Tomorrow, April 22nd 2025, is International Mother Earth Day. A resolution adopted in 2009 by the United Nations, it was a Day to recognise the Earth and its ecosystems as humanity’s common home. It emphasised a need to protect her, counteract climate change and to stop the collapse of biodiversity.

Looking at how things have gone since this resolution was made 16 years ago, it suggests to me that one day a year isn’t enough to counteract the actions taken on the other 364. Still, it does give an opportunity to reflect and think about what changes we, as individuals, can make to work towards such a goal. Making our own resolution or pledge to change our own behaviour is perhaps all we can expect as a realistic outcome; if we wait for others to change or to tell us what to do, we are more likely to get frustrated or disappointed and then collectively that frustration builds resentment and leads to polarised thinking or behaviour: that’s no good for anyone, and certainly isn’t good for the collective.

For 2025, earthday.org says its aim is to work towards using more green energy. I hope that doesn’t mean an encouragement to use farmland as solar fields. Despite sheep being able to graze between the panels, there is little farming that can be done if we turn our green fields into solar farms. I can appreciate there is a need to get more solar, but it makes more sense to me to make sure all factories, warehouses, car parks and houses have solar panels, rather than land that can, and should, be used either for producing food or for increasing biodiversity or both. The lack of rain these last few weeks however is making everyone nervous as nothing is growing, and having sown our first arable crops last week, I too am nervously watching the sky and the forecast willing the clouds to come and pour themselves over the dry, parched fields in the hope that our crops are successful. Alas, there has been precious little so far.

On a more positive note, looking back at the original resolution, I am working hard to improve the health of our soil, helping to combat climate change by locking in carbon and improving the local water cycle. There is a great video which helps to explain the importance of microorganisms in the soil and how they create rainfall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCee0g767tc. I am also creating multiple habitats to reduce the collapse of our biodiversity, starting with those in the soil, but also the wetlands, tree and hedge planting, cover crops and wildflower margins are all nourishing various species and encouraging them to thrive. The need to produce more food (veg) for the local people is still on my list as it remains the right thing to do. I just need to find a different way to do it as my attempt to do this last year didn’t work for various reasons and was a costly exercise. I console myself however with that fact that we have to try these things to work out what does and doesn’t work.

So, I shall honour World Earth day tomorrow and give Mother Earth gratitude and love for all that she provides. I dedicate myself to honouring all that she gives and in return I shall do what I can to nourish her back. It may not result in the much needed rain, but I trust that as more local farmers learn about regenerative agriculture and the importance of healing the soil, the rain will once again fall in more predictable and helpful patterns. Until then, I shall continue to work on my own resolutions, behaviour and simply just try to do better.

PS. For anyone who followed last week’s blog, both the nightingale and the cuckoo did arrive safely back to the estate this week, and very excited we were about that too!