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“Not just a farm — a living classroom for sustainability.”
Our Story
Willowbrook Farm was established in 2002 by Dr. Lutfi and Ruby Radwan, who left their professional lives in academia and holistic therapy to pursue a vision of living in harmony with nature. They transformed a bare piece of Oxfordshire farmland into a thriving 45-acre organic farm that demonstrates how sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and ethical animal stewardship can work hand in hand.
The farm’s ethos is simple but powerful: to farm naturally, sustainably, and ethically while respecting both the land and the creatures that depend on it. This approach runs through every decision, from how animals are raised to how buildings are constructed, how energy is generated, and how the community is involved.
Meet The Farm
Natural & Ethical Farming
Unlike commercial systems that rely on hybrid fast-growing breeds, chemicals, and intensive inputs, Willowbrook Farm works with traditional breeds of chicken, sheep, and cattle at sustainable stocking levels, often practising holistic livestock management or extensive grazing systems, focusing on high welfare and disease prevention through natural immunity and managed through personal care rather than impersonal industrial systems.
These approaches contribute to biodiversity, landscape health, and ecosystem balance, while preserving native livestock genetics. Initiatives like those are supported by the National Sheep Association and programs under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which can provide support for such practices, emphasising the conservation of UK native breeds at risk (NBAR).
Willowbrook's ethos is that their animals enjoy fresh pasture, non-GM feed, and a life free from chemicals, medication, or hormones.
"We believe that farming should not distance farmers from their animals but reconnect them through care, observation, and responsibility. Visitors who come here often remark on the personal relationship we hold with our land and livestock, something that has been lost in much of modern agriculture."
Ethical Principals
Treating livestock with respect, meeting their behavioural and physiological needs.
Maintaining the fertility and biological activity of soils.
Fostering biodiversity and protecting habitats.
Maximising renewable resources, recycling, and minimising waste.
Building local, ecologically responsible systems for production and distribution.
Conservation
Holistic Livestock Management: This approach views the farm as a whole ecosystem, with livestock, soil, and plants working together for mutual benefit.
Extensive Grazing: Using grazing animals on marginal land helps manage landscapes, protect habitats, and support biodiversity while maintaining high welfare and disease prevention.
Native Breed Conservation: Focusing on hardy native breeds with inherent immunity to local conditions, like ticks, ensures the preservation of valuable genetic resources.
Sustainable Stocking Levels: This involves carefully assessing and maintaining the number of animals per unit of land to ensure the long-term health of the pasture and ecosystem.
Benefits
Environmental: Enhances landscape, habitats, and biodiversity, and contributes to overall ecosystem health.
Economic: Can support economic activity in remote areas and strengthen rural livelihoods.
Animal Welfare: Emphasises high welfare standards and disease prevention through natural immunity.
Genetic Preservation: Protects the genetic diversity of traditional and rare breeds, which can be crucial for future resilience.
Living in Harmony with Wildlife
Our farm is located within the Cherwell Valley Environmentally Sensitive Area, and every choice we make seeks to support biodiversity.
Over 5,000 trees have been planted, hedgerows restored, and two large natural ponds created.
Visitors often describe the farm as “Farthing Wood come to life” — where deer, badgers, foxes, grass snakes, newts, owls, and over 25 species of birds, including Red and Amber list species, can be spotted.
We use no artificial fertilisers, pesticides, or herbicides, allowing natural ecosystems to recover and thrive. Isolated areas of woodland remain undisturbed so wildlife can reproduce safely.
The result is a farm that is not only productive but alive with nature, proving that food production and biodiversity protection are not mutually exclusive.
Building with Nature
Every building on the farm has been created with sustainability in mind. The most striking example is our cob house, which is within the list of one of the few largest contemporary earthen buildings in the UK. Built over four years with the help of volunteers, it was constructed almost entirely from natural materials sourced within 30 miles of the farm (70% from within 10 metres). Insulated with our own lamb’s wool and finished with a thatched roof, it shows how traditional techniques and modern sustainability can combine beautifully. Alongside it sits a cob boiler room, housing our biomass boiler that heats the farm buildings.
Energy is another key part of our sustainability story. Wind turbines, solar panels, and managed woodland provide most of our electricity and heat. Thousands of trees planted on the farm now serve dual purposes: restoring habitats for wildlife and providing a renewable source of fuel for our biomass system through coppicing and pollarding.
Beyond the Farm: Community and Responsibility
At Willowbrook, farming is never just about what happens on the land — it’s about the responsibilities we share as communities.
Globalisation has distanced people from the sources of their food and energy, but we encourage visitors, customers, and learners to reconnect.
Through our work, we ask people to take responsibility for what they consume, for how they manage waste, and for how they use energy.
"This spirit of shared responsibility extends to our charity, which uses the farm as a living classroom. Here, children, young people, families, and adults can see, touch, and learn first-hand about sustainability and ethical farming."
It’s a place where theory becomes practice, and where people leave inspired to become stewards of the Earth in their own lives.
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