Sir Julian Rose is one of the pioneers of UK organic farming, commencing the conversion of his farm in 1975. He joined the Soil Association board in 1984 and campaigned vigorously for the widespread introduction of organic farming methods at a time when this system was not known. Julian achieved notoriety when he brought a cow up to London (Hyde Park Festival of Farming) and demonstrated vociferously against a government attempt to ban unpasteurised milk.
.
He developed his farm as a mixed organic enterprise, selling all its main produce locally, while refusing to sell to supermarkets, and coining a theory of local production and consumption which he named “The Proximity Principle.” His advice has been sought by local authorities, development agencies and government. The Estate reflects Julian’s deep-rooted belief that an ecologically sound farming practice is essential to protecting the health and beauty of the wider countryside and the robustness of the food that comes from it. He was an early voice warning of the impending dangers of genetically modified foods, and Hardwick proudly states its “GM free zone” status. In 2000 Julian was invited to become a co-director of the International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside, with his partner, Jadwiga Lopata, co-launching a highly successful ‘Campaign for a GMO Free Poland’ as well as leading a high profile defense of peasant farmers whom he holds-up as the true guardians of biodiversity throughout the world.
.
Julian started his career in drama, but took-on the Hardwick Estate (and Baronetcy) on the premature death of his brother and father in the late 1960s. He has written and broadcast extensively about the radical changes needed to realise a fresh vision to the current status quo, publishing several books laying out his vision for a rural community economy, as well as drawing attention to global issues of corporatisation and loss of small scale farming.
‘In Defence of Life’ presents a penetrating series of essays calling for urgent action to overcome the perilous state of our planet, at the local as well as global level. To purchase the book in e-book form please visit http://www.earth-books.net/books/in-defence-life
‘Changing Course for Life’ is a manual for change, a wake up call for us to take back control of our lives before they become irreversibly controlled. It focuses on pragmatic human scale resolutions to conflicting socio-economic problems, proposing realisable ‘local’ solutions as an antidote to rapidly developing global crises.
To access Julian’s articles or purchase his books please visit his website http://www.julianrose.info/