Workspace Unwired: How urban farms may be the RTO magnet every business needs

In this episode of the Workspace Unwired podcast BCO chief executive Samantha McClary is talking to Patrick Dumas, founder and CEO of Square Mile Farms, about how his company is transforming offices into hubs of urban agriculture, wellbeing, and community connection.

Over the course of this 40 minute conversation, recorded on location in London’s Paddington, Dumas shares how what began as an attempt to establish a distributed food production network across London's rooftops has evolved into a human‑centred, experiential amenity that brings people back into workplaces—not for desks, but for shared experiences, health, and purpose.

While the farms may have started as a way to help businesses deliver on the E of their ESG strategies, Dumas says the S has become the company’s most powerful impact area. Farms attract interaction across hierarchies, while school visits, nutrition workshops, and regular harvest donations to food banks expand businesses into the local community.

Listen in to find out more about how the farms work, why big businesses like British Land, Vodafone and GSK are leaning and why Dumas has an ambition to become the largest farm in Europe, based entirely in London, that sells no food. And, of course, why he wants designers and developers to integrate farms as a standard amenity in our workplaces.

Enjoy.