New Foundation Farms: The Radical Natural Podcast

New Foundation Farms

New Foundation Farms is pioneering a fundamental shift in the system that feeds us.

Too many human beings see themselves as somehow outside nature, not part of it. We believe in the possibility that humans can become a beneficial keystone species on planet Earth.

We are building a radically natural food system in the UK in which we use methods from permaculture, biodynamic growing, organic and regenerative farming to grow food at scale in a way that has never been done before.

The result will be a hyper-local food system that uses stacked enterprises to deeply connect people with a wide variety of produce grown locally, everywhere.

It is about becoming indigenous again; not going back to the past, but going forward to  explore the "wisdom of place" that returns us to a positive role in nature.

New Foundation Farms is a growing team of people who are passionate and inspired, and among the best at what they do in a variety of disciplines ranging from farming and processing to procurement and supply through to organisational architecture and systems thinking. This podcast series explores elements that are needed to help bring this radical natural vision to life though conversation.

read less
ArtsArts

Episodes

Groundswell Sessions #10 -  Amy Chapple - NextGen Regenerative Farmer at Redwoods Farm
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #10 - Amy Chapple - NextGen Regenerative Farmer at Redwoods Farm
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 10 - Amy Chapple - Redwoods FarmAmy Chapple was farming regeneratively before her 20th birthday having worked with The Cherry's on the site of Groundswell Festival before returning to the home farm in Devon. Amy has independently produced pork of the highest quality using a rotational grazing system to bring positive change to the land the pigs live on restoring biodiversity through their actions and has developed a soy-free supplement to top up their nutrition.The farm that she shares with her father Mark Chapple is a truly beautiful regenerating space on the edge of Dartmoor.___________________________________More about Amy Chapplehttps://www.redwoodsfarm.co.uk/about-us/
Groundswell Sessions #09 -  André Tranquilini, Biodynamic Farmer & Estate Manager at Waltham Place
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #09 - André Tranquilini, Biodynamic Farmer & Estate Manager at Waltham Place
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 09 - André Tranquilini, Biodynamic farmerAndré Tranquilini is the estate manager at Waltham Place, a 220 acre organic and biodynamic farm and garden in Berkshire, UK. Originally from Brazil, he has worked extensively as a market gardener and outdoor teacher, and is a founding member of the biodynamic seed company, Living Seeds, in Portugal. André has worked on farms in Brazil, Portugal and the UK, and has travelled widely, teaching workshops and lecturing on biodynamics. ___________________________________Contacts for André Tranquilinihttps://www.walthamplace.com/https://wheretheleavesfall.com/explore/article-index/biodynamic-by-nature/https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/ep-17-andre-tranquilini-copper-tools-and-biodynamics/id1574051515?i=1000564413549
Groundswell Sessions #08 -  Alex Godfrey, Joint Head of Natural Capital at Savills
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #08 - Alex Godfrey, Joint Head of Natural Capital at Savills
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 08 - Alex Godfrey - SavillsJoint Head of Natural Capital, Rural Management at SavillsAlex was one of the original founders of New Foundation Farms before moving on to Savills.Alexander Godfrey has ten years of experience in investment banking (fixed income), a BSc in Economics and an MSc in Global Energy and Climate Policy, focusing on regenerative agriculture and climate finance, from SOAS University.Alex consulted on a silvopasture enterprise in the Bolivian Amazon, stacking enterprise and engaging with indigenous people whilst developing an effective nature-based solution to mitigate climate change.Alex has worked as an analyst in the UK’s agricultural space with a focus on natural capital and carbon markets.Alex Co-founded New Foundation Farms, a disruptor in the agricultural sector, establishing a large-scale regenerative agri-food enterprise in the UK. Creating a nexus between agri-food business, ESG capital and society. Last but certainly not least, Alex works on a mixed farm in the Cotswolds with Aberdeen Angus cattle and arable rotations. He describes himself as a “systems-based thinker and a firm believer in a world that believes in people, planet and profit” – not just the third one!Podcast - Sustainable AF - "A blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030”Our goal is to give you the information you need about one of the world’s great attempts to make the planet a better, cleaner, fairer place- the Sustainable Development Goals. They’re intended to tackle some of our biggest system challenges from health, education, inequality and even climate change. This year the pandemic has been dramatic but it was a huge challenge that affected everyone and the world worked together to tackle it. The bigger problems we face in the 21st century are around inequality, political polarisation, climate and environmental challenges, technology that’s evolving ahead of our ability to understand and our natural human tendency to fail to look ahead. ___________________________________Contacts for Alex Godfreyhttps://www.savills.co.uk/people/savills-oxford/alex-godfrey.aspxhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-godfrey-817644152/?originalSubdomain=ukhttps://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sustainable-af/id1556484313https://www.buzzsprout.com/1608616
Groundswell Sessions #07 - Filipe Salbany, Wild Bee Expert & Conservationist at the Blenheim Estate
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #07 - Filipe Salbany, Wild Bee Expert & Conservationist at the Blenheim Estate
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 07 - Filipe Salbany, Wild Bee Expert & Conservationist at the Blenheim EstateFilipe's biog reads: I had my first my experience with honey bee colonies in the forests of Portugal as a 6-year-old. Hundreds of ‘cortiço’ (cork) bee hives spread out through the pine and eucalyptus forests in Paião, a small village in Portugal.Beekeeping was the responsibility of the older generation and I was fascinated by the simple methods of handling the bees, gentle smoke, the waft of pine smoke, talking to the bees, careful movements, bare hands and often no veils once the temperament of the bees had been assessed.My grandfather was one of the first in the region to move to Langstroth hives and I would watch in awe as the cork hives would be gently held between a person’s legs, tapped and rasped until the whole colony would leave the top of the cork hive (abandoning brood) and enter the entrance of the Langstroth hives.These early adventures helped me manage African bees (Apis mellifera scutellata and adansonii) from the age of eight and for the next 40 years.  This has expanded my knowledge of not only traditional bees but various species, non as fascinating as Apis mellifera capensis where the workers can produce a queen from unfertilised eggs. I have worked with honey bees in Africa, Europe, North America and now the UK. Observation has been enhanced by reading and the assimilation of science as I have had to adapt to the changing environments and species of bee as well as the limitations of equipment in many of the poorer regions of Africa.This lifelong experience has allowed me to be able to notice changes in bee temperament, development, and the problems associated with unrestricted movement of species around different regions.Filipe is a truly deep thinker who brings a deep systems approach to his work with Britains native bees___________________________________Contacts for Filipe Salbanyhttps://beeportals.co.uk/about/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/07/no-one-knew-they-existed-wild-heirs-of-lost-british-honeybee-found-at-blenheim
Groundswell Sessions #06 - Emma Chow, Regenerative Food Systems Transformer
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #06 - Emma Chow, Regenerative Food Systems Transformer
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 06 - Emma Chow, Regenerative Food Systems TransformerEmma's biog reads as: For the past decade, I dedicated myself to protecting nature. I started my career in consulting, then went on to co-develop and lead a global food systems transformation initiative. I dove deep into the world of food and regenerative systems design. I dedicated myself to this work. In 2021, I burnt out. I entered a period of pause. I embarked on a journey of self-regeneration. There, during the unraveling, I realised that to create a truly regenerative future, we need to start with ourselves. This is the message I am carrying. She's a truly deep visionary thinker who brings a holistic and polymath approach to subject of regeneration and held morning meditation sessions at Groundswell.___________________________________Contacts for Emma Chowhttps://www.emmacchow.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmachow1/?originalSubdomain=uk
Groundswell Sessions #05 - Andrew Voysey, Head of Impact and Carbon at Soil Capital
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #05 - Andrew Voysey, Head of Impact and Carbon at Soil Capital
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 05 - Andrew Voysey, Head of Impact and Carbon at Soil CapitalAndrew is Head of Impact and Carbon at Soil Capital, the regenerative agronomy firm that launched Europe’s first certified, multinational carbon payment programme for farmers in 2020.Andrew led the development of this programme, called Soil Capital Carbon, which has now enrolled more than 500 British, French and Belgian farmers. The programme has recently paid out nearly 1 million Euros to farmers for their first year’s performance, with two thirds of those payments coming from food and agri businesses within the supply chain.Soil Capital began life as an independent agronomy firm specialised in helping farmers improve farm profitability through transitions to regenerative agriculture. This activity continues through a separate entity, Soil Capital Farming, now with a track record across more than 200,000 hectares and 21 countries.___________________________________Contacts for Andrew Voysey & Soil Capitalhttps://soilcapital.com/about/https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-voysey-68385213/?originalSubdomain=uk
Groundswell Sessions #04 - Anthony Davidson, Founder of Big Barn
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #04 - Anthony Davidson, Founder of Big Barn
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 04 - Anthony Davidson - Owner / Founder of Big BarnBig Barn is the UK’s no1 local food website and has been building a better way to buy food for 20 years!Our mission is to reconnect consumers with their local producers and encourage trade and communication. It’s a win win. Our producers get a better deal and customers discover authentic, top quality, fresher, sometimes cheaper, locally sourced food and drink with a clear provenance.Attracting the attention of the biggest names in food Gordon Ramsay declared that Big Barn is his “Favourite Food website”___________________________________Contacts for Anthony Davidson & Big Barnhttps://www.bigbarn.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/bigbarncic/https://www.facebook.com/bigbarnlocalfood/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5h-d495NuDzccRNH_KZdIQ
Groundswell Sessions #03 - Koen van Seijen, Host of the Investing In Regenerative Agriculture Podcast
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #03 - Koen van Seijen, Host of the Investing In Regenerative Agriculture Podcast
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 03 - Koen van Seijen -  Host  / Owner of Investing In Regenerative Agriculture podcastSince 2011 Koen has been following the regenerative agriculture and food space when he stumbled upon the carbon sequestration potential of regenerative farming. Under “Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food” he has published more than 250 podcast interviews with impact investors, fund managers, farmers and many others. Regenerating soils and ecosystems by putting money (big and small) to work is the central theme that drives him. He is also manager at the Impact Investor community nonprofit Toniic.Mark Drewell, was interviewed on Koen's highly influential podcast back in 2021, to go deeper into their discussion click link below.https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/2021/03/16/mark-drewell/___________________________________Contacts for Koen van Seijenhttps://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/koenvanseijen/?originalSubdomain=ithttps://medium.com/@koen_73445
Groundswell Sessions #02 - Nikki Yoxall, Head of Research at Pasture for Life & Regenerative Farming Pioneer
Jul 11 2023
Groundswell Sessions #02 - Nikki Yoxall, Head of Research at Pasture for Life & Regenerative Farming Pioneer
Groundswell is an annual two-day festival of regenerative agriculture that takes place every June on a farm in Hertfordshire. Its a gathering of change in food and farming where farmers, conservationists, ecologists, chefs, agriculture industry representatives as well as financiers and MPs gather, speak and collaborate ideas about how we can transform food and farming into a more planet friendly agro-ecological future.https://groundswellag.com/This year we decided to film a mini series of friends, movers and shapers of the regenerative movement who are all in one place at one time.Co-founder and Collaborative CEO Mark Drewell conducted interviews for New Foundation Farms with a selection of chosen guests.___________________________________Episode 02 - Nikki Yoxall - Pasture For LifeNikki Yoxall has joined the team in the capacity as Research Group Coordinator. Nikki is a small-holder in Aberdeenshire and studying for a Masters in Sustainable Food & Natural Resources.Before moving up to Scotland, Nikki was Head of Landbased Studies at a college in the South East of England overseeing delivery of a range of rural programmes. She now primarily works for the University of the Highlands and Islands.Nikki and her husband have a herd of native Shetland Cattle, which they are expanding to include other native breeds.Pasture For Life  is and organization that certifies farmers who are committed to grazing animals on 100% pasture for their entire life. Grazing animals on 100% pasture brings positive impacts for biodiversity and carbon, human health and wellbeing, and animal health and welfare. Pasture for Life works on the ground, every day, to restore ecosystems, implement positive change in our food and farming systems, and demonstrate the benefits of 100% pasture fed.___________________________________Contacts for Pasture For Lifehttps://www.pastureforlife.org/https://www.linkedin.com/company/pasture-fed-livestock-association/Nikki's Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/nikkiyoxall/?hl=en