The Joy and Wonder of Being a Regenerative Farmer

In this episode of Deep Seed, EARA farmers Naomi Oakley and Gunnar Thelin offer something rare in conversations about agriculture: not another technical debate about funding, verification or policy, but a deeply human conversation about joy. For Naomi, farming begins with the wonder of waking up each morning with time and space to work with her animals, her land and her local community. For Gunnar, it is the feeling of belonging so completely to a place that the land no longer feels like something he owns, but something he belongs to. Together, they speak about farming not simply as production, but as relationship: with cows, sheep, soil, water, insects, neighbours, customers, and future generations. What makes the conversation powerful is its refusal to separate nature and farming into opposing camps. Naomi and Gunnar explore how grazing animals, when managed with care and observation, can support biodiversity, water cycles, soil health and landscape resilience. They push back against the idea that farmers must choose between food production and nature recovery. In their view, the farm is not a factory placed on top of nature. It is part of a living system. At the heart of the episode is a simple but radical idea: farmers are not passive recipients of expert advice, nor villains to be corrected from above. They are observers, experimenters and land stewards. The knowledge of scientists matters, but so does the farmer who gets off the quad bike, stands quietly in the field, and actually listens. As they say in the conversation, the key is “observation, experimentation and observation again”. This is also a conversation about dignity. Naomi and Gunnar speak honestly about how many farmers feel trapped, undervalued or treated as problems to be managed. Against that, they offer another vision: farmers as essential partners in healing landscapes, feeding communities and rebuilding trust between people and the living world. It is hopeful without being naïve. And it reminds us that farming is not only about yields, payments and compliance forms, those bureaucratic love letters from hell. It is also about meaning, pride, humility, community and joy. This episode is an invitation to look again at the land beneath our feet, and at the people who care for it. 🌿 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.