Organic farmers become comic book heroes

Illustrated: Farm life at Stocks Farm in Essex. Image: Michael Georgiou

Hackney-based social enterprise Growing Communities has commissioned comic book artist Michael Georgiou to help highlight the hardship of small organic farmers in Britain.

The comic, Super Stocks Bros – A Farmers Life, follows the average day of real-life farmers Chris and Iain Learmonth of Stocks Farm in Essex.

Kerry Rankine, Growing Communities assistant director said: “We want people to understand the day-to-day reality of producing food in a sustainable way.”

The comic’s material is quite dark at times and conveys the sheer amount of hard work, ingenuity and effort that goes into producing the food we eat.

In one particular scene a woman pleads with farmer Chris to not hurt her dog who has just killed dozens of his chickens. The farmer replies: “Of course I won’t, but trust me, he’s not the one who’s hurting.”

Small-scale UK farms are being driven out of business at a rate of more than one a day and with raised feed and fuel prices, the current economic downturn and erratic seasons brought on by climate change it is tougher than ever for farmers to survive.

In the real world Chris and Iain sell meat, eggs and apples at Stoke Newington Farmers’ Market and have been doing so since it opened in 2003.

The money they earn from the market combined with the apples they sell to Growing Communities box scheme has enabled them to expand their 150-acre farm in Wiston, Essex.

Michael Georgiou the artist commissioned for the comic said: “I had no idea how much went into bringing those vans to Stoke Newington every week, but the work is relentless and time is precious.”

Growing Communities schemes are designed to harness the collective buying power of Hackney’s community and direct it towards farmers like Chris and Iain Learnmonth who produce food in a sustainable way, allowing them to thrive.

Growing Communities’ box scheme provides a weekly selection of seasonal organic produce from £6.50 per week.

See the Super Stocks Bros – A Farmer’s Life comic.

Go to Growing Communities.