SDG #3 Good Health — A farmer’s life
This article is part of a series exploring how everyday citizens can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) locally through collective action.
Pigs in the middle of London
I picked the SDG of Good health and wellbeing to start with, as it is particularly close to my heart . When I moved to London three years ago, the sheer size, constant noise and all sorts of pollution made me run to some green space as often as possible. I developed a slight obsession for parks, started growing veggies on the balcony and walked all the 50 miles of the Green Chain Walk, just south of London (in small chunks of course!).
When my dear friend Holly announced that she had left her already cool job supporting budding social entrepreneurs to become an even cooler farm manager, my heart was jumping with joy! Both for her, that her office would be a garden, and secretly for myself as well, being able to go to their regular volunteer sessions and hang out at the same time.
Whenever I tell someone that I go volunteering to a farm on a Saturday, the conversation usually goes like this:
-Oh a farm, but how do you get there?
-By bus, takes about 30 minutes.
-Well, I know you live in South London, in zone 3 (pitiful look), but surely you would need to go even farther than that?
-Oh, no, it’s at Waterloo.
-As in the tube station?
-Yes, yes, it’s just behind the station!
-Nooo waay! A farm? At Waterloo? But I pass by there like every single day!
Indeed, you can not smell or hear anything when you are at the station. But once you start getting closer, you might hear some grunting and gaggle, as the farm has at present 5 chickens, 2 goats, 11 pigs (see below!) and 2 guinea pigs. Oasis Farm Waterloo works in partnership with Jamie’s Farm, a charity with four other rural farms across the UK, aiming to improve young people’s wellbeing through their unique educational programmes.
Jamie and his farm
The founder, Jamie Feilden was working in a secondary school as part of the Teach First programme back in 2005, and he asked his students to take care of some lambs in the school playground . Although having a school lamb might seem surprising, it was less so for Jamie, having grown up on a farm in Wiltshire.
What was rather surprising for him, was that he noticed that the students who benefited the most from this activity were the ones with the most challenging behaviour. There was a real sense of responsibility and a feeling of achievement by caring for an animal, which had a positive impact on their self-esteem and behaviour. He set up the first farm to enable disadvantaged children to get away from their day-to-day lives, spend time in nature and develop new skills through a set of activities based on farming and therapy. 14 years later, they have engaged 5,000 children and had proven positive impact on their development: 89% of children showed an improved mental wellbeing and 53% of them improved their behaviour six months after visiting.
How healthy are you, London?
When it comes to the wellbeing of Londoners, there are huge discrepancies by their postcodes. Differences in life expectancy between the w/healthiest (Kensington and Chelsea) and most deprived (Barking and Dagenham) boroughs is measured to be 5 years. Consistent with the above findings, children growing up in low-income households are more than twice likely to be obese than those from high-income families. Childhood obesity stats are particularly alarming, as they have been growing steadily, and London levels (38%) are above the national average (34%). Although children are largely dependent on the lifestyle choices of their parents, organisations like Jamie’s Farm inspire them to cook healthy meals and spend more time in nature, benefitting their physical and mental health.
A farmer’s life
Unlike the other four rural Jamie’s Farms, the farm at Waterloo does not provide residential programmes, however due to its incredible location, it is able to accommodate regular school group visits from inner city schools. In a course of a visit, students learn about different plants and animals, and generally about where their food comes from. Holly says that one consequence of spending time on the farm, is changing young people’s eating habits. When they come to the farm, they learn how to make homemade pizza or juice, and often the children report going home and making these meals for their families. The farm also work with the local Oasis foodbank to engage the local community every Friday during the holidays, when they cook families healthy and free lunches on the farm.
To make sure the farm can keep up its good work, they rely on enthusiastic volunteers to keep the farm running. The first Saturday of each month, about twenty volunteers get together to help out with weeding, animal feeding, cleaning the barns and planting new seedlings. You can also save on gym membership by engaging in the most powerful workout that puts crossfit in the corner: compost turning! One of the most pleasant activities is going around the raised beds looking for ripe and ready to pick vegetables. Around lunch time, we all gather around the large table to share a healthy, home-grown lunch, generously provided by the farm. Speaking of health, the volunteers do not only contribute indirectly to the wellbeing of the visiting children, but also spend time outdoors improving their own wellbeing as well.
How could you get involved?
You can put your green fingers to good use with Oasis Farm Waterloo by coming along to their regular volunteer days on the first Saturday of every month, as published regularly on their Facebook page. Fast, if you want to see the piglets!
