Country Life: Lessons from land in John Connell's The Wisdom of Farmers

Be as stoic as a farmer, inhabit your smile, get up early, be as brave as a cowboy - they're some of the latest life tips from Irish writer and farmer John Connell.

The idea for his new book, The Wisdom of Farmers, published by Allen and Unwin, came to him after scanning his banker brother-in-law's book shelf.

"I noticed all these books on business and self-help and what-not, but there was nothing from the countryside and nothing from a rural perspective," he said. "I said to myself, 'Well, some of the smartest and cleverest people I know are from the country'."

It's a decade since Connell returned to the family farm in the Irish Midlands, after working as a journalist and documentary maker, and his life there has resulted in several books, including The Cow Book and Twelve Sheep - Life Lessons from a Lambing Season.

The Wisdom of Farmers is an even deeper dive into his philosophy of the land and took in experiences with farmers around the world.

"Ultimately, we were all farmers once and we've lost contact with the earth, in some cases for some people, in a busy urban life," he told RNZ's Country Life. "I want to bring them back and, as I say, find the inner farmer in their pocket."

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Not so much a practical guide as a "jumping off point", Connell said the book drew on thousands of years of common experience among farming people, growing food for their communities.

"There was a sort of a common thread between us all that we were all figuring this out at the same time, domesticating crops that were suited to the geography of the countries."

The research for the book opened his own eyes too, as he realised being as "stoic as a farmer" was not as simple as it sounds.

"Stoicism... it was an interesting chapter to write, because I interviewed a farmer from outback New South Wales in Australia about stoicism and I had one idea, but he said to me, you know, stoicism can get you dead out here in the middle of a drought.

"We have to, yes, weather the storms, but we have to know when we've had too much that we can reach out to a fellow friend."

Acknowledging New Zealand's recent flooding, there's nuance too to the chapter 'Inhabit your Smile'. For him, the memory of a walk in the fields to look at cows in the sunshine can keep him going through gloomier times.

"I'm sure there are little moments of beauty that people can capture.

"Sometimes, it's about keeping beauty in your mind, as John O'Donohue, the Irish poet, used to say."

To 'Eat Vividly' - another chapter in the book - is to appreciate more the provenance of food and hard work it takes to produce.

Connell urged people to treasure farmers, as well as their food.

"Know the journey of your food and appreciate where it came from, because ultimately, farming is about food. Food connects everything."