Talkin' 'bout regeneration - What is regenerative farming and will it save the world?

Voices of the Countryside

We’ve probably all heard the term ‘regenerative farming’ but what does it actually mean, how do you farm regeneratively, and what does it achieve?

Patrick heads to North Norfolk to meet Jimmy Goodley, a farmer in the Stiffkey Valley who is trying to create a financially viable and sustainable farming business for his young children to one day take on. Patrick and Jimmy discuss wheat, why Jimmy has no interest in farming ‘organically’, and whether it's possible to grow enough food for the nation while farming in an environmentally friendly way.

Patrick then heads to the Holkham Estate to meet Jake Fiennes, the Estate's Director of Conservation. They talk about butterflies, worms and soil health. Patrick puts it to Jake that all these terms, like 'rewilding' and ‘regen’, seem to divide people, rather than bringing people together. Are they, Patrick wonders, often just sticks that we beat each other with?

Beyond the Hedge is a Scribehound production
About Scribehound
Passionate about the countryside? Feed your passion with a Scribehound subscription to get daily reads from 30 of the best countryside writers, including Patrick Galbraith. Click here to find out more
About the music in this episode

Nelson's Shantymen was established in Burnham Thorpe, birth place of England’s greatest seaman, Lord Horatio Nelson. Now based in Brancaster Staithe at The Jolly Sailors. They are a diverse group of enthusiasts, driven in equal measure by a love of singing and a desire to keep the tradition of the authentic sea-shanty alive.

Nelson’s Shantymen is a non-profit-making group which aims to raise money for charitable causes. To date they have raised over £28,000 for a range of charities including RNLI, Help for Heroes, Children in Need, Comic Relief, Wells Community Hospital, Tapping House, Campaign Care 94, Nelson’s Journey, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, the Jubilee Sailing Trust, The Bridge for Heroes, Hillside Animal Sanctuary, Kings Lynn Hospital’s League of Friends, East Anglian Children's Hospice and The Big C. Listen to their 2023 album Norfolk Tides here.