildings, water, or any farm machinery, so the past year has been a big effort to rectify those.

 What does working with Farm491 and accessing the Alliston Centre co-working space bring to Sapperton Wilder?