Authors and farmers James and Helen Rebanks discuss their practice of regenerative agriculture in the Lake District, focusing on breeding healthy cattle and sheep through natural processes. They address the importance of recognizing unseen labor, exploring the roles of farmers' wives and stay-at-home moms. The conversation touches on rewilding, food origins, and the impact of book releases on amplifying ordinary voices. They emphasize the need for regenerative agriculture to restore wetlands and increase biodiversity in farmlands.
Regenerative agriculture restores damaged land through biodiversity and sustainable practices.
Mothers play a crucial role in making food choices linked to sustainable agriculture.
Rewilding may not be feasible, but increasing biodiversity is essential for the landscape.
Deep dives
The History and Tradition of Farming in England's Lake District
Living on a farm in England's Lake District since 2014, James and Helen Meebanks discuss their generations-old family legacy and the unique farming landscape in the region. With a focus on maintaining a farm that has been in the family for centuries, they emphasize the importance of collaboration within the small community and the significance of generations of families farming in the area.
Challenges and Uniqueness of Farming in the Lake District
Describing their farm as a mountain farm on a 45-degree slope, the Meebanks highlight the harsh conditions and poor quality land they work with. They detail the traditional farming practices in the area, including the use of common land for grazing and the emphasis on breeding healthy cattle and sheep that can thrive in the rugged terrain.
Transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture
James discusses the evolution of his farming practices, moving away from conventional methods towards regenerative agriculture. Highlighting the negative impacts of industrial farming on the environment and food quality, he emphasizes the importance of shifting towards sustainable farming practices focused on soil health, natural processes, and biodiversity.
Questioning Conventional Farming Practices and Climate Impact
The Meebanks challenge the conventional farming model that prioritizes large-scale production at the expense of environmental degradation and soil health. They advocate for a shift towards smaller-scale, nature-centric farming that aims to restore biodiversity, improve soil quality, and mitigate climate change through mindful agricultural practices.
Empowering Farmers to Embrace Sustainable Agriculture
Encouraging farmers to rethink their approach to food production, James and Helen emphasize the importance of prioritizing soil health, biodiversity, and community resilience. They urge farmers to consider the long-term impact of their practices, envisioning a future where more farmers embrace regenerative agriculture for a healthier, more sustainable food system.
James and Helen Rebanks talk about raising sheep and cattle in the Lake District. James describes the landscape where their families have lived for six hundred years, and how they have begun practicing regenerative agriculture as a way of restoring the land that recent conventional agriculture had damaged. He gives details about the sheep and cattle herds and the grazing systems they’ve established.
Then Helen describes what led her to write her book on the work of the farmer’s wife, and addresses mothers, who are often the ones making choices about food that are linked to questions of sustainable agriculture.
They discuss the concept of rewilding, and how that is not necessarily either possible or desirable – the landscape has not been wild for thousands of years – but that increasing complexity and biodiversity is both possible and necessary.
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