Friend Sykes (1888–1965) was an English

organic farmer Organic farming, also known as organic agriculture or ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2024 on organic production and labelling of ...

and writer.

Life

Sykes was a breeder of livestock and racehorses.Conford, Philip. (1988). ''The Organic Tradition: An Anthology of Writings on Organic Farming, 1900-1950''. Green Books. p. 151. In 1935, he purchased the Chantry estate, near Andover. The land was poor quality and sold for only £4 per acre. Sykes wanted the challenge of transforming the land for fertility without the use of artificials. Sykes was supported by

Albert Howard Sir Albert Howard (8 December 187320 October 1947) was an English botanist. His academic background might have been botany. While working in India he was generally considered a pathologist; this more than likely being the reason for his consi ...

who taught him methods of humus farming. Within a few years his farm land had produced outstanding wheat and prize-winning racehorses.Conford, Philip. (2001). ''The Origins of the Organic Movement''. Floris Books. p. 237. Sykes was a founding member of the

Soil Association The Soil Association is a British registered charity focused on the effect of agriculture on the environment. It was established in 1946. Their activities include campaigning for local purchasing, public education on nutrition and certificat ...

.Lockeretz, William. (2018). ''Organic Farming: An International History''. CABI. p. 189. Sykes,

Lady Eve Balfour Lady Evelyn Barbara Balfour, (16 July 1898 – 16 January 1990) was a British farmer, educator, organic farming pioneer, and a founding figure in the organic movement. She was one of the first women to study agriculture at an English university ...

and George Scott Williamson organized a founder's meeting on 12 June 1945, in which about a hundred people attended. The Soil Association was founded a year later. Sykes and Albert Howard have been described as founders of the

organic movement The organic movement broadly refers to the organizations and individuals involved worldwide in the promotion of organic food and other organic products. It started during the first half of the 20th century, when modern large-scale agricultural p ...

. The use of

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...

and manure to improve soil was important to Sykes' approach to farming. Sykes and

Frank Newman Turner Frank Newman Turner, NDA, NDD, FNIMH, (11 September 1913 – 28 June 1964) was a British pioneering organic farmer, writer and broadcaster, who, based on his experience of natural treatment of animals, later became a consulting medical herbalist ...

's organic farming emphasized ploughless soil cultivation,

green manure In agriculture, a green manure is a crop specifically cultivated to be incorporated into the soil while still green. Typically, the green manure's Biomass (ecology), biomass is incorporated with a plow or disk, as is often done with (brown) man ...

, organic soil cover and

ley farming Convertible husbandry, also known as alternate husbandry or up-and-down husbandry, is a method of farming whereby strips of arable farmland were temporarily converted into grass pasture, known as leys. These remained under grass for up to 10 year ...

. Friend Sykes was sometimes confused with Frank Sykes a farmer who also wrote books on agriculture for

Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

Selected publications

*''Humus and the Farmer'' (Faber and Faber, 1946) *''Food, Farming and the Future'' (Faber and Faber, 1951) *''Modern Humus Farming'' (Faber and Faber, 1959)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Friend 1888 births 1965 deaths 20th-century English farmers Organic farmers