Join Amy as she shares gentle movement practices that help us 'meet' and nurture exchange with the land that we work with. With the aim of expanding ‘regenerative’ practices into the life of the landworker, Amy has been drawing on her training in somatic movement to devise simple exercises that support us in attuning to presence, for listening and conversing with the landscape of our own bodies, as well as other beings’ bodies (human/more-than-human). There…

Across the UK, farmers, growers and crofters are navigating an increasingly challenging environment, with complex and often conflicting demands on land use - from food production to wildlife restoration, climate adaptation, and more. A ‘whole farm approach’ is often recommended to help maximise the multifunctionality of agricultural land, but what does that look like on-farm, and how can it be better supported by agricultural policy? In this session, we identify key characteristics of whole farm…

There is no doubt that there is a rural-urban divide, expressed in terms of culture, life experiences, perceptions, or political outlook. However, if we are to create a just, sustainable and secure food system then we need food growers in rural areas to find common cause with those who buy the food, most of whom live in urban areas. This session will look at initiatives which are helping to overcome the divide, thus contributing to…

After a decade of searching and a community shares campaign that raised over £1 million, this 800+ member coop purchased a 78 acre farm just outside Liverpool in 2023 to grow organic fruit and veg. Helen and Chris will be presenting this inspiring story and sharing lessons and mistakes made in their first year. The session will focus on the very practical steps being taken right at the start of transforming a conventional farm into…

Join us to learn about our work with farmers on the transformative potential of welcoming bats and other wildlife onto your farm. Discover how the Bat Conservation Trust’s Connecting People and Landscapes in a Changing Climate Project is not only promoting biodiversity but also supporting regenerative farming practices, training a new generation of conservationists and engaging local communities. We are supporting the transition to a more nature friendly, vibrant, and sustainable farming landscape in Devon…

The practice of making tree hay predates the making of hay from herb and flower rich meadows and has been used for over three millenia. In Europe and modern farming landscapes the practice has fallen out of favour, however the fodder can provide a vital source of feed and nutrients, add resilience to farm systems and provide a supplementary feed source. Join us for this session to learn all about the benefits, challenges and considerations…

Double the nitrogen in the starting straw with this simple static composting strategy. We’ll teach you how to capture atmospheric nitrogen in ambient conditions using wheat or barley straw with naturally occurring nitrogen-fixing bacteria. By stacking several bales on each other, ideal conditions for cellulose decomposition and feeding of nitrogen-fixing bacteria are created. The result is a low cost method for increasing the supply of nitrogen on-farm. This method can provide a minimum of 20%…

Manda Scott will explore dreams, visions and life-changing questions that drew her to write Any Human Power, her first novel in the new Thrutopian genre. What does it take to be a good-enough ancestor? How can we construct a flourishing future from the ashes of modernity — and do this peacefully, in time, in a way that brings a critical mass of the world with us? We live in a complex world, and there is…

While whittling on the shaving horse Nick will discuss the nature of the human and the impelling need we have to make. Nick will seek to set this in a historical context so as to understand how we have arrived in a place of profound separation from the daily relationship between our hands and making things. In a time when the farming community and many others are asking about their relationship to the land and…