#032 Extract - Land, Mind & Regeneration
With regenerative farming pioneer & best-selling author, Charles Massy
On Monday 28 September 2020, one of this country’s most awarded and long-standing documentary series, Australian Story, featured regenerative farmer and best-selling author, Charles Massy AO.
Charles’ best-selling book, ‘Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture, A New Earth’ has been described by Paul Hawken as “a definitive masterpiece that takes its place along with the writings of Aldo Leopold, Wendell Berry, Masanobu Fukuoka, Humberto Maturana, and Michael Pollan. No work has more brilliantly defined regenerative agriculture and the breadth of its restorative impact upon human health, biodiversity, climate, and ecological intelligence.”
Charles Massy with Anthony James at Severn Park farm. Pic: Charles’ grandson Hamish
“You can’t force change. All you can do is have solutions tried and proven and ready for when change comes, and the people can go and grab those solutions. And that’s what’s happening at the moment.”
Charles writes and talks about the growing repertory of stories of what are in some cases extraordinary tales of regeneration – including his own. He also takes a look behind that regeneration, at how change happens not just in the land, but in the landscape of our minds.
This is an extract of my conversation with Charles Massy at his Severn Park farm a couple of years ago, just prior to his touring the global edition of the book. You’ll hear the last half hour or so of what became episode 32, ‘An Underground Insurgency: Regenerative Agriculture & Human Transformation’. It remains one of the top handful of episodes played on this podcast, and one of my most cherished and memorable conversations.
Title slide: New trees as part of the patchwork restoring biodiversity, ecological & farm function (pic: Anthony James).
Get more:
You can hear the rest of our conversation for episode 32, ‘An Underground Insurgency: Regenerative Agriculture & Human Transformation’.
You’ll find a series of photos and links in the show notes there too, including to an extra with Charles.
Music:
By Jeremiah Johnson.
Due to licencing restrictions, our guest’s nominated music can only be played on radio or similarly licenced broadcasts of this episode.