It takes a bit of digging before Rod Alston declares something about himself, other than his organic activities. When he does, it isn't something I haven't already figured out for myself. "I have a small appetite for people," he says, with the kind of smile you could easily confuse with a challenge.
That's not to suggest for a moment that he dislikes people, rather that he is an extremely focused man who tends to gravitate towards those who share his passions. Those passions not only embrace things of the soil, they also range from the general arts, to music (particularly early music), to the environment, to food, and to his adopted county of Leitrim. The recent recipient of the Ballygowan/Irish Food Writers Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, I ask him what exactly the award means to him. A cheque? A marketing opportunity? A chance to publicise the organic movement? "More than anything," he replies gravely, "it's a wonderful recognition. This is a business which is not driven primarily by economics, so money does not mean that much. What means much more is the fact that the slow, time-consuming efforts that I have made over the years are recognised, and I'm delighted and honoured by that."
Eden Plants, his organic business, situated in scenic Rossinver, Co Leitrim, is operating now for 25 years. It includes a herb nursery and vegetable cultivation - mostly for local sale and restaurant supply. There is also a scattering of suckler cows, milking goats and poultry. Cheese making is also a speciality.
Alston moved to Ireland in 1973, with, as he says, "a large quantity of naive ideas, centring on the concept of organic land-use and self-sufficiency". The breeding ground for the ideas was eclectic, including his time as a mature student in university, beginning with philosophy and ending up with a degree in politics. The ideology he brought with him to Leitrim, initially to Drumkeerin, led him to aim to establish an ecological research community. However, he soon discovered that the "coffee table ideas" developed in university do not always translate well into practice. There were obstacles, not least the fact that at the time non-nationals could not purchase in excess of five acres of land.
But determined to pursue his commitment to self-sufficiency, he found the Eden site and moved there in 1975. The learning curve continued from there, firstly in the recognition that "self-sufficiency with sales on the side does not work. If you start supplying people at all, then you need to produce enough to meet the demand on a continuous basis". Initially he focused on vegetables, taking on herbs when he realised that there was nowhere in Ireland producing any kind of range. He now supplies cut herbs to a range of local restaurants, with individuals travelling from Dublin to purchase their herb plants directly from him.
"People who come to Eden over the years have become almost like old friends," he says, although he is glad that the Organic Centre, another initiative he is heavily involved in, now sells some of his produce directly from their site, decreasing the traffic directly to him.
THE contribution that Alston has made to the development of organic farming in Ireland is significant. Name any organisation worth its salt in the area, and it transpires that he is or has been a leader of it at one time or other. He was a founder member and editor of Common Ground, formerly known as The North West Newsletter; he organised and hosted the first meeting of the Irish Organic Farmers & Growers Association (IOFGA); he is a member of the Standards Committee of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements); and since 1991 he has been working on the development of The Organic Centre, also in Rossinver, now holding the position of chairman.
The Ballygowan award recognises the practical work Rod Alston has done in the centre in supporting and teaching young Irish growers committed to growing organic products. The scale of the Organic Centre is enormous, but then Alston strikes you as a man who does not wait to have things done for him, but rather identifies needs and then seeks ways to address those needs himself. Wary of his small appetite for people, I just about pluck up the courage to ask is he married and does he have children? "Not married, and yes I have one daughter." The thought of pursuing his personal life any further is too daunting, so I ask just a little about his daughter and what she has chosen for her career. Having grown up in Eden, it's hardly surprising that she is environmentally committed, and working in the area of waste management in Wales. Would he have minded if she hadn't ended up working on environmental issues? "I wouldn't have minded if she hadn't, I would have minded very much if she didn't care."
The rest of our conversation ranges between the changes he has experienced in 25 years in Leitrim, to things he might miss in his relatively isolated location. "I miss a good library," he says, "but I suppose if I get up to speed on the Internet I might fix that." As for his love of music, he says that he used to miss playing, but he sorted that out by establishing the Sligo Early Music Ensemble, a baroque chamber orchestra which he directs. It's typical of his response to challenge - not enough of the music I like, well then I'll just have to make it myself. This is a motivated man, and I am forever dead if I don't make the plug which I suspect made Rod Alston agree to the interview in the first place. The Organic Centre needs £100,000. He will take it from one sponsor, or a few. All donations to Eden, Rossinver, Co Leitrim.