In our experience
These four women are on a mission to create a better world
‘REGENERATIVE FARMING IS THE FUTURE’
Sarah Langford, 43, lives between London and Stowmarket, Suffolk, with her husband Ben Gummer and children Wilfred, nine, and Aubrey, seven.
Although I grew up in a farming family, for almost a decade I worked as a criminal and family barrister until the birth of my two sons. While I was on maternity leave, my husband unexpectedly lost his job in politics, which created an opportunity for change. We decided to leave London and take on the running of his parents’ 250-acre arable and pasture farm in Suffolk.
I quickly realised regenerative farming is the future – it’s about restoring soil that has been depleted by intensive farming, pesticides and fertilisers. As 70% of UK land is farmed, agriculture is a crucial industry when it comes to helping nature to safeguard our planet for the future.
Ben took on work outside the farm, while I learnt how to manage it with the help of a contractor and a grazier. I’ve just graduated with a diploma in agriculture from the Royal Agricultural University, which I studied to help me understand farm business, crop and livestock production.
I often dig holes to examine the soil. It staggers people to discover there are more living things in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on the planet. I record the number of worms I see, as they are a good indication of soil health. I’m often rifling through cowpats to count dung beetles with my sons!
My life now is a world away from the courtroom, but through my approach to the land and by writing and speaking, I hope to show how farmers can change the world, and how through our food choices, everyone can be part of this change. We have come to see ourselves and our food as separate from nature, but we are all part of the same natural system.
✢Rooted: How Regenerative Farming Can Change The World by Sarah Langford (£10.99, PB, Penguin) is out now.
‘WE NEED TO SEE MORE WOMEN IN POWER’
Hannah Stevens, 42, is the CEO of Elect Her. She lives in Pembrokeshire with her partner Robin and children Ruby, nine, and Willow, seven.
One of the highlights of my career so far has been our two Scotland’s Women Gather events at the Scottish Parliament. Last June, above the chatter and bustle of workshops that helped women explore ways to get into politics, we had talkers, poets, a joyous choir and a ceilidh. It made my heart burst with pride seeing Parliament full of Scotland’s women in all their beautiful diversity.
I love my job as CEO of Elect Her, an organisation dedicated to supporti
