Wakelyns, surrounded by a sea of large-scale conventional arable production, is an oasis of
trees, alive with bird song and insects. Integrating trees for timber, energy and fruit production
into an organic crop rotation, Wakelyns was established by the late plant pathologist, Prof.
Martin Wolfe, to put into action his theories of agrobiodiversity being the answer to achieving
sustainable and resilient agriculture. This revised edition of Resilience through Diversity celebrates the legacy of Martin and Ann: over 30 years of pioneering agroforestry research and demonstration which, since 2020, has expanded and evolved under the direction of their son David Wolfe and his wife Amanda.
The original review was written by Jo Smith and Sally Westaway in 2020 and supported by the Woodland Trust. It was revised by Janie Caldbeck and Will Simonson in 2024 with additional pages on ‘Biodiversity for agriculture and conservation’ and work on pond restoration and creation. We told the story of how since Martin and Ann’s deaths, David Wolfe and Amanda Illing have continued with the organic rotation agroforestry whilst evolving Wakelyns into a hub for farming, food, research and the environment, focusing on short food chains, enterprise stacking, and people.
The 2026 revision brings us up to the present with updates to the evolving community of stacked enterprises at Wakelyns. It was produced by the Organic Research Centre on behalf of Progressive Farming Trust. The 2024 and 2026 editions were made possible by Stewardship’s partnership with an anonymous donor.