They were inspired by E. F. Schumacher, the economist, environmentalist and author of Small Is Beautiful, which argued that the growth of capitalism came at a very high human and planetary cost.
The college was committed to reversing the notion of education focussing on academic theory, and so all students were invited to engage hands-on with food growing in the gardens and preparation of meals in the kitchen.
[8] The foundation suspended all academic programming with immediate effect in September 2024;[9][10] the Dartington Trust said the college had been incurring substantial monthly losses.
[12] They were designed to combine personal transformation and collective action through bridging the gap between theory and practice, knowledge and experience.
[13] In 2022, the college launched undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in regenerative farming, to become the first higher education provider in England to offer agricultural training exclusively focussed on ecologically-minded approaches to food production.