Farmastery

A Place-Based Action-Learning Commons

The heart of the Lifeboat Academy is the Farmastery at Spalding Valley Farm: a living experiment focused on maximizing quality of life within a sustainable footprint hosted in an experiential, place-based learning and retreat centre.

All our work is based on the idea of the fair share footprint as the foundation of sustainability. We see this as the key to a new, healthier way of thinking about resources and the economy, one that can heal the damage done by extractive capitalism.

A small team of dedicated farmer-caretakers are given the challenge of providing the equivalent of a complete diet for the footprints we steward, with minimal outside inputs in a way that is carbon-neutral or carbon-negative and resilient in the face of climate chaos.

Visitors have the opportunity of living and working alongside this team to experience for themselves the beauty, benefits and challenges of a regenerative lifestyle. We hope in this way to inspire new lifeboat builders around the world and support their efforts through webinars and online support.

If you’re interested in visiting Spalding Valley Farm, and/or offering financial support to help make this project possible, send us an email at friends@lifeboat.academy.