The women shaping a new countryside

THIS is a story about creativity in the countryside. It is a women’s tale because, crucially, they are playing a significant role in improving understanding of the countryside and reinvigorating its rural economy. It seems that the age-old idea that Mother Nature personifies the Earth, as the source from which all life springs, is echoed by the feminine way of seeing the land and understanding it—this is often Nature-based and grounded in long-term regeneration.

Many notable women have thought this way throughout history. The Egyptian queen Cleopatra issued several edicts decreeing that anyone found killing earthworms should be imprisoned—or even killed—because she understood the importance of the soil in the Nile valley delta. Lady Eve Balfour, the organic farming pioneer who co-founded the Soil Association in 1946 (‘), believed the long-term health of the soil should be prioritised above highly mechanised, intensive farming systems. Yet it wasn’t until January 17, 1990—shortly after her death—that the Government, under Margaret Thatcher, offered grants to encourage British farmers