Welcome to the website. Quiet Waters is a small farm project in North Devon which started life as an ‘in principle’ plan about 15 years ago and has gradually been built up into a living experiment that combines small scale farming with the exploration of other aims such as conservation and viable, but sustainable, livelihoods.
The farm is some 26 acres of ancient Culm grassland and regenerated woodland and it is run on a chemical free and largely un-mechanised basis. All our intervention with the natural flora and fauna is minimal with careful and patient observation informing any activities before they start. This way negative impacts are avoided wherever possible and the benefits of working with, as opposed to against, the natural systems at play are fully realised.
The farms infrastructure is entirely ‘off grid’ with its own water supply and renewable wind and solar energy for power and hot water. Other external inputs are also kept to a minimum by seeking to provide nutrient requirements, seed and other needs from cross-over and reciprocal arrangements between different on farm enterprises. This naturally leads to a healthy and diverse mix of inter-related schemes running on the farm.
As well as the research and development work, studying and refining such systems, we co-operate with many other farms, working partners and local schools through the ‘Quiet Waters Consultancy’ practice that offers professional services to individuals, businesses and other bodies on subjects from on farm energy systems and husbandry methods to land based planning issues.
As well as the work we are involved in with trialling and experimental systems research we obviously also work as farmers, putting ideas to a true test and exposing these to the markets we trade within. As a result we also have a range of wonderful food and other produce that are the result of the low-input natural systems we practice. A Community Horticulture scheme, ‘Share Harvest’, is being established to help grow and market all of the fruit and vegetable produce whilst the meat is processed on farm and the range of products this provides is sold to Delicatessens, Caterers, restaurants and also to the public through the web shop here, so please feel free to browse.
We are always happy to talk about our approach and methods and operate an open gate policy for interested visitors who make an appointment to visit.
