In Season 1 of the podcast Jackson shared his journey of learning about regenerative practices in agriculture. He brought his passion to the communities around him, educating hundreds of small holder farmers and establishing small demonstration farms and food forests that have since inspired with their ability to produce when surrounding lands are dry and struggling.

In this episode we catch up with Jackson over two years later. We speak at a turning point in his journey where he's taking the first steps to establish his own regenerative farm in Western Tanzania. This time to become an example of a profitable business model for small holder farmers rather than as purely a demonstration for regeneration. Jackson offers a wide range of insights into the steps that he plans to take with his farm along with exploring some of the barriers that are holding back a wider spread transition within the communities around him.

Find a video version of this episode on the website: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/jackson-buzingo-farming-transition-in-east-africa/

For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below:

00:00 - Intro

02:57 - First steps on the new farm

05:23 - Why this farm differs from the demo farms

07:52 - Trees and layers in the new farm

09:18 - Climate struggles & barriers to transition

14:03 - Conventional farming struggles - tobacco dominance and deforestation

16:39 - Hope & inspiration from food forests

23:51 - Plan and progression for the new farm

31:23 - Access to seeds

36:25 - Access to food for local communities

37:36 - Building awareness & momentum for regeneration

Join me for a conversation with Peter Byck exploring the incredible opportunity that land offers to us as a tool for re-balancing the climate.

Peter is the director of the four part documentary series Roots So Deep (You Can See The Devil Down There)

There's a huge contrast that we often talk about on this show; how regenerative farming can tip all the detriments of conventional practises on their head and actually turn agriculture into one of the biggest healing tools for the planet.

And this is why I'm so incredibly excited about the work that Peter has been part of.

He's been working with a team of pioneering scientists who have conducted research to compare the outcomes of regenerative cattle grazing directly with their conventional farming neighbours.

It's an extensive multi-discipline project bringing a whole systems look and putting data behind the claims.

And the results are in!

Find a video version of this episode on the website: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/peter-byck-roots-so-deep/

For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:04:42 - Climate solution discovery journey

00:12:36 - Break down of the science for Roots So Deep

00:19:23 - AMP Grazing; easier for the farmers?

00:27:22 - The far reaching connections from how we farm

00:29:33 - The game of knowledge sharing

00:36:00 - What's next? Expanding transition

00:41:06 - Comparing farming outcomes via dung

00:47:19 - Focusing on solutions

00:51:49 - Economies for farmers

00:54:00 - Funders for the research

01:07:24 - Inspiring change

Join us in this special episode that brings together a range of voices to explore their developing collaborative project; The Power of Food. Together these four guests bring a diverse range experiences and knowledge to unite around the common goal of building social cohesion by harnessing the connective power of food.

Connecting with where our food comes from, and also with community, with health, with nature and with the world around us. Holistic and expansive.

It was a delightful conversation to be engaged with and I'm so excited to announce that during our chat a decision was made to fast forward plans and move forward with a pilot right away!

If you're serious about taking action to connect and enrich the local food system around you I'm sure the team here would love to hear from you. Here's Nick's email - do reach out: nick@openfoodnetwork.org.uk

The Guests and links out:

Nick Weir - Co-founder, Open Food Network UK https://openfoodnetwork.org.uk/

Kay Johnson - Director, The Larder https://larder.org.uk/

Flora Gathorne-Hardy & Miche Fabre Lewin - Founders, Living Justice https://livingjustice.earth/

With insights from Serenity Hill - Co-founder, Open Food Network [Full episode with Serenity: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/serenity-hill-open-food-network/ ]

For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below.

See the video version of this episode here: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/power-of-food-collaboration/

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More Formats from We Are Carbon:

[Shorter Video Format with Animations] - Can All Food be Regenerative. With Patrick Holden: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/can-all-food-be-regenerative/

[Story Telling Audio Format] - Soil (My Common Sense Take) : https://www.wearecarbon.earth/soil-path-to-whole-systems-thinking/

Explore ways to support this content: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/your-support/

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Overview

00:03:12 - Guest intros

00:12:00 - Collaboration - benefits & reasons for coming together

00:28:28 - The Open Food Network; an ambition to connect people with their food

00:34:34 - Insights from Serenity Hill - Co-Founder, The Open Food Network

00:36:30 - Benefits of shorter supply chains

00:41:00 - Connecting through food (self, community, nature)

00:50:20 - Learning to cook - addressing this obstacle to fresh local food

00:58:21 - Coming together to practice change

01:04:18 - An invite; get involved today!

Winglewood is both my home and place for imagination & I started the food forest before reaching out to start any of the conversations for this podcast.

After learning so much from my time spent here co-creating with Nature I'd like to start sharing more of the journey with you.

I've created a video to go alongside this episode so you can see a short intro to the food forest.

You'll also find an invite to join for some growing space discussions on the same page.

Find the video and invite here: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/food-forest-small-project-of-regeneration

Sharon is the founding director of EartHand Gleaners Society

Alongside her artistic and practical endeavours transforming fibres into clothing, Sharon's work also includes community projects that layer up the opportunities for people to reconnect with one another, with plants and with place.

Combined with a personal challenge of 'growing her own clothing' this all comes through to bring us a story of re-finding what it means to be human; exploring a slower, more purposeful pace of life as an outcome of acting more sustainably in the creation of the stuff we use and depend upon.

For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below.

See the video version of this episode here: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/sustainable-textiles-sharon-kallis/

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More Formats from We Are Carbon:

[Shorter Video Format with Animations] - Can All Food be Regenerative. With Patrick Holden: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/can-all-food-be-regenerative/

[Story Telling Audio Format] - Soil (My Common Sense Take) : https://www.wearecarbon.earth/soil-path-to-whole-systems-thinking/

Explore ways to support this content: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/your-support/

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:07:00 - Sharon's work integrating textiles within community gardens

00:16:40 - Connectivity, well being & complexity

00:28:08 - Challenges of community land access

00:34:26 - Invasive plant species for textile use

00:37:52 - Modern disconnection & unsustainable textiles

00:48:08 - Growing your own clothes! Sharon's journey

01:02:27 - The steps we can all take towards more sustainable textiles

David is the director of Natural Building Systems

His work not only explores how we can transform the impact of our buildings upon the climate, but how the use of natural materials is key to both creating and maintaining a healthy living environment for ourselves too.

Natural Building Systems is working directly with farmers to develop a supply chain for the hemp fibre utilised within their unique prefabricated system. Combining the best of nature and technology to work towards an affordable, adaptable system of building for a more regenerative future.

For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below.

See the video version of this episode here: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/carbon-sink-homes-david-nicholson/

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More Formats from We Are Carbon:

[Shorter Video Format with Animations] - Can All Food be Regenerative. With Patrick Holden: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/can-all-food-be-regenerative/

[Story Telling Audio Format] - Soil (My Common Sense Take) : https://www.wearecarbon.earth/soil-path-to-whole-systems-thinking/

Explore ways to support this content: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/your-support/

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:06:10 - Embodied carbon in buildings - the size of today's problem

00:13:30 - The transition needed

00:17:30 - Synthetic insulation - look at the bigger picture

00:22:00 - The properties of hemp & short life cycle crops

00:29:00 - Utilising short life cycle crops as a more sustainable resource than timber?

00:34:30 - Working & developing with farmers

00:43:30 - The biobased modular system of Natural Building Systems

00:54:10 - The experience for a builder / developer to work with NBS & adaptability

01:00:00 - The experience to live within a NBS construction

01:05:00 - Collaborating / getting in touch / learning more

Serenity is the co-founder of The Open Food Network.

She comes from a long line of farmers on both sides of her family and has grown up with a keen awareness of the challenges and contradictions of balancing the needs of nature and the needs of farmers within a centralised food system that does a poor job of supporting either.

We talk about the motivations that led to the creation of The Open Food Network alongside the ongoing ambitions and evolution of this now expansive enterprise.

For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below.

See the video version of this episode here: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/serenity-hill-open-food-network/

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More Formats from We Are Carbon:

[Shorter Video Format with Animations] - Can All Food be Regenerative. With Patrick Holden: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/can-all-food-be-regenerative/

[Story Telling Audio Format] - Soil (My Common Sense Take) : https://www.wearecarbon.earth/soil-path-to-whole-systems-thinking/

Explore ways to support this content: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/your-support/

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:51 - Motivation & background to start the OFN

08:40 - Farming with nature - influences from both parents

13:42 - Challenges faced by farmers in current food system

17:07 - What is a social enterprise?

18:50 - What is the Open Food Network?

24:00 - Input from Nick Weir (Open Food Network UK)

27:54 - Shared learning, resource & investment

30:21 - OFN success stories and uses

36:00 - Evolving the investment and subsidy schemes for greater food access for all

39:39 - 'The Power of Food'- valuing food beyond a basic commodity

44:25 - Serenity and Kirsten's farm

46:11 - Learning more

Daniel co-owns and runs 'Des Heures Dehors' with his wife Hélène.

His passion and connection to nature is clear, and he has a wide range of experience producing food, designing gardens and food forests and running unique enterprises; such an edible flower farm, to make small scale growing profitable.

We touch on all of this alongside gleaning some very practical guidance for anyone considering creating an edible, biodiversity garden.

See the video version of this episode here: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/daniel-deniaud-powell-biodiversity-gardening/

For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below, and use the references section to find links out to Daniel's work and a range of further resources that he mentions.

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More Formats from We Are Carbon:

[Shorter Video Format with Animations] - Can All Food be Regenerative. With Patrick Holden: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/can-all-food-be-regenerative/

[Story Telling Audio Format] - Soil (My Common Sense Take) : https://www.wearecarbon.earth/soil-path-to-whole-systems-thinking/

Explore ways to support this content: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/your-support/

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00:00:00 - Intro

00:05:12 - What is an Edible biodiversity garden?

00:09:15 - Soil health & principles from regenerative farming

00:12:44 - Supporting diversity / creating an ecosystem

00:18:34 - Our bad relationship with creepy crawlies & creatures in our spaces

00:24:33 - Nature isn't fully functioning - rewilding through standing back OR taking action?

00:27:49 - Daniel's dream garden

00:31:58 - Daniel's favourite species to include in a garden design

00:35:50 - Including food in the biodiversity garden

00:41:19 - How to produce food with low maintenance - approach and plant suggestions

00:48:08 - Commercial business from a small growing space

00:55:39 - Gardens at restaurants / working with chefs

01:03:10 - Current focuses

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References mentioned by Daniel:

• Charles Dowding - Vast info on producing food 'No Dig'.
• Richard Perkins - Farming in small spaces
• Huw Richards - Video learning for self sufficieny / permaculture gardening
• Dr Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web School