Our first bioregional project is underway in the Cairngorms.

Wilderculture CIC has been working on upland regeneration for nearly a decade, but we are
excited to be entering a new phase as an organisation. Thanks to ongoing support from
Esmée Fairbairn for capacity building, we have been able to take a deep dive into how
we, as a not-for-profit, can be more impactful with every pound spent and ramp up our
regeneration efforts to a whole new level.

Elsewhere we write about our ‘rooted’ approach to regeneration — which
means that rather than importing regenerative agriculture from other parts of the world and
adapting it slightly to our marginal and upland regions in the UK, we use the ROOTED
framework to reroot and reweave a bioregionally adapted version. One that captures the rich
culture and lineage of the people who have managed land through the ages, and the unique
essence and natural history of the place.

Our approach to bioregioning — an ongoing process of being in relationship with the
people and land of a bioregion, not a fixed destination — is to start where we already
have experience. We work with an upland region where Wilderculture has an established track
record of transitioning farms to regenerative agriculture through integrated landscape design,
and ask: can we work with the people in place, and with potential funders, to develop a
regenerative farmer network that supports a cohort of farms through a whole-system transition?

The Cairngorms National Park Authority, as part of their Cairngorms 2030 programme, has
funded a project co-developed with Roots of Nature and Wilderculture to do exactly that.
Wilderculture CIC won the bid to run the project, and Caroline is leading the training,
design and coaching of the successful farmers.

Regenerative agriculture works best not as a set of bolt-on practices, but as a
co-designed, ground-up approach that begins with understanding each farm’s unique context.

What do we mean by a ‘whole system’ transition? Regenerative agriculture works
best not as a set of bolt-on practices to a system designed for efficiency and high inputs,
but as a co-designed, ground-up approach that begins with understanding each farm’s unique
environmental, economic and social context — its constraints and its opportunities.
From there, we train and co-design a farming system that fits the farm’s goals, treating
soil, plant, animal and farm design as one working system, building on synergies and
delivering exponential outcomes over time. This is very different from teaching farmers how
to do mob grazing.

What makes this even more significant is that the farmers will be learning and growing
together over multiple years, forming a supportive network within the bioregion that can
become a powerful catalyst for wider change — providing case studies, skilled
practitioners and lived experience rooted in the region’s unique elemental conditions.

Through a series of workshops, site visits, online support and cross-farm visits, we
believe we are building something genuinely important for the future of the Cairngorms.

As part of this process, each farmer will also undertake a ‘Rooting to Place’
journey — exploring the farming history of their region and the natural history that
preceded it. This ensures that regenerative designs are aligned with the distinctiveness of
the place and carry the wisdom of those who have worked this land for centuries. We root our
regeneration in the culture and essence of place first, then bring the science and
opportunities of the regenerative movement to complement and enhance the best of what truly
sustainable traditional practice already knows.

Applications are now closed and interviews are underway. The response has far exceeded our
expectations — in both the number and calibre of applicants. We look forward to sharing
more of this journey with you.