Bring on the parasitic wasps and hoverflies: Riverford embraces regenerative farming

Guy Singh-Watson, founder of the organic veg-box firm, continues to experiment with new ways of producing food and promoting wildlife, 36 years after his first harvest

In a field full of polytunnels containing row after row of tomatoes and cucumbers, laminated sheets covered in images that look like police mugshots are prominently displayed. Pictured are a list of friends and foes".

The foes", according to Riverford Organic Farmers, are aphids, spider mites and thrips. The friends" are predatory and parasitic wasps, lacewings, ladybirds and hoverflies. There is no mention of herbicides and insecticides, which most farmers would consider friends. Crops have no signs of disease thanks to a system that has taken years to fine-tune, says the company's founder, Guy Singh-Watson. Attention to detail," he says. It's good farming, really."