Regenerative Skills

Academia and Farming: The disconnect and potential

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s deep dive episode we’re taking on the behemoth of a topic that is the broken system and relationship between academic institutions and ...

From Waste to Wealth: Closing Loops on the Farm

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this panel session, we’re exploring one of the most practical and underused opportunities in regenerative farming and rural life: learning to see...

Measuring Regeneration: Beyond data and metrics

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back everyone to the second of the Deep Dive episodes. In this new format the intention is to bring complexity back into the conversations aro...

Overcoming natural disasters on the farm: Recovery, prevention and adaptation

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back everyone to another panel session. In light of all the stories of extreme weather and emergencies around the Iberian peninsula and other ...

Who gets to say what "regeneration" means?

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to episode two of season ten of the Regenerative Skills podcast. As I mentioned last time, the show is changing this year: we’re moving to t...

Farming Without Burning Out: Boundaries, Joy, and Mental Resilience

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To start off the year, I wanted to explore a topic that often gets swept under the rug. Mental well-being, or the lack of it, in farming communities h...

Policy change, advocacy, and the future of regen ag in Europe: panel session

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s no way around it, governance of the agricultural industry has a massive impact on how farms and the agrifood system are managed. Policy, reg...

Climate Resilience on European Farms: Adaptation and New Potential

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back to another episode in our panel discussion series. In this edition we’ll be focusing on the challenges and opportunities of climate ada...

From humble beginnings, to leading a permaculture revolution in Malawi, with Luwayo Biswick

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex got a chance to follow up with Luwayo Biswick in Malawi. Luwayo had been on the Regenerative Skills podcast when it was still Abundant Edge for e...

From extractive agrobusiness to permaculture abundance, with Ripura Hewicke

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our tour of Sub Saharran Africa, Alex followed a recommendation from Thiang’o to talk with Ripura Hewick. Ripura is based in Namibia, and manages...

Crossing milestones and charting a new path forward:

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

400 episodes down and some big changes coming.  It's been almost 9 full years since I started this little show and I'm amazed at the journey that it'...

Community Resilience: Farms as Anchors of Local Culture and Community

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back everyone and welcome back to the monthly panel sessions. In this session that I hosted with Climate Farmers, we dive into the lives of th...

What does the process for putting land in a farmer’s trust look like?

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may remember a handful of weeks back when I interviewed Kristina Villa about the work of the Farmer’s Land Trust, and how they’re helping to m...

Developing smallholder reslience, through permaculture education and community, with Thiong’o Gachie

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thiong'o Gachie is a permaculture trainer in Kenya, focused on inspiring smallholder farmers on how to apply permaculture principles, such as crop div...

Why we need to rebug the planet, with Vicki Hird: redux

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Though there are only a handful of bugs and invertebrates that humans consider edible, productive, or beautiful, they are an essential element in any ...

Growing fresh produce through the coldest winters, with Catherine Sylvestre: redux

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve been so happy to see how popular the concept of growing one’s own food has become in recent years. Especially since the pandemic, a lot of us...

Regenerative Tourism; Farms as Educational and Experiential Spaces: Panel Session

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This past month we took a look at the timely topic of agritourism and the potential for farms to serve as community and educational centers. This summ...

The edible ecosystem solution, with Zach Loeks: redux

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

have you ever wondered what the difference between a garden and an edible ecosystem is? Do you want to know how you can create one in you own yard? In...

Building regenerative community in Bulgaria, with Bobby Dimitrov

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Building on the series with my friend Alex in Urugay on the challenges and opportunities of regeneration in areas of the world that are more economica...

The Role of Livestock in Regenerative Systems: Panel Session

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back to another panel session. This month our topic of focus was the role of livestock in regenerative farms. This is a contentious issue fo...

How co-op groceries are taking on “the giants,” with Jon Steinman

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time now, our food system has been a primary indicator for so many markers of health in our society, from the way that our food is produced...

Helen Atthowe shares her secrets for long term ecological farming success: redux

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of my work these days revolves around communicating with farmers around Europe who are at various stages of a transition towards regenerative ma...

Natural beekeeping for better honey, healthy colonies, and vibrant ecosystems, with Uli Beckman

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve had the pleasure over the last few months to interview quite a few people that I admire, who’ve told me about their fascination with beekeepi...

Can eating meat be ethical and good for the environment? With Meredith Leigh

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I had the pleasure of speaking to Meredith Leigh, the author of “The Ethical Meat Handbook.” Meredith has worked as a farmer, butcher, chef, teach...

Pioneering regenerative dairy production, with Phyllis Van Amburgh: redux

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At this point I’ve covered a wide array of practices and management styles that fall under the broad umbrella of regenerative agriculture. Some coul...

New possibilities for farmland access byond just ownership, with Kristina Villa

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since I’ve been working in the regenerative agriculture and ecosystem restoration sector for about a decade now, there are a number of subjects and ...

Growing seed professionally, with Dan Brisebois

21 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve explored the topic of seed saving and breeding a number of times in previous episodes and it’s become such a passion of mine that it’s the ...

A regenerative model of academic research to connect with farmers, with Jonathan Lundgren

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There often seems to be an unfortunate disconnect between farmers in the field and the researchers and academics involved with agronomic study. I ofte...

Reviving heritage foods through landrace farming, with Glenn Roberts: redux

07 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join Oliver on Regenerative Skills as he interviews Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills, exploring the revival of heritage cultivars like Carolina Gold Rice....

Rediscovering perennial staple food sources, with Elspeth Hay

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As I continue to advance the tree and perennial food nursery here at my farm, I’m always on the lookout for new resources on anything about growing ...

Rediscovering your native plants for food and fulfillment, with Margarita Palatnik

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Food as a tool for cultural transformation: A long form discussion with Dan Kittredge Part 3

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the last portion of our long form discussion with Dan Kittredge.  In this last third we navigate the need for Generational Healing and Cul...

Food as a tool for cultural transformation: A long form discussion with Dan Kittredge Part 2

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’ll be continuing with the second portion of our long form discussion with Dan Kittredge. In this second third we mostly get into Principle...

Food as a tool for cultural transformation: A long form discussion with Dan Kittredge Part 1

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of the discussions that have propelled the awareness of regenerative agriculture in recent years has been that of nutrient density in food, a term...

The path to building a relationship with the plants in your life with Ryan Blosser

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In so many previous episodes I’ve spoken with people who’ve explained many nuances and facts about plants and how to incorporate different species...

Co-creating a regenerative future for tourism in Spain, with Sonia Teruel

19 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’ll continue the miniseries I’m building on regenerative tourism. This time we’ll take a close look at the specific context of the count...

Running a profitable regenerative fruit orchard with Stefan Sobkowiak

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back to another interview from the skill exchange calls that I’ve been running with Climate Farmers for our regenerative farming network in ...

Pond design and mangement masterclass, with Ben Falk

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At this point I’ve taken a lot of courses and trainings around water management and earthworks, but I’m still always curious to stay up to date on...

Trees as allies in regeneration: Panel episode

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Part of the Climate Farmers Academy series, dedicated to facilitating peer-to-peer learning among farmers transitioning toward regenerative management...

Understanding the regenerative potential of tourism, with Michelle Holiday

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I’ll be kicking off another little series on a topic that’s new to this show, which is regenerative tourism. Both, I and a number of other f...

Starting a project from scratch in extreme circumstances, with Jane Wegesa Fraser

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Of all the projects that I've watched develop from the beginning, Jane is the example I most enjoy pointing to when people ask for advice on how to ge...

Natural farming for biodiversity first, with Joshua Sparkes

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’m really excited to share this conversation with all of you today, because Joshua Sparkes not only has a unique perspective on gardening and food ...

Water management for farmers in a changing climate: Panel discussion

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to another panel session. I love this format in general, but this panel in particular was a whole lot of fun, because not only did I have my c...

The regenerative potential of transformative learning, with Pavel Cenkl

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I want to start a fun new series on a topic that I’ve wanted to explore for quite a while, which is the concept of regenerative education. I...

Steps to transition to regenerative communities, with Don Hall

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 8 years of interviewing people in the regeneration sector, It’s become clear to me that knowledge is not as valuable as experience. Gathering ...

The cutting edge of soil science and agronomy, with Harriet Mella and James White

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome everyone to the first episode of season 9. The beginning of the 9th year of making this show. I’ve got a lot of exciting new projects and c...

Exciting things to come in 2025: The New Years Special

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hello and welcome back to a special New Year episode. Unlike the normal interview format today I want to take some time to reflect on the past year, ...

The challenges and opportunities of diverse farm enterprises with Ariane Lotti, Maria Giménez, and Francisco Alves

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’m excited to announce that we've restarted the panel format. Many of you will remember that I used to put together monthly panels with experts on ...

Re-becoming keystone species, and practical steps for restoring your environment, with Tanja Dekker

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Long time listeners to this show will know that soil health and deep soil science are not my specialty. I’ve done quite a few interviews on soil ove...

Lessons from regenerating a 1100 hectare farm in semi-arid Spain, with Silvia Quarta

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This last week has been incredible for me. After almost 5 years of being connected to different aspects of the work at the farm in La Junquera, first ...

Drought: Part 3. Mitigation strategies for large and regional scale projects: redux

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the final episode in mine and Nick’s 3 part series on drought. In the first episode we talked about how drought was affecting our two hom...

Drought: Part 2. Solutions and opportunities for small and medium scale: redux

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing with our deep dive into drought, my good friend Nick Steiner and I are going to move now from defining drought and the its myriad of causes...

Drought: Part 1. The myths, misconceptions, and causes: redux

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s that time again. In todays’ regenerative round table, my good friend Nick Steiner and I give updates on our respective projects. Him on the I...

Installing water retention and fire mitigation features on the ground: redux

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on the journey we started in the last episode, Nick and I went to the next project where we got to install the types of water retention fea...

Reading the landscape and gathering essential data for a water restoration design

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re starting in a big way with a special episode in which me and my good friend and collaborator Nick Steiner will be taking you along with us on ...

Diary of a water restoration design and install

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today I want to go back to one of my favorite episodes of the last few years. This was back at the start of the 7th season, so almost two years ago. I...

How we can overcome the looming water crisis in our cities, with Jerry Yudelson

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this series on water, the one area that I've left out so far is the urban landscape. In this week’s episode I got to chat with Jerry Yudelson, th...

Modeling restoration strategies to repair the hydrological cycle, with Ali Bin Shahid

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the importance of the water cycle to global climate regulation has gained attention in the last few years, I’ve also seen an emergence of voices ...

Managing floods, erosion, and living coastlines, with Mike Lynn

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

So much of the conversation around water revolves around its scarcity. Today we’ll get a chance to explore how to manage water regeneratively when t...

How to repair the hydrological cycle of a landscape, with Nicole Masters, Zach Weiss, and Mark Shepard

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this session I hosted a discussion on the importance of restoring proper hydrological function in a landscape and the steps to achieving it with my...

The massive potential of marine permaculture, with Brian Von Herzen

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing today with this ongoing series on waterway regeneration and a deep dive into marine ecosystems, I had the pleasure of speaking with Brian V...

Diving deep into ocean farming, with Joost Wouters

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today I want to continue with a deeper dive into the topic of water, literally, by going to the furthest point downstream, where terrestrial water ent...

Why regenerating our oceans makes both public health and economic sense, with Dr. Enric Sala

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While the climate change narrative has mostly focused on the concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere since the industrial r...

Regenerative earthworks for water retention landscapes, with Douglas Barnes

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is here to demystify one of the aspects of permaculture design that I hear the most questions about, but also one of the issues that I ...

The permaculture guide to earth surgery, with David “Doc Spice” Spicer

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

 I spoke with David Spicer, affectionately known as Doc Spice, an accomplished permaculture designer who has specialized in earthworks installation. ...

The essentials of rainwater harvesting, with Rob Avis

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In keeping with the theme of water regeneration this month I spoke to Rob Avis, the co-author along with Michelle Avis of their book in the New Societ...

How to plant the rain in drylands and beyond, with Brad Lancaster

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If at any point you’ve been interested in water harvesting in dryland contexts, it’s almost impossible that you’ve missed Brad Lancaster’s wor...

Repairing eroded and incised waterways, with Van Clothier

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode I spoke with Van Clothier about an innovative and subtle water erosion mitigation technique, and how to build a one rock dam. I k...

Regenerating lakes and ponds with floating islands, with Bruce Kania

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I had done one other episode in the past on the topic of floating wetlands that I’d like to revisit today as we continue with this series on regener...

Reviving urban waterways with floating wetlands, with Galen Fulford

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re going to take a look at fresh water systems and specifically, how to decontaminate them through biological methods. Some of you may re...

Successful design and construction of wetlands, with Tom Biebighauser

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most crucial natural environments for the health and stability of landscape hydrology are wetlands. They also usually happen to be areas of...

The story of soil through a microscope, with Isadora Schmidt

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing with my series highlighting badass local people around my community here in Spain, I was really pleased to be able to share this conversati...

Keys to successful regenerative farm transition, with Andre Antunes

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I have to admit, there is an unsung hero behind many of my favorite interviews of the past couple years. Connections and recommendations to some of th...

The practice of managing holistically, and lobbying for regenerative agriculture in Europe, with Meghan Sapp

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As I continue to make connections and find people in my local area who are working on regenerative projects and supporting progress in Spain and the I...

Farming for both local and regional change, with Anne Van Leeuwen: part 2

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’ll be continuing with the second part of my discussion with Anne Van Leeuwen from Bodemzicht in the Netherlands. In case you missed the fi...

Farming for both local and regional change, with Anne Van Leeuwen

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s conversation is the first of a two part conversation with Anne Va Leeuwen from Bodemzicht in the Netherlands that I’ve been looking forwar...

Soil health and drought mitigation panel from REVOLVE magazine

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A couple weeks ago I was invited to speak on a panel discussion about soil health for the release of a new issue of REVOLVE magazine.  Established in...

Simplifying gardening and food forests, with David the Good

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on the theme of last week’s episode in which I spoke with Jessica Robertson about community food forests, we’re going to go deeper into...

How to design and build a community food forest, with Jessica Robertson

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With the growth in popularity around permaculture and food forests, even people without access to their own land are looking into opportunities to com...

Taming the apocalypse by partnering with new species, with Shane Simonsen

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

So much of what inspires me and that I hope to highlight on this show comes from an ever growing awareness of the incredible superpowers that humans h...

Finding the potential in "invasive" species, with Tao Orion

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’m really lucky that I have been collaborating with book publishers since the early days of this podcast. It gives me access to all of the books fr...

Why we need inscets and how you can help rebug the planet, with Vicki Hird

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

world of insects. Though there are only a handful of bugs and invertebrates that humans consider edible, productive, or beautiful, they are an essent...

Natural beekeeping for better honey, healthy colonies, and vibrant ecosystems, with Uli Beckman

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve had the pleasure over the last few months to interview quite a few people that I admire, who’ve told me about their fascination with beekeepi...

Reflections on over two decades of resilient farmstead living, with Ben Falk

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the popularity of permaculture, homesteading, regen ag, and all these other buzz terms we hear, many of the people promoting these ideas, incl...

Financial management tips for a healthy farm, with Julia Shanks

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Though I’ve highlighted this before on this show, it bears repeating. So many of the stress factors on farms are caused by money. Either not being a...

Reversing the Spanish trajectory towards desertification, with Sara Garcia

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the process of researching the area that I now call home, and working to understand the context and history of the land, I’ve uncovered some fasc...

The potential of small scale regeneration, from three distinct perspectives

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve spent a lot of time through the interviews of this podcast speaking with people around the world who are advancing incredible and ambitious pro...

Large scale regeneration and the potential of cooperative design, with Weruschca Kirkegaard

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Todays episode is going to build on a couple concepts that I’ve been exploring from different perspectives. The first is that of the power of commun...

The essential skills and knowledge to become a regenerative water worker, with Zach Weiss and Nick Steiner

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For those of you following along from the last three episodes of this season so far, I’ve been sharing the intimate details of my own journey along ...

Nature based solutions for the worst drought on record, with Aline Van Moerbeke

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve talked a lot about drought and water management on this podcast. It’s becoming a bigger and bigger part of my work and specialization, both i...

Installing water retention and fire mitigation features on the ground

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on the journey we started in the last episode, Nick and I went to the next project where we got to install the types of water retention fea...

Reading the landscape and gathering essential data for a water restoration design

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first episode of season 8 of the Regenerative Skills podcast. We're starting in a big way with a special episode in which me and my goo...

Regenerative farming on the edge of the desert, with Yanniek Schoonhoven

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are a few farms and organizations here in Spain that have been gaining international attention for their work and initiatives in the past few ye...

Making soil health approachable and practical, with Ian Robertson

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

By now I’m sure many of you have heard the few episodes on soil health that I’ve recorded with people like Harriet Mela, Matt Powers, James White,...

Adapting syntropic agroforestry to temperate climates, with Renke De Vries

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Syntropic Agroforestry has exploded in popularity and interest in the last few years. I’ve explored this agroforestry design and management system a...

Growing fresh produce through the coldest winters, with Catherine Sylvestre

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve been so happy to see how popular the concept of growing one’s own food has become in recent years. Especially since the pandemic, a lot of us...

Making micro farms work through lean planning, with Ben Hartman

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve been observing an interesting trend in the regen ag space. The concept and awareness of regen ag has been growing exponentially with many peopl...

Low tech solutions for erosion and water management with Neil Bertrando and Jeff Adams

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We live in a time when everyone seems to be looking for high tech solutions for every problem. Maybe it's due to all of the new tech that has come out...

Working with wastewater and learnings from Biosphere 2, with Mark Nelson

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve been lucky in recent months to be able to speak to people who’ve been leaders and change makers in the regenerative space for a significant a...

Reviving heritage foods through landrace farming, with Glenn Roberts

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A few months back when I covered the topic of landrace gardening and crop breeding, I had no idea what a passionate and knowledgeable community around...