Author Archive: R.Higgins

Bio: Richard Higgins, raised on a Somerset mixed farm in the UK, attained his NDA, at the Royal Berkshire College of Agriculture. He later completed a ten year (post graduate) study, of the works of Sir Albert Howard while travelling and teaching from China to Hawaii. Sir Albert is now considered the Grandfather of organic farming in recent modern times and his research was from the Permanent Agriculture of the east, which is where the term Permaculture was derived. The methods that Howard researched were from The Farmers of Forty Centuries (King) and the growing system that was employed then have formed the foundation of the Howard-Higgins system. Richard has become a world leading exponent of this branch of his work and has developed the HH -2 System which renders all types of organic waste and obnoxious wastes into fertilizer in 30-90 days, depending upon use. This is being introduced into Permaculture today and RegenAg also and other agricultural/horticultural systems. He presented the Howard (memorial) lecture 2009 at the University of Coventry, for Nigeria to ‘Go Organic’ (transcript sent to HRH The Prince of Wales, who made an immediate response). In 2010 he spent three months at the Haiti earthquake disaster utilizing the Howard-Higgins method of DRY sanitation and waste management - forming 'the cleanest refugee camp in Haiti' where he developed the first OXFAM urine separator footplate, which they now have in production. In 2011 he was deployed to Mozambique with The Royal Norweigan Society, South Africa and Uganda where trials were completed on scaling up the Howard-Higgins system (HH -2) for maximum carbon sequestration. The HH - 2 sanitation system avoids any kind of pits or tanks in the ground and the subsequent moving of "waste" from one hole in the ground to another or from sitting anywhere curing for long periods of time. All organic wastes becomes pathogen free compost/fertilizer in 30 days. Richard has developed his 'Hot Box' technology in conjunction with Howard's original thermophilic system which is employed as 'a world first, cutting edge technology' (Biffa Waste), also for use in Cholera proof waste management or for treating food processing wastes etc., It meets all Environment Agency and Environmental Health regulations of the West. "The biggest missing link in the chain of nutrient cycling is human effluent", Patrick Holden (Director of the Soil Association) . Richard is also a consultant to various other groups on food security and presented at the National Soil Symposium 2012, for the Soil Association. He runs a Centre for teaching sustainability for the future at Well End Permaculture International. He has recently taken up the anti GMO debate with Rothamstead Research and gave an interview on the Farming Today programme, and was subsequently invited to meet with the top five soil scientists of Rothamsted. More recently he spoke on Radio Shropshire on the Badger Culling issue and at the National Badger conference in Hampshire about the prevention of TB in cattle. Teaching ranges from introductory courses on Permaculture and Sustainable Living to advanced thermophilic composting, waste management and food production on any scale. Other courses for sustainable living: clay oven building: straw bale and cob building and rainwater harvesting: Land care in remineralizing soils: and ground water management. The thrust of Richard's work is to obtain high quality food Everyone as fast as possible, everywhere (Food Security) and his courses provide for gardeners, farmers,researchers of Aid organisations, aid workers, students of sustainability, and budding Permaculturists. The lunches provided on courses include mineral rich foods that are grown on the farm in the health healing habitats. He is currently working in Africa where he says "Permaculture offers the best solutions in Sustainable Agriculture" and "Farming should be more like Gardening and Gardening should be more like Farming!" His literary release in India, is an update of one of Howard's original world classics of the work he performed there 100 years ago; and is now called THE LOST SCIENCE OF ORGANIC CULTIVATION (How to feed as many people as possible - as quickly as possible - forever). The films he made while in Haiti, converting wastes into fertilizer, can be viewed by visiting the Sustainable Agriculture London web site www.suaglon.co.uk (under MEDIA) rather than on U tube as there are copyrighted soundtracks by Bob Dylan and Enya.