There's a parallel strand in the old testament, written by the descendants of herders, woe to the bloody city. It is all lies and robbery. The prey departeth not. This was picked up big time in the new testament, prefigured by virgil in some ways, then in the renaissance in europe. And then it went massive in the twentieth century with children's books. About 50 % of them are about live stock farms. If the babesee was any keener on sheep, it would be illegalndand what this has created is an idyllic perfection in the countryside,. around the most damaging dustry on earth, which is live stock farming.
The environmentalist George Monbiot argues that farming is the world’s greatest cause of environmental destruction, but few people want to talk about it. In Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet he presents a vision for the future of food production. He tells Tom Sutcliffe that new ideas and technologies from soil ecology to laboratory-grown food could change the way people eat while regenerating the landscape.
But many farmers believe that they have been unfairly accused of ecological mismanagement, and that they are uniquely placed to restore the earth and provide a sustainable future. Sarah Langford has returned to her country roots after working for many years as a criminal barrister in the city. In her book, Rooted: Stories of Life, Land and a Farming Revolution she shows how a new generation of farmers are set on a path of regenerative change.
While Sarah Langford comes from a family of farmers, for many city dwellers it can be difficult to cultivate a connection with the earth. In her memoir, Unearthed: On Race and Roots and How the Soil Taught Me I Belong, Claire Ratinon, explores how she grew up feeling disconnected with the natural world and with family stories of slave ancestors forced to work the land. Through learning to grow her own vegetables and especially the food of Mauritius, she has finally felt able to put down roots.
Producer: Katy Hickman