Deep Seed - Regenerative Agriculture

In this episode of Deep Seed, regenerative farmers Naomi Oakley and Gunnar Thelin explore what modern agriculture could become if we stopped treating nature as a machine and started listening to living systems again.

This is not another conversation about agricultural policy, carbon markets, subsidies or food system bureaucracy.

It is a deeply human conversation about regenerative farming, biodiversity, grazing animals, soil health, ecosystem restoration, community, belonging… and joy.

For Naomi, farming is the privilege of waking up every morning to work alongside animals, landscapes and local communities she deeply loves. For Gunnar, regenerative agriculture is rooted in a profound feeling of connection to place: the understanding that the land does not belong to us — we belong to the land.

Together, they discuss how regenerative grazing systems can restore ecosystems, improve water cycles, increase biodiversity, rebuild soil health and strengthen climate resilience, while also giving farmers back something many have lost: meaning, dignity and hope.

This episode explores:
• regenerative agriculture and holistic grazing
• biodiversity and ecosystem restoration
• soil regeneration and water retention
• rewilding vs regenerative farming
• how cows and grazing animals shape landscapes
• why observation matters more than rigid agricultural recipes
• farmer mental health, purpose and community
• the role of farmers in solving climate and ecological crises
• why many young people are rediscovering farming and land stewardship

At the heart of the conversation is a powerful idea: farmers are not simply producers trapped inside industrial systems. They are observers, experimenters and caretakers of living ecosystems.

Naomi and Gunnar speak honestly about how modern agriculture often disconnects farmers from nature, from their communities and even from themselves. Against that, they offer another path: one rooted in curiosity, humility, ecological intelligence and relationship with the living world.

It is hopeful without being naïve.

A conversation about farming, yes — but also about how humans might find their way back to meaning, resilience and connection in an increasingly fractured world.

🌿 SOIL CAPITAL This episode was made in partnership with Soil Capital - a company accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health www.soilcapital.com

👨🏼‍🌾 EARA The conversation was recorded during a gathering organised by the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA), a growing network of farmers from across Europe working to regenerate soils, ecosystems, rural communities and food systems.

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Let me ask you this: do you think Europe can feed itself in 20–30 years under current conditions?

In this episode of the Deep Seed Podcast, I sit down with Ivo Degn (Re:source) to unpack a reality very few people are willing to face:

Europe’s food system is becoming more fragile, more volatile, and less resilient every year.

We talk about rising food insecurity, collapsing soil health, fertiliser dependency on fossil fuels, ageing farmers with no one to replace them, and a system that was never designed for the world we now live in.

This conversation reframes regenerative agriculture from a “nice idea” to a serious response to food system risk.

Because at the end of the day, agriculture is not just another sector. It is the foundation of civilisation.

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In this deep-dive masterclass, we explore:

• Why the modern agrifood system depends on assumptions that no longer hold
• How climate volatility (droughts, floods, shifting baselines) is destabilising food production
• Why fertiliser, energy and geopolitics are tightly linked
• The hidden structural barriers blocking regenerative agriculture in Europe
• Why farmers are often trapped in a system they know isn’t working
• How soil biology, biodiversity and regenerative practices are emerging as a viable alternative
• What needs to change at a system level to unlock the transition

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If you care about food security, climate change, regenerative agriculture, soil health, biodiversity, the future of Europe, or simply where your food comes from, this is one of the most important conversations you can listen to right now.

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🎙 ABOUT THE GUEST Ivo Degn is part of Re:source, working at the intersection of food systems transformation, regenerative agriculture, and systemic change across Europe.

🌱 ABOUT DEEP SEED Deep Seed explores the future of food, farming, and ecosystems — through long-form conversations with the people shaping the regenerative transition.

👨🏼‍🌾 SOIL CAPITAL The official partner of the Deep Seed podcast. Soil Capital is a company that accelerates the transition to regenerative agriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health and biodiversity ❤️ www.soilcapital.com

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What if restoring our soils isn’t just a scientific challenge… but an emotional, even spiritual one? What if the future of farming depends as much on beauty, connection, and intention as it does on data, yields, and carbon?

In this powerful episode of the Deep Seed Podcast, landscape architect Marian Boswall takes us on a journey that starts with dead soil… and leads to a completely new way of seeing land, food, and life itself.

This is not your typical conversation about agriculture. It’s deeper. Slower. More human. And, honestly, more hopeful.

🌍 Why You Should Watch This Episode If you care about:
· Regenerative agriculture
· Soil health & soil microbiology
· Sustainable farming & food systems
· Biodiversity & ecosystem restoration
· Nutrient density & human health …

this episode will expand how you think about all of them. Because regeneration isn’t just about techniques. It’s about how we relate to the land... and to each other!

🧠 What You’ll Learn
· The fundamentals of soil health, composting, and the soil food web
· Why nutrient density starts in the soil (and affects your gut health)
· How biodiversity and agroecology can transform farms and landscapes
· Why beauty, design, and even energy matter in regenerative systems
· How anyone (yes, even in a city) can contribute to regeneration
· The risks of greenwashing in the regenerative agriculture movement
· Why beavers might be some of the best ecosystem engineers on Earth

🌱 A Different Perspective on Regenerative Agriculture Most conversations around regenerative agriculture focus on carbon, metrics, and productivity. This one adds something we don’t talk about enough: care, intention, and connection. Marian shares how landscapes can heal people, not just produce food. Farmers can reconnect with the food they grow Small actions (like compost or a balcony garden) can scale into ecosystem restoration

“We don’t just grow food—we grow the conditions for life.”

🎙️ About the Guest

Marian Boswall is an award-winning landscape architect, agroecology coach, and author. Her work bridges regenerative agriculture, ecology, and human wellbeing, helping design landscapes that restore both ecosystems and the people living within them.

🌿 SOIL CAPITAL

This episode was made in partnership with Soil Capital, a company accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture. www.soilcapital.com

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What if the future of food isn’t high-tech… but ancient wisdom?

We’ve built a global food system on just four crops... and it’s starting to crack!

The real question is: what happens when it breaks?

In this episode of the Deep Seed Podcast, Professor Sayed Azam-Ali (University of Nottingham, Crops For the Future) reveals why the key to resilient, nutritious, and truly sustainable food systems might already exist—hidden in so-called “forgotten crops.”

We unpack how modern agriculture became dangerously dependent on a handful of commodity crops like wheat, rice, maize, and soy—and why this lack of diversity is driving soil degradation, biodiversity loss, climate vulnerability, and hidden hunger.

But this isn’t just a problem story. It’s a roadmap for transformation.

You’ll discover:
Why crop diversity is the foundation of regenerative agriculture and food system resilience

How underutilised crops like Bambara groundnut and fonio can outperform industrial staples in harsh climates

The hidden link between ultra-processed food, micronutrient deficiency, and chronic disease

Why global supply chains (COVID, Ukraine, Suez Canal) exposed the fragility of our food system

How indigenous knowledge and farmer-led innovation hold critical solutions we’re at risk of losing

What needs to change—from seed systems and subsidies to consumer behavior and food culture

We also dive into the bigger picture:
Can regenerative agriculture scale without cultural change?

What role should corporations, governments, and consumers really play?

And why “cheap food” might be the most expensive mistake we’ve ever made

This conversation sits at the intersection of agroecology, climate change, nutrition, and food sovereignty—and challenges everything we think we know about what we should grow and eat.

Because the future of farming might not be about producing more…
…but about growing differently.

“We cannot fix the food system by tweaking it. We have to transform it.”

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🌿 SOIL CAPITAL - this episode was made in partnership with Soil Capital 
www.soilcapital.com

❤️ Episode hosted by Federica Urso

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What happens when a farmer publicly admits that modern agriculture might be broken?

In this episode, British farmer David Wheatley joins the Deep Seed Podcast to share the unfiltered reality of modern farming. After losing almost everything in a devastating farm fire and facing years of financial losses during COVID, David started posting honest videos about life on his farm — and unexpectedly built an audience of millions.

Today, his content offers a rare window into the real economics of agriculture: volatile weather, rising input costs, global commodity markets, and the constant risk farmers face every season.

David is a fourth-generation farmer from Cambridgeshire, UK, managing around 450 acres of arable crops, orchards and flowers. In this conversation we go beyond the viral videos to explore the deeper forces shaping farming today — and the new opportunities emerging through direct-to-consumer food systems, social media, and regenerative agriculture.

You’ll hear:

• how David nearly lost his farm after years of financial losses
• why many farmers feel trapped in a system where “the more you grow, the less you get paid”
• how social media unexpectedly became a lifeline for his farm
• why he sells flowers and apples directly to consumers instead of supermarkets

We also discuss David’s heritage orchards with over 250 apple varieties, why he refuses to certify them organic even though they are grown without sprays or fertilisers, and how customers are rediscovering what real food tastes like.

The conversation also explores David’s first experiments with regenerative agriculture, cover crops, direct drilling, biodiversity and diversified farming systems, and the real risks farmers face when transitioning away from conventional agriculture.

This episode is for anyone interested in:

• regenerative agriculture
• sustainable farming
• soil health and biodiversity
• the future of food systems
• farm economics and agricultural policy
• food security and resilience

At its heart, this conversation reminds us that the future of agriculture may depend on rebuilding the relationship between farmers, land and the people who eat the food.

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👨🏼‍🌾 About the guest

David Wheatley is a UK farmer, flower grower and orchard keeper known for sharing the unfiltered reality of modern farming with hundreds of thousands of followers online. His work highlights the economic pressures farmers face while exploring new ways to produce and sell food outside the traditional agricultural system.

Instagram: @petitepeonys
Website: petitepeonys.co.uk

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🌿 This episode was made in partnership with Soil Capital
www.soilcapital.com

❤️ Special thanks to Federica Urso for the research and preparation of this episode.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.