Alastair Leake
2021
Alastair Leake has a BSc in Horticultural Science and PhD in Organic and Integrated Farming Systems. He worked for 20 years for the Co-operative Farms (FamCare), initially as a Production Manager in glasshouse salad crops specialising in IPM, then headed up the company’s ground-breaking farming systems research.
He is now head of GWCT’s 300 ha Allerton Research and Demonstration farm in Leicestershire, where intensive farming and exceptional levels of biodiversity co-exist. The LEAF Innovation farm is involved in several high profile & innovative research projects focusing on Conservation Agriculture and sustainable soil management.
As GWCT Director of Policy Alastair is responsible for embedding GWCT’s farmland ecology work into Government policy. He is actively involved in shaping Defra’s Environmental Land Management scheme. He also runs a popular All-Party Parliamentary discussion Group in Westminster.
Alastair has served as a Board Member of a range of organisations involved in sustainable farming including co-founding the Agricology Project.
My Sessions
Conservation Agriculture & Sustainable Farming Systems -Practical Adoption on Farm & Fitting Within the Direction of Evolving Government Policy
Phil Jarvis
Alastair Leake
Belinda Bailey
Mark Hall
Nathan Morris
Andy Barr
As the UK population increases and the area of land available to produce good quality food is in decline, there continues to be a demand to produce more from less. The use of new approaches will support growers to become more resilient and sustainable, but we also need to look after and improve the wider […]
Going Back to Our Origins – Showcasing The Work of the Kellogg’s Origins Programme
Alastair Leake
Duncan Rawson
Dave Fitzgerald
Clive Blacker
Phil Jarvis
Kellogg’s Origins projects help farmers implement sustainable agricultural practices around the world. To date they have worked with more than 400,000 farmers, focusing on the use of environmental farming practices to improve livelihoods. In the UK the programme has been running since 2013, working with a group of progressive farmers to help them explore new […]
Integrating Regeneration- LEAF at 30
Caroline Drummond MBE
Jenny Clark
Alastair Leake
Andy Bason
Ian Waller
Tom Martin
Exploration of LEAF’s 30 year journey developing, and demonstrating Integrated Farm Management. Moving towards and beyond sustainable farming.