Interview with Wilderland Resident and Gardener

Interview with Gonzo Hopewylie

Farm: Wilderland Trust

Position: Longterm resident and gardener

Date: November 29th, 2019

For the past month I have been living in a small eco-community and farm with the mission of farming organically and educating others on sustainable and organic living. I recently had the chance to sit down with Gonzo Hopewylie, a Wilderland Resident, to hear his views on the food and agriculture space.

One of the unique aspects of moving amongst farms of varying scales, sizes and types is to see the wide range of opinions and viewpoints that fit under the umbrella of food and agriculture. While, it seems that the differences far outnumber points of common ground, through my conversations I am hearing a wide range of perspectives that all have a place in creating a better food and agriculture system.

How and why did you first become interested in learning more about where your food comes from and how to grow your own food?

I was always around gardens growing up. So I never really thought that food came from the supermarket. Both my mom and grandad were gardeners and instilled the importance of knowing where my food comes from in me from a young age.

I want to know how to grow my own food because I don’t want to be dependent on the large scale system. The way I think about it is that it is this huge technological system, and if one part of it failed then it would collapse. I don’t want to be dependent on that. Another way I see it is that learning how to grow food for me is like acquiring wealth. It is a wealth that can’t be depleted. The knowledge of how to grow food is something that always produces and can continue to give for generations. This is knowledge I want to accumulate. Finally, I am also very interested in health. Organic gardening, for me, is the best way to grow the healthiest food and be able to eat straight from the garden.

Describe what you think the future of our food and agriculture system should look like.

To me, ideally the future of our food and agriculture system would be a shift to more small scale farms. I think the future should look kind of like the past. There were so many more farmers that were able to produce food for the local community without having to rely on importing foods from overseas. This will require a greater number of farmers cultivating the land because you aren’t using the sprays, fertilizers, and large machinery that is run off of fossil fuels.

What do you want to tell the broader agriculture industry about the work that you do on small farms?

Wilderland has a half a dozen different gardens spread throughout the property. Many of these gardens are using different gardening techniques.

For me, small scale farming is about the pace of life. Small scale farms also cultivate a real sense of community and unity. And that inspires me to grow food. If you don’t have to chase margins and goals, but if you just grow food naturally and organically, there is much less pressure. I want people to know that there is another way of farming.

Side note: Gonzo and I had a much longer conversation on this question in regards to how small scale farming can also be profitable and run as a business. In his viewpoint, more gardening and small scale production should also be happening in homes and with people that are working outside of the agriculture industry. Gonzo recognized the financial challenges of running a small scale organic farm, and the necessity to balance staying in business and growing in a way that is in sync with nature.

What knowledge or topics do you want to learn more about when it comes to food and agriculture systems?

I want to know more about raising animals. At Wilderland we only have 3-4 chickens, and that is something that I don’t know much about at all. I believe it is important to have a holistic integrated farm. I want to learn about how to raise animals in a way that is integrated with the rest of the farm and puts energy back into the system. I want animals to be raised in a way that they are part of the bigger system and the production cycle on the farm.

The woodfire burning stove that all food is cooked on at Wilderland.

What is your favorite food?

This one took me a lot of time to think about… I think my favorite food changes on the season. I like whatever is fresh. I went through a phase where the cherimoyas that we had around were my favorite. And then the loquats came into season and they were amazing as well. At the moment, I am really enjoying Chinese Cabbage. It is great in a stir-fry or just steamed over rice.