Deep Seed - Regenerative Agriculture

What happens when a farmer becomes a microbiologist? Adrian Rubi shares how compost tea , leaf sap analysis , and on-farm ferments can help you cut inputs, strengthen crops, and speed up your regenerative agriculture transition. From recipe design and dissolved oxygen to trace-element tweaks and manure management, this is soil microbiology you can actually use.  Why listen: Reduce fertilizer costs...

What if wolves were your farming allies, not your enemies? What if chickens could replace pesticides and do a better job? In this episode, we step into the world of Marco Carbonara , a regenerative farmer and ecologist who has spent the last 20 years building a thriving, self-sustaining farm ecosystem in the wild heart of central Italy. 🌱 What you’ll learn Why regenerative agriculture is more pro...

What role does policy play in shaping the future of farming? 🔖 In this third part, we shift focus from the fields to the political arena, exploring how the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) influences farmers’ ability to transition toward regenerative agriculture. Drawing on her background in agricultural policy and her experience as a farmer, Ariane Lotti explains the paradox of subsidies: t...

Can rice farming be both productive and regenerative? 🌾 In this second part, we explore the rice fields of Tenuta San Carlo in Tuscany, where Ariane Lotti is experimenting with bold new practices that challenge the logic of conventional agriculture. From using ducks as natural weed control to testing no-till rice systems and innovative crop rotations, Ariane shows how regenerative farming can bui...

What if conventional farming is failing us, and the solution lies hidden in the soils beneath our feet? In this first part, we dive into the personal journey behind one of Europe’s most ambitious regenerative agriculture projects. Ariane Lotti returned to her family farm in Tuscany, determined to transform more than 500 hectares of conventional farmland into a model for organic and regenerative fa...

Palermo’s legendary Conca d’Oro was once a lush mosaic of citrus groves, vegetables, and ingenious water systems — a living example of regenerative agriculture centuries before the term existed. Today, only fragments remain, but they still hold powerful lessons for the future of farming, biodiversity, and ecosystem restoration. In this episode, we meet Tommaso La Mantia , ecologist, farmer, and me...

This episode will change how you think about soil forever!  Microbiologist Eleonora Chiri takes us deep into the fascinating, invisible world beneath our feet - where microbes form vast underground networks, plants and fungi co-parent ecosystems, and well-managed livestock can kickstart a regenerative revolution.  Whether you’re a farmer, an ecologist, a food system reformer, or just someone who c...

In this inspiring episode of the Deep Seed Podcast , ecologist and researcher Rafael Bueno reveals why the future of farming depends on reconnecting with nature.  From the deserts of Sicily to the forests of Brazil, Rafael shows how biodiversity, soil health, and trees hold the secret to building farms that are not only more resilient to climate change but also more productive and profitable. His...

What if transitioning to regenerative agriculture wasn’t just about changing farming techniques, but about shifting power, reclaiming autonomy, and rebuilding communities? In this inspiring and thought-provoking episode, Carlotta Ebbreo (rural sociologist at Valdibella Practical School of Agroecology) joins us from the heart of Sicily to reimagine everything we think we know about learning, farmin...

What happens when a group of Sicilian farmers stand up to the Mafia, choose cooperation over fear, and build a future rooted in justice, community, and the land itself? In this episode of Deep Seed , we sit down with Massimiliano Solano , co-founder of Valdibella , one of Sicily’s most inspiring agricultural cooperatives . From organic wine to social projects for migrants, Valdibella is proving th...

What happens when an engineer swaps corporate life for a life regenerating the land? Meet Sergi Caballero of Mas Les Vinyes in Catalonia: a farmer who turned an abandoned, degraded property into a lush, biodiverse food paradise. It’s a masterclass in regenerative agriculture , where fruit trees, animals, and soil biology work together in perfect symphony. In this episode, you’ll hear how Sergi pro...

In this eye-opening episode of Deep Seed , we travel to a humble farm in northwest Italy that’s quietly becoming a blueprint for regenerative agriculture. Agroecologist Tommaso Gaifami takes us deep into the heart of a four-year transformation where degraded monocultures gave way to complex, biodiverse systems that are resilient, productive, and deeply rooted in community.  Tommaso shares how he a...

What if you could bring a river back from the dead, rebuild a valley, restore hope, and revive the local community? In this episode, Silvia Quarta shares the extraordinary story of a grassroots effort to revive the Quipar River in one of Europe’s driest regions: Murcia, Spain. Through a community-led, science-backed approach to ecosystem restoration, Silvia is showing that even the most degraded l...

What happens when a family leaves the city behind to restore 562 hectares of degraded land using nothing but regenerative agriculture, resilience, and relentless creativity? In this unmissable episode, we take you inside Terramay , a pioneering farm in southern Portugal where Anna and David de Brito, along with livestock manager Elias Gellweiler, are transforming exhausted soils into abundant ecos...

What if the most chemically intensive, high-density farms - systems many see as the enemy of regenerative agriculture - could actually become climate champions? In this episode of the Deep Seed Podcast, we sit down with Dimitri Tsitos, co-founder of AgroSystemic, to explore how Mediterranean super-intensive olive, almond, and citrus orchards can regenerate degraded soils, restore biodiversity, boo...

What if your olive oil could fight disease, your soil could store water like a sponge, and your sheep could restore biodiversity?   This episode takes you to the heart of Portugal’s Monte Silveira farm, where cutting-edge science meets ancient ecosystems,... and the results are mind-blowing! Join us as we sit down with Diogo Pinho , the farm’s Research Manager, to uncover the data-driven secrets b...

What happens when a tobacco empire transforms into a thriving regenerative farm? In this episode of the Deep Seed Podcast , we visit Monte Silveira , a 1,000-hectare farm in central Portugal, where João Valente has revived one of Europe’s oldest agro-silvopastoral systems. From 0.7% soil organic matter to over 5% , and from monocultures to thriving biodiversity, João shares how nature became his m...

Two fine-dining chefs moved to rural Portugal to build a regenerative agriculture project focused on market gardening, nutrient-dense food, and soil health. Meet The Farming Chefs! 👨‍🍳 Philippe and Sophie are blending regenerative farming, no-dig gardening, rotational grazing, and nutrient-dense cooking on their five-hectare farm in central Portugal. Using mobile chicken tractors, compost teas,...

This week, we visit Culy Creek Ranch in northern Spain and meet the unstoppable Meghan Sapp, a holistic grazing expert and co-founder of the Savory Institute’s hub for Spain. Learn how holistic grazing, soil biodiversity, and smart ecosystem design created a farm so resilient it feeds itself — and the local economy. ⎯⎯ In this episode, we dive into: 🌱 How to turn compacted, degraded land into a r...

Biodiversity is not just about saving bees… it’s about saving ourselves! In this episode, Oliver Dauert joins us to explore why protecting biodiversity is essential to human survival, food security, and climate resilience. From beavers engineering entire wetland ecosystems to soil microbes collaborating with plants, this is your crash course in how nature actually works  and how we can rewild it b...

Un épisode fascinant à ne pas manquer ! On part en immersion dans le sud-ouest de la France, sur une ferme d’amandes bio-régénérative à la vision radicale. Martin d’Archimbaud, co-fondateur de GreenPods, nous ouvre les portes de La Granja, un projet agricole unique qui pourrait bien changer le visage de la filière amande en Europe. Moins d’eau, plus de biodiversité, zéro chimie, des couverts végét...

🍷 Can regenerative agriculture revolutionize the wine industry? Stephen Cronk, founder of Maison Mirabeau, thinks so—and he’s proving it, vine by vine.  After leaving London’s corporate world to build an internationally recognized rosé brand in Provence, Stephen took on his biggest challenge yet: turning a chemically exhausted vineyard into a thriving ecosystem using regenerative farming.   In th...

What if, instead of just growing food, we focused on maximizing the Earth’s ability to produce life? 🚀 In this episode, we sit down with Peter Fröhlich, a Swiss farmer, entrepreneur, and agroecology innovator, who is turning conventional wisdom on its head.  He reveals why biomass—not just crops—holds the key to saving agriculture, why plowing can sometimes be regenerative, and how he’s developin...

🌱 Can We Make an Entire Food System Regenerative? Sweden’s food system isn’t regenerative—at least, not yet. But Sara Maxence is working to change that. With a background in big agri-food corporations , she’s seen firsthand the challenges of shifting towards sustainability . Now, she’s leading an effort to bring farmers, processors, and policymakers together to explore how Sweden can transition f...

What if regenerative farming could be profitable, fair, and the future of food —but the system is blocking it? Farmers restore soil, protect biodiversity, and keep ecosystems thriving. So why are they struggling to make a living? In this eye-opening episode , we expose the flaws in our food system and reveal how farmers can finally be properly rewarded for regenerating the land. My guest, Nicolas...