With Love and Respect For The Soil - Organic September 2026

Every year we embrace Organic September as a banner under which we can talk about the benefits of agriculture with a reduced reliance on chemicals and monocultures. Healthy soil in which to grow food must be one of the most vital aspects of human existence, and yet we treat it like just another commodity without real value. It is a living ecosystem that requires balance and, like everything in life, when we take it too far in one direction, we usually require some adjustment to get back on track. It seems that in this absurd world, the red flags of industrial food production are still being ignored, and our soils are degrading rapidly.

I grew up with an amazing Papa who still grew vegetables on every inch of his garden. Born in the early 1900s, he was part of the Dig for Victory generation, but even in the 1970s and ’80s, his garden was balanced like a finely tuned machine. He would pull his overalls on over his waistcoat and shirt sleeves and spend hours making sure everything was just right. When it came to his compost heap, weeds and pest control, he paid attention and knew what worked and what didn’t. He had a special section of flowers for the vase and my favourite, radishes that he grew just for me, as the rest of the family detested them. Is there any better show of love than producing good, delicious food?

Sadly, I have not inherited his patience for growing lots of vegetables, but my dedication to healthy, tasty food has not dimmed. Organic box schemes are everywhere now and are such a brilliant way to access vegetables that aren’t available in the dreary supermarket aisles. Farmers many miles away from us put just as much thought into what and how they grow food. At Equal Exchange, we’ve been dedicated to working with organic farmers around the world since we started, many decades ago. It still feels like an uphill struggle, particularly when big business has many cards to play, but we have loyal customers who come back time and time again for their favourites. From Peru to Palestine, Bolivia to Burkina Faso, farmers are dedicated to their land and just want to be paid fairly to continue to farm the way they always have – with love and respect for themselves, the soil and the people who seek out good, healthy food.

~ Senga Gall, Equal Exchange co-operative member since 2000 and proud granddaughter of Robert Cameron.