Natasha Edwards, Director and co-owner of The Garlic Farm, has completed a year of global travel as part of a Nuffield Farming Scholarship - becoming the first person from the Isle of Wight to receive the prestigious award.

Over the past year, Natasha has travelled the world - from New Zealand and the USA to India and Denmark - as part of the two-year programme, exploring how farming businesses can create more positive social and environmental impact while remaining financially viable.

Founded in 1947, the Nuffield Farming Scholarship is one of the most respected programmes in global agriculture, supporting farmers to step away from their day-to-day work and learn from others around the world.

Natasha Edwards, director & co-owner, The Garlic Farm says: “It’s incredibly competitive and very prestigious and as soon as you become a Nuffield Scholar, the doors that open are unbelievable. 

“You’re suddenly part of a global network - visiting farms, sharing ideas, and learning from people facing the same challenges in completely different environments."

At The Garlic Farm, founded by her father Colin Boswell, and now run by Natasha, her husband Barnes and other family members, restorative social and environmental practices have become the core strategy of the business.

The farm is organic certified, runs pasture-for-life livestock, and is a certified B Corp - something Natasha wanted to explore further through her research.

She says: “At The Garlic Farm we’ve chosen to focus quite heavily on improving our environmental and social credentials, and those certifications have been fundamental in shaping how we farm and how we do business.”

“I wanted to understand how important that is globally - and how we encourage more farmers to move towards better practices.”

Her travels included a case study in Andhra Pradesh, India, where millions of farmers are now working to reduce their reliance on chemicals, shifting towards ‘natural farming’ for the benefit of family health, community and environment, despite significant economic challenges.

Balancing the scholarship with running a busy Island business has not been easy - but Natasha credits her family and their team at the farm for making it possible.

She says: “There’s a tendency when you run a business to think you can’t step away, but actually, when you do, people step up, it’s been an opportunity for everyone to grow - and it makes the business more resilient.”

Now entering the final phase of the programme, Natasha will produce a written report, film and presentation which will be shared internationally through the Nuffield network.

She also hopes her experience will inspire others closer to home.

She says: “Because there’s never been a Nuffield Scholar on the Island, it wasn’t something I even knew about until later on - I’d love to see more Island farmers apply and venture off the Island, learn, and bring that knowledge back.”

Natasha will be sharing her findings at a special evening event at The Garlic Farm on May 7, open to farmers and anyone interested in the future of food and farming.