The Soil Association was founded in 1946 by a group of farmers, scientists and nutritionists who observed a direct connection between farming practice and plant, animal, human and environmental health.
Today the Soil Association is the UK's leading organic organisation, with over 200 staff based in Bristol and Edinburgh and working as certification inspectors across the country. The Soil Association's director is Patrick Holden, who reports to the Council of Trustees.
You might expect something so vital to be organised and supported by the government. But in fact the Soil Association is a charity, reliant on donations and on the support of its members and the public to carry out its work. The Soil Association is a charity. Almost all our income is contributed by individual members and supporters and institutions such as charitable trusts and statutory bodies.
The Soil Association are most grateful to all those who have so generously contributed over the years. More and more people are realising the importance of sustainable farming and the real public benefits it delivers in protecting wildlife, the well-being of animals, human health and the environment, through our education and project-led work. | 
