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A fascinating personal account of a revolution in British farming
Sarah Langford had left her country roots behind to live and work in the city as a barrister. But when she found herself moving to the countryside, back to an agricultural life she had left behind, she saw farmers dealing with very different problems to those faced by her grandfather, who had fed a starving nation after war. Beleaguered with the challenges of climate change, Brexit and falling incomes, they faced accusations of ecological mismanagement from a hostile media and public. But, as Sarah looked to them to teach her about the land, she also found a new generation of farmers on a path of regenerative change.
In Rooted, Sarah weaves her own story around these farmers - from dairy to arable, traditional to experimental - who taught her what being a farmer means. Intimate and moving, these stories shine a light on the human side of modern farming, and show us how land connects us all, not only in terms of global sustainability but in our relationships with our physical and mental health, our communities, our planet and ourselves.
An authentic, beautifully written portrait of 21st Century farming, this deeply personal account puts a powerful case: that the task of restoring our earth and ensuring a sustainable future both for our food and ourselves, lies in the hands of those who live closest to the land.
© Sarah Langford 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022
Sarah Langford is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller In Your Defence. For ten years, she worked in criminal and family law in London. In 2017 she moved to Suffolk and, together with her husband, took on the management of his small family farm, an experience she wrote about in her book Rooted: Stories of Life, Land and a Farming Revolution. She now lives between Southwest London and Suffolk.