Vegan Organic Network
Events
Veganic Gardeners Question Time – Wednesday 28th January 2026
Ever wanted to know how to grow organically using only plant-based fertilisers?
Our monthly show is here to help!
Send your questions to: events@veganorganic.net
Wednesday 28th January 2026 7pm-7.45pm UK
Click here to watch for free on YouTube
Giles Bryant: The founder of World Healing Project who have promoted wellbeing initiatives around the world for 20 years. Giles has helped plant many veganic gardens, orchards, forest gardens and medicinal herb gardens. He has been presenting Veganic Gardeners Time for several years and loves gardening, yoga and nature. Giles is a music producer, songwriter and author.
Piers Warren: Conservationist, film-maker, author and keen grower of organic fruit and vegetables. He is the founder of Wildeye – The International School of Wildlife Film-making. Author of several books, including How To Store Your Garden Produce and co-author of The Vegan Cook and Gardener.
Rhonda-T Warren: A devoted gardener with more than four decades of experience. She has cultivated a variety of crops, including vegetables, sprouts, and mushrooms, and produced garlic for retail markets. In 2016, she founded Terra Farm Sanctuary, a non-profit dedicated to providing a safe and permanent home for rescued farmed animals. As a mentor and advocate, Rhonda-T actively promotes veganism and veganic farming practices, striving to educate others on ethical agriculture and the importance of animal freedoms.
Terra is certified as a veganic farm
https://terrafarmsanctuary.org/
Maureen Robertson: Has over 25 years of experience working with herbs and sharing the Green knowledge. She co-founded the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine in 1992 offering courses from introductory to professional training at BSc and MSc degree level. In 2012 she established the Herbal Apprenticeship at Drimlabarra Herb Farm, Isle of Arran, Scotland which she ran for 4 years before relocating to Portugal. Her work in Peru and Ecuador with shamans and teacher plants has deepened her healing and rejuvenation practices. https://www.theherbalpath.net/
Veganic Gardeners’ Question Time hopes to inspire and bring new ideas to foragers, growers and gardeners alike.
Now more than ever it is vital that we engage with how our food is grown.
A Vegan Organic Network production
Opportunity for a Veganic Site Coordinator & Possible Business Partner near Faversham, Kent
Are you an ethical vegan passionate about veganic farming/growing and eager to collaborate in a unique forest farm enterprise? Join Tree of Life Veganics as a Site Coordinator and potentially a business partner in cultivating a sustainable future.
About the Role:
Take responsibility for overseeing/caretaking the secondary farm site (approx. 3ha) within a total of 7.5ha across two locations (about 2 miles apart).
Work closely under the guidance of Jo Kidd, the owner and overall farm director, to ensure smooth operations and alignment with the farm’s vision and plans.
Help build and maintain off-grid infrastructure, contributing to the resilience and sustainability of the farm.
Ensure the secondary site is profitable and contributes positively to the overall farm business.
Opportunities:
Develop your own veganic business under the Tree of Life Veganics umbrella—whether growing, processing, artisan craft, or other veganic ventures.
Potential for further investment and long-term business partnership.
What’s Provided?
Free off-grid accommodation: choose between a converted horse lorry or a two-bedroom static caravan. Both have wood-burners.
Free supply of cordwood for heating logs.
Electricity partly powered by solar panels and car batteries. Water all from rainwater collection – embrace sustainable, off-grid living.
Access to machinery, equipment, and tools to support your work and business activities.
Use of a dedicated workspace in a pole barn on your site and access to the main barn on the primary site.
Your general activities will be covered under the farm’s existing Public Liability Insurance (PLI) and Employer’s Liability Insurance (ELI).
Who We’re Looking For:
Ethical vegan committed to veganic principles and sustainable living.
Right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we cannot sponsor UK work visas.
Self-motivated, responsible and trustworthy. A calm, can-do approach with a sense of adventure.
Willing and able to help, or learn to help, to maintain the off-grid infrastructure as well as developing further infrastructure when needed.
Focused on making the secondary site profitable for the overall farm business, while also creating and growing your own veganic venture.
Non-smoker, non-drinker.
Long-term commitment with potential for further investment and business partnership.
A like-minded collaborator who values excellent communication, co-creation, mutual learning and shared growth.
🌱 Ready to grow with us? 🌱
If you feel inspired to become a key member of our growing veganic enterprise and would enjoy the challenge of managing a farm site and helping it to thrive, whilst creating your own veganic enterprise, we would love to hear from you. Please send your CV and a brief introduction outlining your interest and experience to:
jo@treeoflifeveganics.org
Join us at Tree of Life Veganics and help nurture a sustainable, compassionate future—rooted in the earth and blossoming with possibility.
Veganic Gardeners Question Time – End of Year Special 2025
Ever wanted to know how to grow organically using only plant-based fertilisers?
Our monthly show is here to help!
Send your questions to: events@veganorganic.net
Thursday 18th December 2025 7pm-7.45pm UK
Click here to watch for free on YouTube
Panel:
Giles Bryant: Giles is the founder of World Healing Project who have promoted wellbeing initiatives around the world for 20 years. Giles has helped plant many veganic gardens, orchards, forest gardens and medicinal herb gardens. He has been presenting Veganic Gardeners Question Time for several years and loves gardening, yoga and nature. Giles is a music producer and songwriter and author of two books, Sacred Sites Sacred Songs and The Mechanics of Manifestation. www.worldhealingproject.com
Juliette Bryant: Juliette is a nutritional therapist, superfood alchemist and plant-lover. She runs Juliette’s Kitchen teaching courses, creating products and sharing her love of the earth and the power of plants and mushrooms. She is the author of 4 books, her latest being 7 Magical Mushrooms. She lives in Suffolk with her family and has a very productive veganic vegetable and herb garden and is a trustee of Vegan Organic Network charity. www.juliettebryant.com
Graham Burnett: Graham is a highly-respected permaculture teacher and author. His latest book, Make Compost Not Work features a compilation of his gardening columns from The Idler magazine. His book, Permaculture a Beginners Guide is a classic in the field. Graham runs Spiralseed which runs a variety of courses including the Vegan Permaculture Design Course. www.spiralseed.co.uk
Ellen Mary: Ellen Is a horticultural radio show host, TV presenter and writer. She has travelled all over the world to discuss the benefits that nature provides to our wellbeing – specifically gardening. She is the author of The Joy of Gardening and How To Grow A Garden. She is the founder of People Plants Wellbeing providing nature therapy, integrative wellness & spiritual healing www.ellenmarygardening.co.uk/
Piers Warren: Piers is a conservationist, film-maker, author and keen grower of organic fruit and vegetables. He is the founder of Wildeye – The International School of Wildlife Film-making. Author of several books, including How To Store Your Garden Produce and co-author of The Vegan Cook and Gardener. www.pierswarren.co.uk
Veganic Gardeners’ Question Time hopes to inspire and bring new ideas to foragers, growers and gardeners alike.
Now more than ever it is vital that we engage with how our food is grown.
A Vegan Organic Network production
Reviving Abundance Manchester
Live on Thursday 11th December at 7pm.
Click here to watch on YouTube
Join Izaak for a presentation on the achievements, ambitions and upcoming activities for Abundance Manchester.
Over the past few months we’ve reinvigorated a community project where we take volunteers to pick surplus fruit from local gardens, allotments and public spaces and redirect it to people and projects in the community.
Find out how the project works, the impact it’s having across the city, and how you can get involved! We have a regular group of people who meet up to share skills, exchange ideas and have fun.
The session will include a live Q&A, so you can ask questions and explore ideas for how you can get involved with Abundance and other upcoming Vegan Organic Network activities.
The Vegan Organic Network is keen to support more groups like Abundance Manchester. Our focus is on building community through meeting, picking fruit, growing veg and sharing meals.
“We aim to educate each other about the importance of what we eat and how we grow our food; to understand how it impacts individual health and the health of the world we live in.”
Find out more about Abundance Manchester.
Uganda’s Biggest Vegan Festival 2025!
Vegan Village Society Set to Host Uganda’s Biggest Vegan Festival 2025!
Mark Your Calendar: 13th December 2025 – Rubanda District, Uganda
Get ready for the most anticipated ethical celebration of the year! Vegan Village Society Uganda is thrilled to announce the Third Annual Vegan Festival, happening on Saturday, 13th December 2025, in the heart of Rubanda District. This year’s festival promises to be bigger, brighter, and more inspiring than ever before, bringing together compassionate hearts, plant-based innovators, and community changemakers from across Uganda and beyond.
The Vegan Festival is more than just an event, it’s a movement that celebrates kindness, sustainability, and ethical living. Visitors will experience a vibrant marketplace of cruelty-free foods, local vegan farmers, eco-friendly products, and creative art performances. There will also be educational talks, cooking demonstrations, and inspiring stories from vegan champions who are transforming communities through conscious living.
Since its humble beginnings, Vegan Village Society has grown into a powerful voice for compassion and environmental protection in Uganda. Through its festivals, school programs, women’s gardening projects, and outreach campaigns, the organization continues to show that vegan living is not only possible, it’s joyful, affordable, and deeply rewarding.
The 2025 Vegan Festival is expected to attract hundreds of participants, families, youth groups, environmentalists, farmers, and international guests, all united by a shared vision of a kinder, healthier Uganda.
Whether you’re a lifelong vegan, just curious about plant-based living, or a supporter of positive community change, this is the event you don’t want to miss! Come, learn, taste, and celebrate a lifestyle that heals, for the animals, the people, and the planet.
Join us on December 13th and be part of Uganda’s biggest vegan celebration!
To support or partner with the festival, reach out to Vegan Village Society Uganda www.veganug.org and help us grow a compassionate future together.
Abundance Manchester Meet-Up
Project Abundance Manchester
Venue: Ascension Church in Hulme Manchester
Date: Sunday 9th November 2025
Doors open: 1.00pm
Free vegan meal and juice: 1.30pm – please book so we know how much food to make – events@veganorganic.net
Short film: 1.45pm
Intros
Discussion
Tea/ coffee (maybe cake if someone makes some)
Ideas
Live music: Let us know if you want to play!
Event ends: 4.30pm
The apples used for juicing at the event were picked by Abundance Manchester project volunteers.
We will be discussing ideas for workshops and activities building up to next year’s Manchester Eco Fest and Abundance Festival’s.
Both events took place for the first time this year 2025 and were very successful.
Manchester Eco Fest took place in Hulme Park in May and the Abundance Festival was held the Hulme Community Garden Centre in September.
The success of both of these events was thanks to community involvement and support.
Let us know if you are coming, so we know how much food to make.
To save your place email: events@veganorganic.net
Everyone welcome!
Volunteers, Stalls, Campaign Groups, Artists, Performers, Bands, Poets, Circus, Crafts, Talks, Therapy’s, Yoga, Tai Chi, Art, Storytelling, Dance, Rickshaw Rides, Cakes, Ice Cream, Hot Food, Massage, Community Organisations, Film, Gardeners
Join Abundance ManchesterA Vegan Organic Network Production
Veganic Gardeners Question Time Wed 29th October 2025
Ever wanted to know how to grow organically using only plant-based fertilisers? Our monthly show is here to help!
Send your questions to: events@veganorganic.net
Wednesday 29th October 2025 7pm-7.45pm UK
Click here to watch for free on YouTube
Panel:
Giles Bryant
Giles is the founder of World Healing Project who have promoted wellbeing initiatives around the world for 20 years. Giles has helped plant many veganic gardens, orchards, forest gardens and medicinal herb gardens. He has been presenting Veganic Gardeners Time for several years and loves gardening, yoga and nature. Giles is an author, music producer and songwriter who has written and recorded many albums of healing music. www.worldhealingproject.com
Stephane Groleau
Stephane is the co-organizer of the Veganic Summit (https://veganicsummit.com/), an online event about plant-based farming and gardening happening from November 7th-9th 2025. Stephane studied organic agriculture in college, and he has gardened veganically for more than 20 years on balconies, in community gardens, and in the countryside. He co-founded the Veganic Agriculture Network (https://goveganic.net/) in 2008 and is a teacher for the Learn Veganic Gardening Course (https://learnveganic.com/). He is passionate about approaches to food and farming that respect the planet, people and animals.
Sydney Grange
Sydney has practiced, researched, and taught biointensive agriculture for seven seasons on the Mendocino coast of California. She manages the Stanford Inn’s gardens, producing food for the inn’s restaurant, as well as growing flowers and leading agricultural education. She also co-ran a veganic market farm for three years, growing specialty vegetables and flowers. Her focus on self-sufficiency and staple crops led her to tempeh-making, and she now also runs a tempeh business using locally grown grains and beans. Passionate about the environment and social justice, Sydney views veganic agriculture as a way to address interconnected challenges while cultivating a deeper relationship with the land.
Armando Cruz
In 2021, Armando co-founded a coffee grounds collection initiative and zero-waste food garden called Horta Harmonia. He restored a nearly two-decade dormant plot of land – using regenerative practices – where he now grows most of his own food. He has diverted over 10 tons of coffee grounds from the landfill and used them to create rich compost to demonstrate the possibility of avoiding fossil-fuelled fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Armando is also and educator, nature conservationist, speaker, Portugal´s Community of Practice leader for the European project CURIOSOIL and an ambassador for project ECHO soil. His ultimate goal is to promote and develop regenerative systems of sovereignty and positive ecological and social impact for all animals, including humans. Instagram – hortaharmonia
Veganic Gardeners’ Question Time hopes to inspire and bring new ideas to foragers, growers and gardeners alike.
Now more than ever it is vital that we engage with how our food is grown.
A Vegan Organic Network production
“Urvarasa: A Model for Veganic Farming in India for a Sustainable and Compassionate Future”
Dan Graham from the Vegan Organic Network interviews members of the Urvarasa project in India.
Friday 17th October 2025
2.30PM UK 7PM IST
Click here to watch free and ask questions
Bio of the participants:
- Madhavi Kolte – Co-founder & Director, Jeeva Bhavana Foundation; Project Leader, Urvarasa, artist & a passionate veganic gardener.
- Julie Wayne – Co-founder & Director, Jeeva Bhavana Foundation; Economist, photographer, writer & political, environment and animal rights activist.
- Namratha Sastry -An Engineer by education, a Farmer by heart, a Forest enthusiast by Soul, a Traveller by interest and an Eco-activist as a person.
- Arati Khatu – Associate Professor in Political Science at the Department of Political Science, Fergusson College (Autonomous), Pune. An Environment enthusiast and conservationist at heart, a vegan for the sake of the environment and the animals. Passionate about people-centric sustainable development and ethical farming practices.
Project Description:
Urvarasa is Jeeva Bhavana’s flagship farmers’ empowerment project, aimed at facilitating the smooth transition of Indian farmers from animal-based, chemical agriculture to natural, plant-based, sustainable farming practices and providing alternative livelihoods to farmers who want to stop rearing and exploiting animals across India, starting in the state of Maharashtra. To achieve this goal, we have established a model veganic farm in Saswad, near Pune, in Maharashtra.
As a model for Urvarasa, the goal is two-fold:
- Growing chemical-free & nutrient-dense food first for the farmer & his family, and
- Selling the remainder of the farm produce to conscious consumers at a fair price.
Currently, we have two other veganic farms under Urvarasa stewardship. One is ‘Balwad Baug’, located at Balwad, Taluka Rajgad, District Pune, Maharashtra, run by Arati Khatu & the other is the ‘Bilva Farm’, managed by Namratha Sastry at Nandi Hills near Bangalore, Karnataka. Our very first Urvarasa farm is in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, where the cows are well cared for, and only their waste (dung & urine) is used as fertilizer. A fifth farm at Rahuri, Maharashtra, is currently in a transitional phase toward full-fledged membership in Urvarasa.
We are in the process of collaborating with the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Gokhale Institute for Politics and Economics, Pune, in order to conduct research on the devastating impacts of animal agriculture in India.
Urvarasa has been nominated for the Earthshot Prize for two consecutive years in 2024 & 2025.
Name of the farm: Urvarasa Model Farm
Location: Pisarve, Saswad, Maharashtra, India
Farm Description:
The Urvarasa Model Farm, located on one acre of Kolte family land in Pisarve, was revived after lying fallow for six years. Madhavi Kolte and Shivraj established it in 2024 to showcase plant-based, animal-free natural farming. Soil fertility was restored using plant-based, organic practices, and water usage is closely monitored. The farm has an ancient well as the main source of water. Despite the dry region, the farm produced high-quality wheat and chana, with more crops expected after the Kharif season. A fruit orchard is being developed, and surplus produce is sold to conscious buyers.
Name of the farm: Gangadhar Baba Chhatralay
Location: Guha, Rahuri, Maharashtra
Farm Description:
One acre of a 24-acre farm supports an orphanage for underprivileged children in drought-prone Maharashtra. Water is sourced from a well and an artificial pond filled by the Bhandhara Dam. The farm is tended by the children and meets the food needs of 74 residents. It is currently transitioning to natural, plant-based practices under Urvarasa guidelines. This effort aims to build self-reliance and sustainability within the orphanage.
Name of the farm: Bilva, The Natural Farm
Location: Nandi hills, road
Farm Description:
Bilva Farm is a farm of passion—an area where both soil and soul are nourished. What started as a project is now a full-fledged farm that produces vegetables, pulses, lentils, greens, and fruits. A 1,600 sq. ft. congregation of trees, planted using the Miyawaki method of forest plantation, is the highlight of Bilva Farm.
The farm, which is less than an acre in size, is 7 years old, and the forest is 5 years old. Bilva Farm has never used chemicals since its inception, and it became fully vegan 3 years ago.
Bilva Farm also serves as an inspiration to surrounding farmers, instilling confidence and trust in organic farming, building soil health through natural methods, and enhancing crop resilience through soil-based solutions.
Name of the farm: Balwad Baug
Location: Balwad, Taluka Rajgad (Velhe), District Pune
Farm Description:
We are a family of agriculturists, farmers, gardeners, planters, growers and environmentally conscious citizens with a strong sense of social and national responsibility who wish to develop our agricultural land to create an example for conservation and preservation of natural and cultural heritage by functioning as an agro-tourist centre, hospitality and eco-education activity centre, and centre for training in natural, organic, sustainable and cruelty-free farming practices guided by the spirit of love and compassion, based on the eternal human value of Ahimsa.
We are slowly and steadily, within our means, conserving the greenery on the plot which is about 15 acres in size. The locals are rice growers and so we also grew rice in some terraces on the farm. We have planted over three hundred fruit trees and bamboo on the farm. We are learning from the locals while they are also watching our work, willing to learn from some of our practices.
We managed to solve the problem of water by digging a 55 feet well on the farm that will now enable us to do more on the farm.
Name of the farm: Vishwajeet Natural Farm
Location: Gopalpur, Pandharpur
Farm Description:
Vishwajeet Natural Farm, near Pandharpur, is run by brothers Ramhari and Laxman Kadam. Ramhari, a vegan in practice before knowing the term, stopped dairying after learning about the fate of male calves. For nearly a decade, he has embraced natural, chemical-free farming. The farm is home to rescued desi cow Sukhri and her calf Kosi, cared for with love but never milked. Their dung and urine enrich the soil naturally. The farm’s toor dal is gaining popularity among conscious urban consumers, and we aim to support Ramhari in building a thriving, dairy-free farming model to inspire others.
Veganic Gardeners Question Time 24th September 2025
Ever wanted to know how to grow organically using only plant-based fertilisers? Our monthly show is here to help!
Send your questions to: events@veganorganic.net
Wednesday 24th September 2025 7pm-7.45pm UK
Click here to watch for free on YouTube
Panel:
Giles Bryant: The founder of World Healing Project who have promoted wellbeing initiatives around the world for 20 years. Giles has helped plant many veganic gardens, orchards, forest gardens and medicinal herb gardens. He has been presenting Veganic Gardeners Time for several years and loves gardening, yoga and nature. Giles is a music producer and songwriter who has written and recorded many albums of healing music. Giles is the author of two books, Sacred Sites Sacred Songs and this year’s release, The Mechanics of Manifestation. www.worldhealingproject.com
Piers Warren: Conservationist, film-maker, author and keen grower of organic fruit and vegetables. He is the founder of Wildeye – The International School of Wildlife Film-making. Author of several books, including How To Store Your Garden Produce and co-author of The Vegan Cook and Gardener. For more about Piers visit www.pierswarren.co.uk
Rhonda-T Warren: A devoted gardener with more than four decades of experience. She has cultivated a variety of crops, including vegetables, sprouts, and mushrooms, and produced garlic for retail markets. In 2016, she founded Terra Farm Sanctuary, a non-profit dedicated to providing a safe and permanent home for rescued farmed animals. As a mentor and advocate, Rhonda-T actively promotes veganism and veganic farming practices, striving to educate others on ethical agriculture and the importance of animal freedoms.
Terra is also a certified veganic farm growing a wide range of produce. https://terrafarmsanctuary.org/
Tamara Schiopu: A specialist in food marketing in the UK and practices Nutrition as a publicist and consultant. She has a Biology degree and Master’s degree in Business Administration. Together with her husband, Iain Tolhurst, Tamara runs the stockfree organic farm Tolhurst Organic, growing fruit and vegetables in Oxfordshire. In her daily jobs, Tamara focuses on business development, events and social media. Her latest addition is the self-published cookbook My Vegan Farm Food: Stories and Recipes from Tolhurst Organic, that can be purchased direct from their website.
Tamara also supervises the Stockfree Organic standard held by the Vegan Organic Network and implemented by the Soil Association.
Veganic Gardeners’ Question Time hopes to inspire and bring new ideas to foragers, growers and gardeners alike.
Now more than ever it is vital that we engage with how our food is grown.
A Vegan Organic Network production
Why the government needs to support plant-based agriculture
Matthew Appleby interviews Laurence Candy
Why the government needs to support plant-based agriculture, and how policy changes can help farms to transition to stockfree organic farming.
7pm Thursday 21st August 2025
Click here to watch free!
A Vegan Organic Network production
Stay in touch
For any enquiries relating to membership (or changes of address if you’re a member) please contact the membership secretary at membership@veganorganic.net – see also our Join Us page for more info.
Otherwise please get in touch with the Vegan Organic Network for any queries you have about vegan organic growing, or for more info about how to get involved.