“The production and supply of food is the second largest cause of carbon dioxide emissions per domestic household in the UK.”

“The external costs of agriculture in terms of damage to water, air and soil have been estimated by the Environment Agency to be £1.25 billion per year in the UK.”
(Sustainable Land Use and Organic Farming Joy Greenall and Mark Measures, 2003).

The concept of Zero Emissions Farming or Zero fossil Energy Farming – ZfEF – arose from this preliminary work indicating that a vision of a zero fossil energy farm is viable and potentially replicable through the farming industry.

Preliminary analysis by leading eco-footprinter, Best Foot Forward, suggests that:

Commonwork farm has already achieved a carbon and resource efficient commercial organic farm with a far lower ratio of fossil fuel to productive output than the UK industry standard.

But the farm does not exist in isolation and has a further objective: to show how a mixed farm can both deliver the government’s 60% overall carbon emission reduction target from field to dinner plate, and produce and distribute its products without relying on fossil fuel. This creates the ZEF, the Zero fossil Energy Farm, which builds on current leading edge work, but extends knowledge and practice further.

As a first step towards this vision, Commonwork has been supported by the Kent Energy Centre in initial investigations into renewable power at Bore Place.

Helen Bentley Fox has reported on our greenhouse gas emissions (1400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per annum) and we are now exploring the farm of the future at Bore Place. We know that we want to continue to grow food, but what and how – and how it is distributed – given the impact of and on climate change, are big questions. If you would like to contribute to our discussions, contact Susan Fallmann

ZfEF Documents (pdfs):

ZfEF Project Summary
• ZfEF "Low-carbon Roadmap to 2050"
• ZfEF "Vision of the Future"

The Woodchip Boiler
– number 5 of the 9 step ZfEF plan, achieved in 2008

Recycled chip oil and the Bio-diesel plant
– number 2 of the 9 step ZfEF plan, achieved in 2007

Our biodiesel plant on site has been successfully running for over a year now. Local waste chip fat oil is collected from three local shops and turned into biodiesel for use in farm vehicles. It has been highly successful with production keeping up with farm demand. The vehicles run well on it and there have not been any technical problems. A very simple, low cost and effective low tech system. Thanks to David Hawkes who operates the plant and Mike Cottrell who collects the waste oil.

For further information please contact:

Susan Fallmann
Project Coordinator for the Zero Fossil Energy Development
Commonwork, Bore Place, Chiddingstone, Kent
TN8 7AR
Tel 01732 463255 extension 212
Email: susanf@commonwork.org