For Food's Sake

To mark 50 episodes on the podcast, I share my own evolving thoughts on food. I reflect on the state of agriculture and on what sustainability might mean in the food movement today. My experience over the last half decade engaging with the food movement has been that debates are all too often reduced to soundbites on social media. Complex arguments are reduced to 280 characters on Twitter, angry posts on Facebook, and rants on YouTube. We're talking past each other. That's unhelpful.  By sharing my thoughts, I hope to encourage more honest, open and nuanced discussions with whoever is listening.  In this episode, I briefly discuss: The failed promises of industrial agriculture The winners and losers of our food system Food sustainability through different lenses Agriculture and humanity's relationship to nature The future of farming through Charles C. Mann's Prophets and Wizards The land sharing land sparing debate Funding: where does all the money flow? Agroecology and its critics The dilemmas of cell-based

Guilt and shame are deeply present in our relationship with food. How do we harness these emotions for good? When it comes to eating animals, can guilt and shame positively influence our behaviour or those of corporations to reduce our environmental foodprint?   We are joined by Dr. Jennifer Jacquet - Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at NYU. Jennifer does interdisciplinary research on globalized environmental problems, including the wildlife trade, fisheries, and climate change. She is the author of the book "Is Shame Necessary? New Uses for an Old Tool" and the co-author of a recent study exploring the climate responsibilities of industrial meat and dairy producers.  We discuss: The difference between guilt and shame Research about what works and doesn't when shaming our food choices The Netflix documentary Seaspiracy: who we shame and how The role of private corporations and challenging conventions of responsibility  Links:  Jennifer Jacquet (2015) - "Is Shame Necessary? Ne

From its more humble origins to its modern-day status as a dominant yet destructive wonderbean, the story of soy concerns us all.   Soy is much more than tofu or tempeh. It's a global commodity crop: the driving force of animal agriculture and a hidden fuel of growing importance for our cars.   In this episode, we deep dive with Dr. Christine M. Du Bois into the history of soy and the vital role it continues to play in our lives.   Christine M. Du Bois is a former co-manager of the Johns Hopkins Project on Soy. She is the author of The Story of Soy (2018) and Images of West Indian Immigrants in Mass Media: The Struggle for a Positive Ethnic Reputation (2004) and is the lead editor and coauthor of The World of Soy (2008). She has published poetry at BourgeonOnline.com. She lives in Pennsylvania.   We discuss: How we use the modern soybean: ubiquitous yet unseen The bean's Manchurian origins The rise of the 'Cinderella crop' Mass deforestation, billionaire Blairo Maggi and the ‘United

The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has become Europe’s problem child.   Vested interests behind one of the Union’s oldest policies threaten to derail Europe’s ambitious new climate, biodiversity and food strategies.   In this episode, we deep dive into the controversial CAP - over €350 billion of taxpayer money spent on European farming - and discuss if there is still any hope in reforming a policy that continues to baffle and disappoint many of Europe’s citizens, farmers, and scientists.   We are joined by conservation biologist Dr. Guy Pe’er from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany.   We discuss: What the CAP is, including a brief history What is happening in the negotiations and why the stakes are so high A detailed step-by-step scientific critique of the current proposal Debunking common claims made by politicians that the CAP is more ambitious, provides stability and ensures food sec

What is the future of protein, and of animal agriculture? Can we raise animals sustainably or should we move beyond meat? To feed a growing world population, we need protein. For many, protein means meat. As our reliance on animal products grows, so does its destructive impact on the natural world. Mass deforestation, biodiversity loss, and significant greenhouse gas emissions of livestock put our dietary habits into the spotlight. In this panel discussion, I am joined by Nathalie Rolland (Cellulaire Agriculture France & ProVeg), Andrew deCoriolis (Farm Forward) and Patrick Holden (Sustainable Food Trust). We discuss: The current COVID-19 context and its impacts on food systems How sustainable are plant-based alternatives to meat? What is “Better meat” and where can we find it? Cellular agriculture: meat without slaughter? What could the future of food look like in 2050? This episode is a recording of the live webinar “Protein in the 21st Century”, organised by The SASI Co., a global sustainability agen

Everything begins with a seed. Seeds are both a story of loss and a story of hope in our food system. On the one hand, we are rapidly losing seed diversity, and with it, perhaps the single best weapon agriculture has to withstand an increasingly volatile climate. When we lose biodiversity, we lose our ability to be resilient. What (or who) is causing this loss?  On the other, seeds are central to resistance and hope. From seed saving, sharing and storing to embracing indigenous farming practices and knowledge, seeds are central to food justice and resilience of our food system to a changing climate.   "Every seed is both a simple pocketful of genes, and a multi-multi-dimensional and complex “packetful” of stories’. - Mark Schapiro We talk about:  What losing seed diversity means, and who is driving it How climate change has put industrial agriculture on trial Agricultural subsidies and climate equity Stories of resistance and seed saving: from Aleppo to Kansas  How hopes of genetic engineering are outpaced b

2019 was the year of climate strikes. Animal rights activists, emboldened by a new wave of mass civil disobedience, are determined to end industrial animal agriculture. Millions of ordinary people took to the streets in 2019. They put their bodies on the line, engaging in mass civil disobedience to demand climate action. In an era where food is produced in factory farms with an immeasurable scale of suffering and destruction, what role should animal rights activists play in the transition towards a just food system? In this episode, we talk with Jeff Sebo (New York University), Nico Stubler (Direct Action Everywhere) and Kerri Waters (Animal Rebellion) about the history, strategies and actions of animal rights activists.  We discuss: The origins of civil disobedience in the animal rights movement  The different types of action and activism Strategies and tactics: who to target and why The stakes today: animal liberation as domestic terrorism? 60 years in prison?  The dangers of rationalising inaction The new

To transcend infighting in the food movement, finding our common ground is as important as targeting our common enemy. The food movement is amazingly diverse. From personal health and animal rights to protecting worker’s rights and precious ecosystems, our why’s for wanting to radically transform our food system widely differ. So do our tactics and our strategies.  That diversity may just be the food movement's greatest strength, yet it also risks being its biggest weakness.  Infighting is as invasive as it is destructive. The ‘circling fire squad’ - where people with common enemies choose to shoot one another instead - is deeply counterproductive. To transcend infighting, finding our common ground is as important as targeting our common enemy.  Tom Newmark - co-founder of The Carbon Underground - sees an answer in Regenerative Agriculture - and a focus on soil as our common ground.  Tom and I discuss: What led him to regenerative agriculture and why its focus on outcomes rather than practices is transform

The continued expansion of industrial-scale chemical-intensive agriculture around the world relies on one central powerful myth: only industrial agriculture can feed the world.   Timothy A. Wise - author of Eating Tomorrow - joins us to discuss why, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, governments continue to invest in a model of farming that is devouring the natural resources on which future food production depends. By choosing the path of industrial agriculture today, we are, quite literally, “eating our collective tomorrows”. Tim and I discuss: Who actually “feeds the world” Who (or what) industrial agriculture feeds The failing Green Revolution in Africa: feeding corporations, not the hungry Alternative local agroecological solutions in Malawi and Mozambique nourishing people and planet How agroecology, not hybrid seeds, builds lasting resilience against floods and drought, the ‘evil twins of climate change’: Global trade and market failure: NAFTA devastating biodiversity and Mexican farmer liv

We are on the cusp of a post-antibiotic era. The golden age of miracle drugs may be coming to an end. To understand why, award-winning author Maryn McKenna joins us on the show to discuss the long intertwined history of antibiotics and industrial animal agriculture.  We discuss: What antibiotic resistance is and why it’s ‘the greatest slow-brewing health crisis of our time’ Why bacteria are winning and why Big Pharma are dragging their feet The birth of antibiotics and how it enabled industrial livestock production Why chicken lies at the centre of the story of antibiotics and industrial meat A bizarre footnote in the story of antibiotics called “Acronizing”  The fight to ban the use of growth promoting antibiotics The legislative battles ahead in fighting preventive use of antibiotics Beyond the doom and gloom: different models of antibiotic-free animal agriculture from around the world Wider lessons for the food movement from the story of antibiotics   Maryn McKenna is an independent journalist who specia

Four grain trading giants - collectively known as the ABCDs - dominate international grain trade in our global food system. Knowing who they are and what they do is vital to understand the whys and hows of our modern food supply.  A key branch of ABCD power and influence are their financial subsidiaries. Financialisation in the food system today has widespread and alarming implications. Local food movements, farmers and consumers must take heed of these global forces, or risk being crowded out by private interests pursuing profit over people and planet. Dr. Jennifer Clapp joins us to discuss: Who the ABCDs are, where and how they operate, and why they dominate Recent ABCD mergers and acquisitions and the impact of Trump’s trade war with China The merging of food & finance: the financialisation of futures markets How financial speculation helped fuel the 2008 food price crisis Why financial investors moved en masse to acquire farmland ABCD involvement in the financialisation of the food system How to reg

The global fertiliser market is a $200 billion industry. But who does it serve? Produced in large-scale, centralised facilities in developed countries, conventional fertilisers are neither cheap nor reliably accessible for rural smallholder farmers in emerging markets in Africa and India. Safi Organics in Kenya has a vision to decentralise and downsize fertiliser production. Using recycled waste from local farms, carbon-negative organic biochar fertilisers empower farmers by making their farms more resilient with lower costs, higher yields and better soils.    We talk to co-founder Samuel Rigu about: His childhood memories of growing up on a farm in Kenya The conventional model of fertiliser production and use The crippling costs and logistical challenges of fertiliser use in Kenya Decentralising fertiliser use Carbon-negative, organic biochar fertiliser The role of fertiliser in facing the reality of climate change A vision of empowering smallholder farmers for lasting food security Links: Safi Organics W

When we stop treating dirt like dirt, when we accept it’s neither ‘dirt cheap’ nor ‘dirt poor’, we will come to realise it is the most precious resource we have. Treat dirt, or soil, the way you want to be treated. In this episode, David R. Montgomery joins us to talk about how soil has shaped the course of civilisations. From the Classical Greeks and the Romans to the Maya civilisation – the story of soil and its mistreatment has been central to explaining why civilisations collapse. The plow – the tool that defines farming - is the number one culprit. Some argue it has been more destructive than the sword. David is a Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington, he is a MacArthur Fellow, and author of King of Fish: The Thousand-year Run of Salmon; The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood; Dirt: The Erosions of Civilizations; The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health (which he co-authored with Anne Biklé); and Growing a Revolution: Bringing O

The end of Capitalism is nigh. Or we should certainly hope so. Raj Patel makes a convincing case for the urgent need to think beyond capitalism if we are to move towards a zero-carbon economy. “Let us recognise that the system itself is dooming us and that we need to think outside it rather than within it” – Raj Patel. If this sounds revolutionary, that’s precisely the point. Raj and I discuss: Why we shouldn’t call this era the “Anthropocene” What Capitalism actually is The frontiers of Capitalism and the search for the next best “cheap thing” The Chicken McNugget: the symbol of modern capitalism The Market Approach: Carbon pricing, Natural Capital, and voting with your fork Thinking beyond Capitalism: a Theory of Change to get us to a zero-carbon economy Links: Raj Patel’s Website and Twitter Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System– Raj Patel The Value of Nothing– Raj Patel A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature and the Future of the Planet–

Monsanto has been found guilty in the world’s first-ever court case over claims its Roundup herbicide causes cancer. It faces thousands of similar lawsuits. Is this Monsanto’s (Bayer AG) tobacco moment? Veteran investigative journalist Carey Gillam walks us through, step-by-step, the Monsanto trial that shocked the world. We cover: Who Dewayne “Lee” Johnson is and why he sued Monsanto What happened during the trial: the jury selection, the plaintiff and defendant’s arguments, the jury’s verdict What’s next: the implications, the appeals, and other trials   Links: US Right To Know website Carey Gillam on Twitter Carey Gillam – ‘One man’s suffering exposed Monsanto’s secrets to the world’– The Guardian ‘A shock court verdict against Monsanto’s Roundup’ The Economist You may also like: FFS 026 – We Need To Talk About Monsanto FFS 013 – How Plants Domesticated Humans FFS 009 – Stop Generalising GMOs

Are you a Wizard or a Prophet? Two largely forgotten 20th century thinkers – Norman Borlaug and William Vogt – continue to shape our competing visions of the future of our planet.   In this episode, we talk to Charles C. Mann, award-winning author of The Wizard and the Prophet, about these remarkable scientists and their lasting influence.   Borlaug – the Wizard – is a Nobel-winning scientist who kickstarted the agricultural ‘Green Revolution’, while Vogt – the Prophet – laid the foundations for the modern environmental movement.   The path we choose to solve our environmental dilemmas hinges on how we understand and frame the problems we face. Is innovation and technology the solution that will push us beyond our predicaments to overcome earth’s natural boundaries, or is the answer to scale back and respect the ecological limits of our planet?   Charles and I discuss: Who the Prophets and Wizards are, what they believe in and what they’ve achieved, and how they envision the future Wh

What role can livestock play in a sustainable food system? In Meat: A Benign Extravagance, Simon Fairlie lays out a convincing case as to why eating meat and dairy is part of a holistic and sensible agricultural system.   In this episode, we discuss: Why widely quoted figures on livestock’s impact on the environment are misleading: from feed conversion ratios to water use to greenhouse gas emissions. How a ‘default livestock diet’ makes ecological sense The uncertainties and potential shortcomings of veganic farming An (uncomfortable) reality: truly sustainable agriculture calls for the ruralising of society   Links: Simon Fairlie's book Meat – A Benign Extravagance Simon Fairlie’s recent articles on Resilience.org ‘If you want to save the world, veganism isn’t the answer’ The Guardian   You might also like: FFS 032 – The Last Acceptable Prejudice FFS 029 – Carbon Neutral Restaurants FFS 021 – My Beef With Veganism

The urban-rural divide is more pronounced than ever. The 'last acceptable prejudice' - that against rural people and places - is not only real, it is destructive. As in our politics, the debates around food and sustainability are increasingly polarised. Conventional agriculture is pitted against organic agriculture, vegans face-off against carnivores, urban city-dwellers clash with countrymen and women. How do we bridge these divides? In this episode, we talk to Ash Bruxvoort about their story growing up as the daughter of a conventional farmer and a sustainable agriculture advocate. Ash Bruxvoort is a writer and program coordinator at Women, Food and Agriculture Network. They grew up on a family farm outside of Des Moines, Iowa, where their father produces corn and soybeans. Their writing and work focuses on empowering women and gender non-conforming people to tell their stories about the urban-rural divide.  We discuss: How the urban-rural divide shapes how we see politics and debates around sustainable

In this episode, we talk to Patrick Holden about the hopes and fears of British farming after Brexit. Patrick is a pioneer of the modern sustainable food movement. He is the Founding Director and current Chief Executive of the Sustainable Food Trust, an organization dedicated to accelerating the transition to more sustainable food and farming systems. Previously, he has been the founding chairman of British Organic Farmers in 1982, and the former Director of the Soil Association, where he played a key role in the development of organic standards and the market for organic foods for nearly 20 years. Patrick is also a farmer, and runs the longest established organic dairy farm in Wales, and wrote the world’s first draft of the organic dairy standards in the 80s. In this episode, Patrick and I discuss: The mood in British agriculture towards Brexit The UK government’s Brexit plan for agriculture Brexit: an opportunity for a decisive shift towards sustainable agriculture? Brexit’s impact on subsidies, trade

Shifting mindsets at the grassroots level lies at the heart of The Art of Living’s approach to sustainable agriculture. An epidemic of farmer suicides has claimed over 300,000 lives in India since 1995. By investing in social capital, The Art of Living focuses on bringing back self-esteem and self-confidence in rural communities. Farmers practice yoga, breathing exercises and meditation for stress-relief and personal development - investing in themselves to become productive and proactive advocates for change. Livelihoods are transformed by taking charge and ownership of the challenges faced. This episode was recorded live at The Art of Living International Center in Bengaluru, India during the visit of students from HEC Paris. Himanshu Kelra, Director of Institutional Relations of the Center, explains The Art of Living’s approach to building social capital. The talk covers: A brief history of international development aid models in India Boreholes crops, depleted aquifers and the tragedy of the commons T