Listening to the Land

This is an audio recording of a live session from the Listening to the Land day 2026. Find out more at realfarming.org/programmes/listening-to-the-land/   LOVE, SERVICE AND FLOW: THE NEW RIVER GUARDIANS   Speakers: Meg Avon, Monica Feria-Tinta, Paul Powlesland Chair: Amy-Jane Beer   In a time when our waterways face mounting pressure, a new generation of River Guardians is emerging - guided not only by ecological urgency but by love, service, and the deep intelligence of flow. Their work reveals that protecting rivers is as much an act of relationship as it is of restoration, and that in caring for water, we are inevitably shaped and changed by it in return. From creative acts of devotion, and grassroots restoration, to groundbreaking legal work that recognises rivers as living beings with rights, they illuminate the many pathways through which guardianship takes form - and invite us to listen, act, and stand fully with the waters that sustain us. A powerful panel of activists and rights of nature lawyers explore how we can all be of service to the very source of life. 

This is an audio recording of a live session from the Listening to the Land day 2026. Find out more at realfarming.org/programmes/listening-to-the-land/   PILGRIMAGE AS LISTENING  Speakers: Emmeline Hardisty, Martin Hugi, Satish Kumar, Zofia Page Chair: Guy Hayward   Pilgrimage is a practice of listening to the land, ourselves, and one another. In this conversation, the panel will explore how walking as a pilgrim becomes a form of dialogue with place. What does it mean to allow pilgrimage to become not an act of seeking, but of receiving? Drawing on artistic, communal, and ecological practices, the panel weaves reflections on active receptivity.

Rachel Fleming talks to intuitive herbalist Nathaniel Hughes and plant spirit healer Woman Emma Fitchett about the consciousness of plants and how they can help us 'listen to the land'. We look at how to pick up on these communications of the vegatal realm, how to respond in a reciprocal relationship with them and ultimately what this means for our growing of food.   "There's something here that feels unbelievable and impossible" says Nathaniel, "but it's a shaft of light and I'm going to follow it ... another way is possible"   Listening to the Land is a podcast from the Real Farming Trust and Animate Earth Collective. Hosted by Francesca Price and Rachel Fleming, it explores how to build a deeper and more reciprocal relationship with the Land. Subscribe on PodBean, Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear new episodes. Introduction music: The Great Turning by Simmy Singh.

Who are we and how do we fit together? We talk with two deeply soulful activists and afro-ecologists working with women and children of African and Caribbean heritage in London, to 'go grow food with love'. Drawing on their ancestral knowledge and remembering, from living in a Rastafarian community in Jamaica to initiating in the Dogon tradition of West Africa, we talk about how the earth speaks with all of us, in different languages, whether we know it or not, and it's time to put our pieces together. Listening to the Land is a podcast from the Real Farming Trust and Animate Earth Collective. Hosted by Francesca Price and Rachel Fleming, it explores how to build a deeper and more reciprocal relationship with the Land. Subscribe on PodBean, Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear new episodes. Introduction music: The Great Turning by Simmy Singh.

Satish Kumar has walked the world and come into contact with everyone from world leaders to the greatest mountains and deserts on our planet.  He is a tireless activist who has never stopped advocating for a more reciprocal relationship with Nature.  “If we look after the land, it will look after us” he says.  Now in his late eighties, he’s still campaigning, walking, making compost and planning a revolution in radical love. Listening to the Land is a new podcast from the Real Farming Trust and Animate Earth Collective. Hosted by Francesca Price and Rachel Fleming, it explores how to build a deeper and more reciprocal relationship with the Land. Subscribe on PodBean, Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear new episodes. Introduction music: The Great Turning by Simmy Singh.

Manda Scott, an acclaimed author and contemporary shamanic teacher, teams up with Colin Campbell, a lineage holder of African traditional indigenous systems, to dive into the wisdom of traditional Indigenous knowledge. They discuss how these ancient practices can reshape modern environmental consciousness. Key topics include the disconnect between today's society and nature, the importance of rites of passage, and the need for a nurturing relationship with the land. Their insights encourage a deeper, more reciprocal engagement with the natural world.

In this engaging discussion, Angharad Wynne, a ceremonialist and writer devoted to Welsh land-based wisdom, teams up with Abel Pearson, a farmer and community leader from Glasbren. They share how seasonal rituals can deepen connections to the land and foster community. Topics include embracing midwinter traditions as a time for renewal and celebrating the interplay of farming and ceremony. The conversation highlights the importance of reviving ancestral practices, promoting emotional ties to nature, and creating joyful, inclusive rituals that honor seasonal changes.

In this fascinating discussion, Patrick MacManaway, a third-generation land healer and doctor, joins therapist and land healer Bríd Walsh to explore the profound connection between human trauma and the land. They delve into the significance of listening to nature and how emotional wounds can affect landscapes. With personal anecdotes and professional insights, they highlight techniques for healing both land and soul, emphasizing the need for reciprocal relationships with nature to restore vitality and abundance.

In this edition of the Listening to the Land podcast we remember our great friend and ally, Marina O’Connell, who died last week at her farm in Devon. I had the privilege of interviewing Marina in March 2022 after the publication of her book, Designing Regenerative Food Systems, but the interview was never released. We are honoured to bring it to you here as a way of remembering the phenomenal contribution Marina made to the movement and to the lives of so many around her. Introduction music: The Great Turning by Simmy Singh.

Sharon Blackie, a psychologist and mythologist, and Manchán Magan, a writer and documentary-maker, discuss reconnecting with our land through myth and ancestral wisdom. They emphasize the importance of storytelling in fostering respect for nature and sustainable practices. The conversation journeys through folk tales that deepen our cultural heritage and explore the ancient Irish practice of the king's union with the goddess of the land. They also touch on gendered symbols in nature and invite listeners to share their intuitive connections with the environment.