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Intuitive Farming
quality parameters. There are now over 500 species of fora and fauna living cooperatively and ‘like
a family’ in the orchard. The farmer maintains that this makes him feel happy and fulflled, and for
him, it demonstrates that animals have full awareness and consciousness and can communicate with
human beings who choose to do so and who treat them with sincerity and love, thereby coexisting
in harmony and prosperity.
This success in managing crop damage reported by the farmer in Case Study 2, through designating
a portion of the crop’s area for other-than-human consumers, is similar to other cases in the study.
Overall, the 17 case study farms report similar benefts to those described by Kieft (2006, 2015),
such as reduced inputs and improved quantitative and qualitative outputs, resulting in greater proft
margins, healthier farm systems and a more satisfed feeling regarding their decision-making. Of
particular interest is that several farmers noted that they felt the heart played a role when receiving
intuitive information.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE INTUITIVE FARMER
Regenerative agriculture is knowledge intensive, and transitioning towards this approach requires
that the farmer has access not only to more knowledge to aid with analytical thinking, but also to
greater sensitivity and better ‘knowing’ of the systems with which he/she is working. The process
of developing intuition offers this access, involving a transformation of both the farmer and his/
her worldview, which, in turn, leads to a deeper, more balanced and harmonious relationship with
nature (Cox, 2014; von Diest, 2019; van Eijk, 1998; Kieft, 2006; Paxton et al., 2017).
As we have seen, intuition is not easily articulated, and while it is not emotional per se, it
is affected by emotion, which can affect the decision-maker’s confdence and thus its accuracy
(Hogarth, 2010). For this reason, Nuthall and Old (2018) argue that refexive processes are required
to help refne the reliable and confdent application of intuition in decision-making. These processes
include managing emotional triggers, observation and feedback with oneself and others, and gaining experience in a particular feld of expertise. Nuthall’s book, The Intuitive Farmer: Inspiring
Management Success (2016), based on extensive research by the author, is the only existing handbook that the author is aware of for developing intuition in management, which is aimed specifcally
at farmers and farm managers and offers accessible principles and guidelines for refexive practices.
In a study on what constitutes healthy farm management, involving 79 farmers in Austria,
Germany and the UK, Paxton et al. found that
learning to be intuitive meant that farmers had to dare to listen to their intuition regardless of rational
explanation and, occasionally, in the face of criticism. The farmers felt they improved their capacities for managing farm health through mindful self-refection and self-observation, meaning that farm
health depends heavily upon personal development.
Paxton et al. (2017: 84)
Sadler-Smith and Shefy (2007) and van Eijk (1998) emphasise the value of meditation and mindfulness for developing intuition, as well as metacognition. Similarly, Erickson (2011) states that calm
emotional states are more conducive for not only intuition, but also interspecies communication,
and these states may be attained through regulated breathing and meditation practices, as well as
other lifestyle changes aimed at stress reduction, including good nutrition, exercise, adequate rest
and spending time in nature.
Several authors stress that improving somatic awareness is essential for accessing tacit knowing through intuition (McCraty, 2015; Nonaka and van Krogh, 2009; Sadler-Smith and Shefy,
2007). As Kieft (2015: 183) put it: ‘if we learn to better communicate with our body, we are also
opening our mind for communicating with nature in a wider sense’. Developing a heightened
Intuitive Farming
quality parameters. There are now over 500 species of fora and fauna living cooperatively and ‘like
a family’ in the orchard. The farmer maintains that this makes him feel happy and fulflled, and for
him, it demonstrates that animals have full awareness and consciousness and can communicate with
human beings who choose to do so and who treat them with sincerity and love, thereby coexisting
in harmony and prosperity.
This success in managing crop damage reported by the farmer in Case Study 2, through designating
a portion of the crop’s area for other-than-human consumers, is similar to other cases in the study.
Overall, the 17 case study farms report similar benefts to those described by Kieft (2006, 2015),
such as reduced inputs and improved quantitative and qualitative outputs, resulting in greater proft
margins, healthier farm systems and a more satisfed feeling regarding their decision-making. Of
particular interest is that several farmers noted that they felt the heart played a role when receiving
intuitive information.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE INTUITIVE FARMER
Regenerative agriculture is knowledge intensive, and transitioning towards this approach requires
that the farmer has access not only to more knowledge to aid with analytical thinking, but also to
greater sensitivity and better ‘knowing’ of the systems with which he/she is working. The process
of developing intuition offers this access, involving a transformation of both the farmer and his/
her worldview, which, in turn, leads to a deeper, more balanced and harmonious relationship with
nature (Cox, 2014; von Diest, 2019; van Eijk, 1998; Kieft, 2006; Paxton et al., 2017).
As we have seen, intuition is not easily articulated, and while it is not emotional per se, it
is affected by emotion, which can affect the decision-maker’s confdence and thus its accuracy
(Hogarth, 2010). For this reason, Nuthall and Old (2018) argue that refexive processes are required
to help refne the reliable and confdent application of intuition in decision-making. These processes
include managing emotional triggers, observation and feedback with oneself and others, and gaining experience in a particular feld of expertise. Nuthall’s book, The Intuitive Farmer: Inspiring
Management Success (2016), based on extensive research by the author, is the only existing handbook that the author is aware of for developing intuition in management, which is aimed specifcally
at farmers and farm managers and offers accessible principles and guidelines for refexive practices.
In a study on what constitutes healthy farm management, involving 79 farmers in Austria,
Germany and the UK, Paxton et al. found that
learning to be intuitive meant that farmers had to dare to listen to their intuition regardless of rational
explanation and, occasionally, in the face of criticism. The farmers felt they improved their capacities for managing farm health through mindful self-refection and self-observation, meaning that farm
health depends heavily upon personal development.
Paxton et al. (2017: 84)
Sadler-Smith and Shefy (2007) and van Eijk (1998) emphasise the value of meditation and mindfulness for developing intuition, as well as metacognition. Similarly, Erickson (2011) states that calm
emotional states are more conducive for not only intuition, but also interspecies communication,
and these states may be attained through regulated breathing and meditation practices, as well as
other lifestyle changes aimed at stress reduction, including good nutrition, exercise, adequate rest
and spending time in nature.
Several authors stress that improving somatic awareness is essential for accessing tacit knowing through intuition (McCraty, 2015; Nonaka and van Krogh, 2009; Sadler-Smith and Shefy,
2007). As Kieft (2015: 183) put it: ‘if we learn to better communicate with our body, we are also
opening our mind for communicating with nature in a wider sense’. Developing a heightened