'English Pastoral' by James Rebanks: A Farm’s Journey from Tradition to Regeneration
James Rebanks’ 'English Pastoral' traces the decline and hopeful revival of a family farm, offering a heartfelt case for regenerative agriculture rooted in tradition and care for the land
In this second instalment of our short series (following Sarah Langford’s Rooted), we turn to English Pastoral by James Rebanks – a memoir of a family farm that doubles as a manifesto for sustainable farming. Rebanks, a shepherd-turned-writer from England’s Lake District, offers an intimate account of inheriting a way of life under siege by modern agriculture. The book provides a concise overview of the author’s background and his land, a summary of key themes like regenerative agriculture and land stewardship, and an analysis of its impact in an age of climate change and biodiversity loss.
A Generation of Hill Farmers
James Rebanks comes from generations of hill farmers in Cumbria, where his family’s small farm has worked the land for over 600 years. He first gained fame with The Shepherd’s Life, a memoir celebrating traditional sheep-farming. English Pastoral: An Inheritance picks up where that left off, chronicling how farming in Britain changed from his grandfather’s era (“Nostalgia”) through the industrial expansion during his father’s time (“Progress”), to Rebanks’ own efforts to forge a more sustainable future (“Utopia”). This loose three-part structure traces the farm’s trajectory: from the cherished old ways, through an era of intensive practices that degraded the land, to Rebanks’ resolve to regenerate his fields for the sake of his children.
Rebanks writes in an engaging, personal tone that belies the depth of his critique. He describes youthful moments – like running away to see industrial-scale Australian farms – that made him realize how modern agribusiness was “cheapen[ing] and exploit[ing]” the land with ultimately harmful consequences. Returning home, he witnessed his father adopt “efficient” methods (chemical sprays, specialized breeds) to survive, only to see soil and wildlife decline. A neighbour sticking to old-fashioned manure and hedgerows became a local joke – until tests showed his soil was far healthier than on the chemical-fed fields. These revelations, along with reading Silent Spring and seeing his valley flooded in 2015, were Rebanks’ epiphanies that the land was in peril and needed a new approach.
Regeneration, Rewilding and Responsibility
In English Pastoral, Rebanks grapples with themes of regenerative agriculture, rewilding, climate change, and land stewardship in a deeply personal way. He ultimately rejects the “Progress” era’s mindset that nature must be subdued for productivity and instead embraces an ethic of working with natural systems. On his farm, he begins planting 12,000 trees, restoring wetlands, eschewing pesticides, and setting aside fields for wildlife. These practical steps – reintroducing hedges, enriching soil organically, giving rivers room to meander – yield a landscape that is both productive and alive. “There is something about planting trees that feels good… it will outlast you and leave the world a little richer,” Rebanks writes, noting that planting a tree means imagining a future beyond your own lifespan and caring about that future. That sentiment captures his philosophy of land stewardship: that a farm should be run with the next generation and the broader ecosystem in mind.
Rebanks does not shy away from the tension between idealism and hard economics. He titles his final section “Utopia,” but pointedly reminds us “there’s a thin line between utopianism and bullshit” – after all, “beauty doesn’t pay the bills”. He acknowledges that farmers still need to make a living; the challenge is balancing that with a “sense of duty towards future generations”. In this regard, English Pastoral resonates with the stories in Langford’s Rooted, which showed real farmers attempting similar balancing acts. Like Langford, Rebanks highlights the human side of this agricultural revolution – the doubts, sacrifices and gradual mindset shifts involved in changing course.
Another major theme is our collective responsibility. Rebanks argues that it’s not only farmers who must change, but consumers and society at large. We have become, in his words, “strangers to the fields that feed us” – happily ignorant of how our cheap food is produced. He cites startling facts: half of Britain’s hedgerows have vanished since WWII, and half of milk production now comes from zero-grazing indoor cows. Such trends, driven by the demand for ever-cheaper food, have severed people’s connection to the land. Rebanks’ writing, rich with descriptions of curlews calling and owls swooping over his fields at dawn, serves as a “vibrant inducement to care” about these losses. By coupling statistics with soulful personal narrative, he makes the case that farming and nature can – and must – be reunited for the sake of the planet and our own well-being.
Impact and Relevance
English Pastoral has been acclaimed as an urgent and important book, one that speaks to this pivotal moment for agriculture. It won the 2021 Wainwright Prize for nature writing, hailed by judges as a “seminal work” that will still be celebrated half a century from now. The prize jury praised Rebanks’ “accessible, heartfelt and poignant” prose and its “message of achievable change,” noting how he respects the old ways while grappling with future complexities. Indeed, Rebanks’ ability to bridge past and present is a key strength: he shows reverence for his grandfather’s wisdom but does not sentimentalize the past, confronting the very real environmental challenges of today’s farming.
The book’s relevance extends beyond one farm or one country. Rebanks writes about issues – soil degradation, biodiversity loss, climate instability – that farmers worldwide face. By sharing how one “small farm” wrestles with “competing needs” – food, nature, livelihoods – he illuminates the larger global puzzle. His personal journey from sceptical farmer’s son to regenerative farming advocate mirrors a broader shift as more farmers question industrial practices. As with Rooted (which profiled multiple British farms embracing change), English Pastoral suggests a groundswell within agriculture itself, a desire to heal the land while feeding the nation.
Crucially, Rebanks’ story also resonates with the non-farming public, many of whom have been moved by his memoir. In an era when climate change and ecological crisis dominate headlines, his narrative offers a rare note of hope – showing that even a humble upland farm can make a difference by “working with nature rather than against it”. The book has sparked conversations between farmers, environmentalists, and consumers, helping to dissolve the old divide that cast farmers as villains or victims. Rebanks demonstrates that farmers can be heroes of environmental restoration, provided the rest of us value their work and the food we eat.
With its engaging storytelling and clear-eyed analysis, English Pastoral stands as both a loving elegy for what we’ve lost and an inspiring blueprint for what could be. Rebanks doesn’t pretend the transition is easy – change comes with costs, and success requires community support and policy shifts. Yet, by the final pages, as he rides at dawn with his young daughter across a farm alive with birdsong, the book makes a compelling case that a better balance is possible. Like the other works in this series, English Pastoral ultimately delivers a hopeful message: with knowledge, courage and care, a “farming revolution” can take root, ensuring that our precious rural landscapes thrive for generations to come.