Farming as a Vehicle for Change

Adam Payne grew up on a smallholding in North Devon. It was here that he first fell in love with land-based livelihoods and witnessed what a strong rural economy means. But like many young people, he was drawn to the city and moved away at 16.

Always interested in culture and social change, Adam spent three years studying and living in India and Thailand before moving to London to study social anthropology. But it wasn’t long before the land started calling to him. “I realized the power of quality food production,” Adam explains. “It’s a vehicle for social, economic, and community empowerment, and a hands-on strategy for social change to build the world we want.”

A Permanent Home

Adam started growing in community and market gardens on the edge of London, where he trained in organic horticulture. In 2016, the search for land and the desire to develop his own business led him to rent a few acres on small livestock farms in Devon and Dorset, in southern England.

In 2022, Adam and his partner Deirdre Butterly found a permanent home for the farm and relocated to North Pembrokeshire, a part of West Wales within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. There, they established Awen Organics—a 10-hectare, diverse organic vegetable farm—which has quickly developed a reputation for its produce in the UK.

“We aim for a diverse, high-quality production,” Adam says. “At Awen, we bring together market garden crops grown for health and flavour with a farm business that acts as a force for good for ecology and the community.”

A Reputation for Quality

Awen Organics grows more than 250 varieties of 60-plus crops across different systems, focusing on flavour, soil compatibility, and timely harvests. Their business model is built on maximizing flavour, quality, and yield. Most produce is picked the same day and then sold to local households through a box scheme, as well as to farm shops, caterers, and a national wholesaler in London, which supplies some of the best restaurants in the United Kingdom.

The team grows year-round, employing up to eight people during the summer season and three in winter. “The business has grown fast,” Adam explains. “We are quickly making a name for ourselves on the quality of our produce.”

Room for Expansion

Over the past few seasons, the team at Awen Organics has added two barns, eight polytunnels, a borehole-fed irrigation system, and internal tracks. They’ve planted a 300-tree agroforestry apple orchard and thousands of woodland trees in shelter belts and hedgerow improvements that help create a more diverse and climate-resilient landscape.

In the coming years, Adam is focused on refining production, including improving succession timing, boosting plant health, and increasing output during the colder months. “When we are satisfied that our current land is being used to its full potential,” Adam shares, “we will start to look for more land to extend the winter and hungry gap cropping period.”

Beyond the farm, Adam is active in the movement for food sovereignty. Awen Organics contributes to local food networks and supports national and international advocacy through the Landworkers’ Alliance and La Via Campesina, pushing for a fairer food system that works for growers, eaters, and the environment.