Land Healer: How Farming Can Save Britain’s Countryside

"With regeneration of the soil comes the return of wildlife. Jake Fiennes is a gamekeeper turned conservation manager who has overseen the return of species like grey partridge, lapwing and yellowhammer to English farms. He also happens to be the twin brother of the actor Joseph Fiennes and brother of Ralph Fiennes. I must admit I enjoyed the passages about early life in this bohemian somewhat unconventional family. But you cannot deny Fiennes has earned his stripes. As a young gamekeeper he trapped and killed animals as part of ‘pest control’ but as he grew up and tried different methods such as planting cover crops to provide food for birds over the winter months, he realised there were ways to boost wildlife. He argues that regenerative agriculture needs a diverse farm to cut down on chemicals and keep the soil healthy, and with that comes more wildlife. Fiennes is open about the fact he now works for very wealthy landowners but he makes the case for a kind of farming—with hedgerows and wildflower strips—that can be introduced on highly commercial operations without losing money. Fiennes is also open about his dyslexia and the help he got to write this book, which I do not think diminishes his work. Like Gabe Brown, he’s the kind of person that farmers and land managers trust to tell a true story."