Regenuary conversations - No 13. Clare Hill - Director of FIA Farms

To anyone in the regenerative space this guest needs no introduction. DIANA RODGERS is a registered dietitian, author and the director of Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat. She's the co-host of the Sustainable Dish Podcast and speaks internationally about the intersection of diet, sustainability and ethical food systems.She campaigns heavily against the tide of misinformation surrounding meat  consumption and its importance in the human diet and has formed a nonprofit called Global Food Justice. @sustainabledish @globalfoodjusticeWe have a lively chat about future food systems and how she strongly believes the common narrative around meat consumption needs a fundamental shift.

Filippo joined regenagri at the beginning of 2021. He is currently Lead scheme developer for the regenagri certification and carbon standard ”His work focusses on the link between regenerative agriculture and quantitative gains of carbon sequestration, restoration of biodiversity and other ecosystem services in the hope to better connect farmers to climate finance mechanisms.His background is rooted in agriculture both at education, and practice level, where he has explored how agricultural systems work with nature in different climates and landscapes.This episode was recorded in person and we discuss the importance and problems surrounding certification of regenerative produce and how farming needs to transition towards lower synthetic inputs.

It's fair to say Jaynes book caused a bit of a stir, especially within the plant based community of activists and influencers receiving either 5 stars or 1 star reviews on Amazon.Her books is a superbly researched 500+ pages looking into the plant based and vegan movement and asks  the questions is it better for us, is it better for the planet and who is behind it and why.Fasten your seatbelts for this one!

This podcast was prompted by a free ebook on Facebook that Akim shares with anyone who requests it on how to harvest a pig in the most ethical way possible, what was really striking about this instruction book was teaching people to recognise the moment the soul of the pig has left the body and the deep sense of gratitude that comes from the recognition of the cycle of life and death.In this fascinating conversation we talk about the difficulties of running a small and relatively urban regenerative farm in southern South Africas and the incredible community work Akim is doing to help people find some food security. 

The Ethical Butcher has recently partnered with Honest Burger and in this episode, we dig deep into the heartwarming and fascinating founders' story of how this incredible brand came to be from the founder Tom Barton, we hear the journey from Honest Burger's first gig at a 16th birthday party working from a van to now having 43 branches across the UK.In the later part of the conversation, we hear from Tom how regenerative agriculture is a crucial part of the future for the brand and the direction it will take moving forward.

In this episode we talk to Clare Hill of FIA Farms. Clare Hill is Regenerative Agriculture Director at FAI Farms, working with food businesses such as Arla, McDonalds and Ikea on their regenerative pilot’s and programmes. Clare’s latest own project is the development of a Model farm in Shropshire, aiming to bring vibrancy to family farms through regenerative agriculture. Clare started the transition of FAI’s 1200 acre farm from organic to regenerative production in 2019, achieving Savory Institute Ecological Outcome Verification in 2020. Clare and her team have been through a transformation in the way they make decisions and approach the management of the farm. It is this practical experience of managing for regeneration which leads her to help others.Her explanations of what regenerative means and how big business can pivot make this episode great listening to anyone wanting to understand the subject on a deeper level.

In this episode with Helen we talk everything organic from the history of the movement and the subtle differences between organic and regenerative and how just possibly changing farming methods could save the world.

Allan Savory needs little introduction to anyone in the regenerative world as he originated Holistic management, a systems thinking approach to managing resources.Holistic Management uses decision-making and planning procedures that give people the insights and management tools needed to work with the web of complexity that exists in nature: resulting in better, more informed decisions that balance key social, environmental, and financial considerations. He is also the founder of The Savory Institute and continues to work as an educator and campaigner. Alan's now famous TED talk has received almost 8 million views and courted controversy for its bold claims as to how animal agriculture can not just halt but reverse climate change.Watch here - Allan's 2013 TED Talk - How to fight desertification and reverse climate changeMore recently Allan presented a talk to COP26 calling on world leaders to take action.Watch here - Allan Savory Speaks at the COP26 Peoples Summit - 2021

We had a wonderfully animated conversation with the very engaging Tom Parker Bowles talking regenerative agriculture, restaurants and future food security

We get to hear the wonderful story of two brothers on holiday, one fell in love with a girl on a Greek island and now they're teaching generations of olive oil farmers regenerative production methods. Join us on the journey.