Bentham's Farm – growing food at UCL

The UK imports nearly 90% of its fruit and 50% of its vegetables. In light of this, a group of UCL students have gathered under the banner of ‘Bentham’s Farm’, an organic vegetable garden established in 2012. Situated in a disused tennis court behind the Max Rayne halls of residence in Camden Town, ‘Bentham’s Farm’ had more than 30 volunteers last year and secured £4,000 worth of funding from UCL Union. This year, as part of UCLU’s ‘Big Ideas Challenge’, they are developing a prototype vertical farm to challenge the Union’s cafés and canteens to grow their own vegetables and fruit onsite. We talked to Calum Bowden, Alex Hough and Becky Mumford about their ambitious plans. Interview: Yohann Koshy More information: www.facebook.com/benthamsfarm http://uclu.org/articles/uclus-big-idea-challenge UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at ucl.ac.uk.