More than a memoir; Langford manages to contain and convey the whole scale of the coming agricultural revolution." The way forward can been found in the many places that these books agree. Both explore the wonder and complexity of soil. They strike on several of the same solutions, including the “no-till” method of growing crops without ploughing, or the use of perennial grains. Both see the benefits of organic methods such as planting wildflowers as a means of controlling pests. Langford also tells the stories of farmers who are quietly leading an agricultural revolution. ‘It is a revolution that might just abate a climate crisis, a physical and mental health crisis, and a biodiversity crisis,’ she writes. She shines a light on the human side of farming, on the real cost of cheap food and on the regenerative choices some farmers are making. ‘All of us are connected to farmers, and them to us. They may represent just one per cent of our workforce but they look after 70 per cent of our land. Their choices affect us all.’ The author and her husband conclude that organic farming is the niche to explore for them not just because it seems the only way small, non-agribusiness farming can be financially viable but it is the path farmers need to follow after years of being pushed to produce more and more food via chemicals and farming methods alien to their ancestors.

Rooted - Penguin Books UK Rooted - Penguin Books UK

The book itself is deeply steeped in science, with plenty of interesting and useful insights into the ways in which wild landscapes function, from fungi to Oak trees. There are plenty of great characters, too – you can see why ‘Wilding’ became the book that really helped to popularise the rewilding movement. What is one thing that you’ve taken from your conversations with farmers that you think will stay with you as you continue experimenting on your farm? We Are the Ark– Pioneer gardening rewilder, Mary Reynolds brings her warm and enigmatic style of rewilding to a wider audience in this captivating illustrated edition. Her thoughts align closely with my own on rewilding gardens, so I look forward to reading this one. If you’re wondering about how to manage the community response to a rewilding project, then the discussion of Patagonia’s rewilding experiment in S America is very informative. There is also insightful guidance into how rewilders might navigate choppy political waters, and some predictions of future industry growth.Like the author, I too grew up on a farm but I then moved into field biology, which can put me at loggerheads with the ‘traditional’ farming methods of the last few decades, whilst also sympathising with farmers for a system that is designed to encourage these damaging practices I often abhor. As such, perhaps I can relate to Sarah’s narrative more than the average reader, but I believe anyone with an interest in our countryside will gain an insight into farming, it’s policies that turn farmers into the ‘bad guys’ in the eyes of many, whilst conspiring to often prevent these same farmers from doing anything different.

The Best Rewilding Books | How to Rewild

In Rooted, Sarah weaves her own story around these farmers – from dairy to arable, traditional to experimental – who taught her what being a farmer means. Intimate and moving, these stories shine a light on the human side of modern farming, and show us how land connects us all, not only in terms of global sustainability but in our relationships with our physical and mental health, our communities, our planet and ourselves. Despite it being hard to stomach for many of us from the countryside, Monbiot makes a convincing case. In desperate times, a shift to plant-based and even lab-grown food makes simple mathematical sense. Monbiot’s arguments take account of the needs of everyone in society, not just those who can afford premium meat, and not just those of us in the UK. Regenesis aims to be a gamechanger, and indeed it already makes ideas once thought radical seem tame. Rooted shows how agriculture has swung from one idea to another and how farmers are often battered and caught in a terrible bind. Langford interviews a number of contemporary farmers and tells their stories. I cringe at thought 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.There is much insight, creativity and sensitivity in this book. It does what is says in the title, it is about what it means to be rooted. It is a plea for an increasingly urban nation not to forget or, even worse, to demonise its farmers. Referencing etymology and religious ritual Langford calls for a recognition of staying connected to the earth, “We are designed to be earthed. We grow the food that keeps us alive from it. We will end up part of it.”

Rooted: How regenerative farming can change the world

More than a memoir; Langford manages to contain and convey the whole scale of the coming agricultural revolution. Daily Telegraph Rooted charts a quiet revolution taking place in our fields, barns and hedgerows, led by a new generation of farmers on a path of powerful change. In Rooted, Sarah weaves her own story around those who taught her what it means to be a farmer. She shines a light on the human side of modern farming, and shows how land connects us all, not only in terms of global sustainability but in our relationships with our physical and mental health, our communities and our planet.

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Isolation and independence often go hand in hand on the family farm. Lots of potentially damaging stuff is internalised and finds expression only much later. Sarah identifies this phenomenon in these powerful words: Rooted is a brave thing: a book that prods into the ever-widening gulf between the binaries we increasingly use to examine the world. As conversations about what we eat and where it comes from reach fever-pitch, Sarah Langford's clear-eyed, inquisitive and passionate plea for farmers and farming offers a vital understanding when it has never been so needed. I hope everyone reads it." For anyone unfamiliar with rewilding science, Rebirding is a great place to start, as the author gives a great outline of the key literature. There’s obviously a focus on birds, given the title, but it’s tied in to the effects of wider restoration – there are almost no birds without insects, as he points out, and no insects without the plants and habitats they need to survive. Moving, startling, uplifting, galvanising and unsettling, this plainly beautiful book is one of those rare few that changes how you see the world around you: the shape of fields seen from a train, the vegetables in a supermarket chiller cabinet, the earth beneath your feet and falling through your fingers." Regenesis conveys a sense of urgency about these challenges, and has a huge scope. Monbiot thinks globally, looking beyond these shores to poorer nations that feel the impact of climate changes and the economic pressures most keenly.