NOW BLOOMING: A Pocket Guide to Life-Centred Practices for Farms, Landscapes, and Their Stewards

What if transforming the way we live and work could regenerate the land, support communities, and foster thriving businesses?

Introducing From Surviving to Thriving: a pocket guide to life-centred practices for farms, landscapes, and their stewards, a curated selection of practices designed to help reconnect farming, communities, and nature.

Whether you’re a farmer, land manager, grower, adviser, land agent, facilitator, or simply a concerned individual, this guide aims to illuminate potential pathways towards meaningful change. Regenerative approaches not only enhance the health of people and landscapes but also create resilient, thriving businesses.

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Why This Guide Exists

Historically, the health of nature was a shared responsibility among communities and farmers. However, with the enclosure of land, mechanisation, and agricultural intensification, these relationships have weakened. Consequently, both planetary and human well-being are suffering. Britain now ranks lowest among the G7 countries for biodiversity and among the lowest in Europe for nature connectedness, underscoring the urgent need for change. Farmers face immense pressure to transform their practices to meet net-zero targets, address the biodiversity crisis, and navigate a changing funding landscape.

From December 2023 to May 2024, the Roots and Rhythms Project, funded by Innovate UK, was a collaboration between Lopemede Farm, Ruleo, GET LOST STUDIO, Arteri Studio, and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology to explore farm futures through nature recovery and nature connection. Lopemede Farm became a living lab for life-centred design, supporting farmer Eddie Rixon’s dream to restore biodiversity and create opportunities for nature connection. The insights and experiences from this project have directly inspired and informed the creation of this pocket guide.

Our guide advocates for a shift towards farming in harmony with nature and community. It broadens the focus from merely environmental outcomes to understanding farms' roles in local communities and landscapes.

What's Inside the Guide

This guide is divided into three parts, each offering a range of practices to support your connection with nature, community engagement, and creative exploration.

Rituals and Routines
Explore practices that ground you and foster deeper connections with nature and your community. These practices can help you establish daily routines that enhance mindfulness, well-being, and a sense of place.

Convening and Engaging
Discover tools for building strong, collaborative communities. Learn how to effectively engage with local stakeholders, respect the historical and ecological context of your land, and foster meaningful dialogues that lead to collective action and support.

Imagination and Doing
Gain insights into creative and innovative approaches to problem-solving and future planning. This section will inspire you to think outside the box, use simple prototyping methods to test new ideas, and document your progress to learn and adapt over time.

The guide also includes sections of ‘Useful Words,’ providing explanations for key terms, and a ‘Digging Deeper’ section with recommendations for further reading, watching, and listening.

How to Get the Guide

The pocket guide is available for free as a PDF or as a limited run of Risograph printed booklets. If you would like to obtain a printed copy, produced by Oxford GreenPrint using a low-energy Risograph press with non-toxic vegetable-oil inks on 100% recycled paper, you can purchase one here. If the price is an obstacle, get in touch, and we’ll work something out.

We invite you to experiment with these tools in your own work and share your experiences with us. Your feedback and stories will help us all grow and learn together. Thank you for joining us on this journey towards a more connected and thriving world.

With care and wild wishes,

The Roots and Rhythms Team

Eddie Rixon, Lopemede Farm
Emma Gardner, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
George Simons, Ruleo
Heather Knight, Arteri Studio
Julian Ellerby, GET LOST STUDIO