Welcome to our nature-led farm
Bringing back a balance.
Sunart Fields is a 120 acre uplands farm based in the High Peak, Derbyshire, working to restore a healthy balance with nature. Until 2019 the land was operated as an active dairy farm, and 100 years prior to that was coal mined.
We now manage the land in a restorative way, creating the conditions that will allow nature to thrive.
Read on to learn about what we’re doing, and for more regular updates, please follow us @sunartfields.
These pockets of the land are wild and rich in nature.
Whilst elsewhere, there is room for a better balance.
Biodiversity and carbon offsetting
Our farm is participating in the SFI pilot run by Defra and the Biodiversity Net Gain Credits scheme pilot run by Natural England, to explore how land can be better managed for environmental purposes. We will soon be a registered site for biodiversity offsetting and carbon offsetting. For more information when available please contact us.
We’ve had a little help from our pigs…
Simply sitting back and waiting for the pastures to return to a more natural mix would take a long time. We have used pigs to accelerate the process. Their natural rooting ability means they turn over the turf, weaken the rye grass, and expose bare soil into which we sow wild flower seeds. Gradually over time the sward will develop a richer mix of species and provide better conditions for pollinators and those that depend on them for food.
…And even more help from our friends.
We are lucky to live in a community with plenty of people passionate about restoring nature and ecosystems, who have been willing to put on their boots and play a part. With their help and the support of eForests, we’ve been bringing back the hedgerows, which are valuable habitats, act as wildlife corridors and line the many public footpaths across the land. We’ve also been planting a lot of trees. So far we have planted 28,000 saplings (and counting!).
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With thanks to Mike Fryer and Sam Rose for these featured pictures.
If you’d like to support our work, we’d be very grateful.
From time to time we sell produce, host events and organise volunteer days all of which helps our work.
We also readily accept donations, which are fully separated from the farm accounts and every penny of which goes directly into tangible items to improve biodiversity. Specific examples include purchasing bird or bat boxes, and reintroducing lost species. Find out more.
Follow our journey.
