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: they can help, but they can also hinder. While the CAP was designed to support food production, it has too often pushed farmers toward dependency on machinery and industrial models, driving people off the land and making regeneration harder.

Ariane reveals:

• Why EU subsidies can both save and sabotage farmers

• How policy must change to support soil health and biodiversity

• What a fairer and more resilient food system could look like

This episode takes us beyond the farm gate, into the structures that determine whether regenerative agriculture can truly scale.

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This podcast was produced in partnership with Soil Capital, a company that supports #regenerativeagriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health & biodiversity.

Soil Capital - https://www.soilcapital.com/

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🔗 Useful Links:

Tenuta San Carlo - https://tenutasancarlo.com/en

Deep Seed podcast - https://www.deepseed.eu/

Raphaël Esterhazy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphael-esterhazy/

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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 build living soils, increase nutrient density, and restore biodiversity. We also discuss one of the most pressing issues facing farmers today: water. How do you farm in the face of droughts and climate uncertainty?

Ariane reveals:

• Why ducks may be the future of regenerative rice farming

• How cover crops and rotations bring resilience to soils and ecosystems

• What droughts are teaching farmers about adaptation and water management

This is a look at farming as an experiment in ecosystem restoration — blending tradition, creativity, and science to build resilience.

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This podcast was produced in partnership with Soil Capital, a company that supports #regenerativeagriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health & biodiversity.

Soil Capital - https://www.soilcapital.com/

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🔗 Useful Links:

Tenuta San Carlo - https://tenutasancarlo.com/en

Deep Seed podcast - https://www.deepseed.eu/

Raphaël Esterhazy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphael-esterhazy/

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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 farming. Against droughts, financial pressures, and skepticism from her peers, she bet everything on a vision of farming built on soil health, biodiversity, and resilience.

👩‍🌾 Ariane reveals:

• What it takes to risk your family farm on regeneration

• The challenges of transitioning from conventional to organic farming

• Why building farmer-to-farmer networks was essential for success

This is a story of courage, conviction, and the power of taking one step at a time toward a healthier food future.

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This podcast was produced in partnership with Soil Capital, a company that supports #regenerativeagriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health & biodiversity.

https://www.soilcapital.com/

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🔗 Useful Links:

Tenuta San Carlo - https://tenutasancarlo.com/en

Deep Seed podcast - https://www.deepseed.eu/

Raphaël Esterhazy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphael-esterhazy/

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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 member of the Valdibella Cooperative, who has spent his life studying and caring for these unique gardens. Tommaso explains how the Conca d’Oro worked like a natural forest: layered crops, closed nutrient cycles between animals, plants, and soil, and irrigation systems so advanced that they still impress modern scientists. He also shares why sustainable farming here now faces serious threats — from climate stress and honey fungus (Armillaria) to urban sprawl and political neglect — and what it will take to revive this heritage.

You’ll hear surprising insights into how soil health and nutrient density were once safeguarded through circular systems, why farmers are forced to become water engineers, and how agroecology is inspiring a new generation of young Sicilians. At the heart of the conversation is Tommaso’s deeply personal story of learning from his father in the fields and his hope that Palermo will rediscover its roots before they are lost.

Follow the podcast for more stories from the Valdibella mini-series, and share this episode with a friend who cares about the future of food and farming.

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❤️ This podcast was produced in partnership with Soil Capital, a company that supports #regenerativeagriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health & biodiversity.

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🔗Useful links:

• Valdibella - https://valdibella.com/

• Deep Seed podcast - https://www.deepseed.eu/

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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 cares about the planet, this episode connects the dots between soil microbiology, regenerative agriculture, agroecology, and the future of farming. It’s smart, fun, and surprisingly emotional.

🎧 Hit play and discover how a teaspoon of healthy soil might just hold the answers to our biggest ecological challenges.

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🧬 What We Talk About:

• Why soil is not dirt — and why that distinction matters

• The ancient symbiosis between plants and fungi

• How conventional agriculture broke the soil’s ecosystem

• What we can do to bring fungi and microbes back to life

• Why livestock and pasture are natural allies in regeneration

• The power of legume crops like honeysuckle in nitrogen fixation

• How the Valle Bella Cooperative in Sicily is training the next generation of regenerative farmers

• Why breaking silos between scientists and farmers is the future of agri-education

• Real-world success stories from agroecological farms in transition
  

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🔍 Perfect For:

• Regenerative agriculture professionals & educators

• Curious farmers looking to transition away from conventional methods

• Sustainability consultants, soil scientists, and ecologists

• Food systems innovators and agtech entrepreneurs

• Listeners passionate about healing the planet from the ground up
  

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❤️ This podcast was produced in partnership with Soil Capital, a company that supports #regenerativeagriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health & biodiversity.

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🔗 Useful links:

• Valdibella - https://valdibella.com/

• Deep Seed podcast - https://www.deepseed.eu/

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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 stories from Valdibella offer proof that farmers can transform degraded land into thriving ecosystems, while producing abundant, high-quality food.

Rafael challenges the biggest myths in agriculture: that trees steal land from farmers, that chemicals are necessary for productivity, and that nature and farming are destined to be in conflict. Instead, he shares powerful examples of agroforestry, food forests, and soil restoration that increase yields, store water, and protect against desertification.

Along the way, we dive into the economics of farming, exploring how subsidies, policies, and payment for ecosystem services could reshape the future of food systems worldwide.

If you care about the future of farming, food, and our planet, this conversation is a must-listen. It’s a deep dive into the science, practice, and hope of regenerative agriculture and why the choice we face is clear: return to the forest, or slide into desertification.

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👩‍🌾 About the Guest: Rafael Bueno is a Brazilian ecologist and researcher at the University of Palermo. His work focuses on the role of ecological interactions, biodiversity conservation, and agriculture. Passionate about applying science in the field, Rafael collaborates closely with farmers and cooperatives such as Valdibella in Sicily, helping to design agroecological systems that restore soil health, increase resilience to climate change, and prove that farming and nature can thrive together.

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❤️ This podcast was produced in partnership with Soil Capital, a company that supports #regenerativeagriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health & biodiversity.

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🔗Useful links:

• Valdibella - https://valdibella.com/

• Deep Seed podcast - https://www.deepseed.eu/

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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, farming, and social change.

Carlotta takes us inside a groundbreaking project where farmers, scientists, technicians, and activists come together to build a new kind of school. One that’s horizontal, context-based, radically participatory, and deeply rooted in the land. From real-life case studies and peer-to-peer learning to fighting market dependency and reshaping the agri-food system, this is agroecology in action!

Whether you’re a farmer, educator, policymaker, student, or simply someone who dreams of a healthier, fairer future -> this conversation is a must-listen!

📚 We explore:

• How the Valdibella School of Agroecology is challenging traditional education systems through horizontal, participatory learning

• Why agroecology is a political act, not just a technical one

• The urgent need to decolonize knowledge systems and empower local farmers

• How practical training sessions, case studies, and cross-sector collaboration are transforming real farms across Sicily

• What it means to build a common vocabulary across disciplines—from water management to market disintermediation
  

Carlotta shares deep insights into the intersections of farming, knowledge, and justice, offering a hopeful yet radical vision for what a truly regenerative food system could look like.

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👩‍🌾 About the Guest:

Carlotta Ebbreo is a rural sociologist and educator based in Palermo, Sicily. She’s a core team member of the Valdibella Practical School of Agroecology, where she focuses on the social and political dimensions of agroecology, and supports the transition toward community-centered, resilient food systems.

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❤️ This podcast was produced in partnership with Soil Capital, a company that supports #regenerativeagriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health & biodiversity.

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🔗Useful links:

• Valdibella - https://valdibella.com/

• Deep Seed podcast - https://www.deepseed.eu/

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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 that farming can be both regenerative for the soil and transformative for society.

🌱 Topics we cover in this episode:

• How Valdibella farmers resisted the influence of the Mafia in Sicilian agriculture

• Why the cooperative model is a powerful alternative to industrial farmin

• The transition from organic to regenerative agriculture and agroecology

• Social farming projects supporting migrants and marginalized communities, including NO CAP Italy

• The role of biodiversity and soil health in building resilient food systems

• Why young people should see farming not as a burden, but as a future of possibility and hope
  

This is a conversation about more than farming. It’s about land, justice, and the future of food. Whether you’re passionate about organic wine from Sicily, curious about cooperative business models, or searching for stories of communities fighting back against exploitation, this episode will leave you inspired… and ready to imagine what a different kind of agriculture could look like!

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🔗 Links:

Valdibella - https://valdibella.com/

Deep Seed - https://www.deepseed.eu/

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🎥 SOIL CAPITAL This episode was made in Partnership with Soil Capital - a company accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture by financially rewarding farmers who improve soil health and biodiversity! https://www.soilcapital.com/

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.