Farmerama

What do we do about meat? With this urgent question as its starting point, this series seeks to move beyond polarised debate and identify key questions and shared values to help us build a better meat future for all. In episode 2, co-hosts Katie Revell and Olivia Oldham meet a climate scientist, along with regenerative and organic farmers across the UK, to discuss the complex ways that animal agriculture interacts with our natural environment. From how we measure emissions of greenhouse gases, to what we feed our animals, and which management systems we use, they ask – what is the place of farmers when it comes to less and better meat? Thank you to everyone on our Patreon. Your support helps us in bringing you the stories of regenerative farming around the world, each month. We appreciate it. If you'd like to join, please visit patreon.com/farmerama where you can choose your level of support.

It feels like one of the biggest questions of our time: what do we do about meat? Rather than choosing either extreme – business as usual, or ruling out meat altogether – some people suggest the best approach is one of ‘less and better meat’. But how much less is ‘less’? And which meat is ‘better’? How do we even begin to answer these questions? In this series, co-hosts Katie Revell and Olivia Oldham attempt to unearth what lies beneath questions of technological change and consumer choice. On an expansive, and sometimes personal, journey, they learn that – as much as the debate about meat is sometimes painted as a binary choice between right and wrong – things might not be quite so simple. They ask who – and what – benefits from different systems of production? What priorities and values do seemingly simple solutions obscure? And, perhaps most importantly, can we find some common ground, some shared principles and values, on which to build a better meat future for all? Thank you to everyone on our Patreon

This month we bring you a conversation Abby convened at Groundswell Festival back in June, focused on Landscape Scale Regeneration. We hear from three people involved in different ways in an initiative in Waterford, Ireland. This discussion expands upon the Commonland initiative in Southern Spain we featured back in Episode 68, highlighting the power of a common vision and the benefits of working across a whole region.

Is it possible or productive to organise around a common language in order to reimagine how we produce grain and bread? In the third and final part of Good Bread, Kim and Ruth reflect on some of their experiences working on the project and consider what the future of good bread might look like. This series is in response to the Body Lab, a participatory arts and research project by baker Kimberly Bell (​​@smallfoodbakery) and artist Ruth Levene (@leveneruth) which explores the industrial processes of grain testing. Over three episodes, Lucy Dearlove explores what the body lab is, what the work around it has entailed so far, and what the outcomes might be. The Body Lab is funded by Farming the Future. This series was produced by Lucy Dearlove and is published on Farmerama and Lecker.

Consistency is at the heart of industrial bread production, from the field to the mill to the oven. But what is it costing us? This series is in response to the Body Lab, a participatory arts and research project by baker Kimberly Bell (​​@smallfoodbakery) and artist Ruth Levene (@leveneruth) which explores the industrial processes of grain testing. Over three episodes, Lucy Dearlove explores what the body lab is, what the work around it has entailed so far, and what the outcomes might be. The Body Lab is funded by Farming the Future. Thanks to Shipton Mill for their openness and generosity in allowing the Body Lab to explore these ideas. This series was produced by Lucy Dearlove and is published on Farmerama and Lecker.

This series is in response to the Body Lab, a participatory arts and research project by baker Kimberly Bell (​​@smallfoodbakery) and artist Ruth Levene (@leveneruth) which explores the industrial processes of grain testing. Over three episodes, Lucy Dearlove explores what the body lab is, what the work around it has entailed so far, and what the outcomes might be. In part 1, she explores the question - what is good bread? She speaks to Kim and Ruth about what makes good bread for them, and unpacks what the Body Lab is about, and why they started the project. We hear from farmer Fred Price and baker Rosie Benson from Gothelney Farm (@gothelneyfarmer) and Field Bakery (@fieldbakery) about their understanding of good grain, and speak with Chris Hollister from Shipton Mill (@shiptonmill), about the different tests that take place when wheat arrives at an industrial grain mill, and some of the justifications for this process. With each of them, Lucy discusses why reimagining this testing system could be pos

This month we learn how some people importing Brazil nuts to the UK is supporting the indigenous people of the amazon. We visit a restaurant who are making use of spare growing space in their community and learn about agro-ecological approaches to managing vineyards across Australia.

This month we begin in Ibiza where we learn about a project matching new and diversifying farmers with abandoned farmland to grow more organic produce on the island. We hear from a food growing project in London that teaches to produce food and care for the land and has a foundation in traditional African philosophy. And we dive deep into the world of, potatoes, looking at them in a fascinating new light.

In this months episode we head to Scotland to hear about a Beltane celebration for young people in rural areas. We speak to the organiser of the London-based Black Farmers Market, and we check in with another farmer benefiting from the Pasture for Life mentoring program. This episode of Farmerama was made by Abby Rose Jo Barratt Katie Revell and Dora Taylor. A big thanks to the rest of the Farmerama team Olivia Oldham, Fran Bailey, Annie Landless and Eliza Jenkins . Our theme music is by Owen Barratt.

This month we meet two people who are building a community group to celebrate an earth-based connection between their religion and the land. We learn about the success of a mentoring programme for farmers. And we end with a request from a Botanist.   We're very grateful to those of you that support us and allow us to bring you these stories every month. Even the smallest contribution makes a big difference to us. So if you'd like to become a supporter, you can visit patreon.com/farmerama.

This is a short episode about the Jumping Fences report. Jumping Fences is about understanding the barriers that prevent Black people and people of colour from accessing land for agroecological farming in Britain – and addressing those barriers. The report is a collaboration between the Landworkers’ Alliance, Land in Our Names and the Ecological Land Cooperative. It builds on a previous project, Rootz into Food Growing, which was focused on London. Jumping Fences was launched in the Justice Hub at the 2023 Oxford Real Farming Conference. Following the launch, Katie spoke to Jumping Fences’ lead researcher, Naomi Terry, as well as two of the people interviewed for the report – pig farmer Flavian Obiero, and cut flower farmer Cel Robertson. Links: Read the report here: https://landinournames.community/projects/jumping-fences Listen back to the launch event and discussion here: https://orfc.org.uk/session/jumping-fences-report-land-justice-food-justice-and-racial-justice-in-british-farming/ Tags: Naomi Terry

This month we start by hearing about the possibilities of supply networks fuelled by sailing ships. We are encouraged to think again about water in the landscapes we are part of, and we hear how one woman in Mexico is working on connecting people in the financial world and those who work with the land with the aim of re-orienting our economy so it serves life. We're very grateful to those of you that support us and allow us to bring you these stories every month. Even the smallest contribution makes a big difference to us. So if you'd like to become a supporter, please visit. https://www.patreon.com/farmerama This episode of Farmerama was made by me, Jo Barratt, Abby Rose, and Dora Taylor. A big thanks to the rest of the Farmerama team Katie Revell, Olivia Oldham, Fran Bailey, Annie Landless, Eliza Jenkins and Lucy Fisher. Our theme music is by Owen Barratt

This month Severine von Tscharner Fleming tells us all about the work she's been doing as part of the Seaweed Commons, an international learning and advocacy network for conservation minded seaweed farmers, wild harvesters, marine biologists and researchers. We also have the third and final installment of our series on animal feed made in collaboration with Wicked Leeks. This episode, Wicked Leeks editor Nina Pullman speaks with Amy Chapple - daughter of Mark Chapple who you’ll remember from last week’s episode - about her soy-free pigs. Wicked Leeks are exploring this topic in a documentary entitled ‘What’s the Problem with Animal Feed?’ which meets some of the farmers trying to reverse agriculture’s soy addiction. If you are interested in more stories on sustainable food and ethical business, you can sign up online to receive the weekly edition of the Wicked Leeks magazine. Finally, we hear from Sérgio Nicolau in Portugal about his transition from conventional to organic, and then regenerative winemaking.

This special episode features a conversation recorded with Vandana Shiva at the 2023 Oxford Real Farming Conference. Following the publication of her memoir, Terra Viva: My Life in a Biodiversity of Movements – which coincided with her 70th birthday – the writer and activist was at ORFC to reflect on her life and to take part in a discussion on the future of GM in the UK. We asked her about her four decades of work as an advocate for farmers’ rights, indigenous knowledge, food and seed sovereignty, diversity, and localisation, her thoughts on gene editing, and her sources of motivation. Terra Viva: My Life in a Biodiversity of Movements is published by Chelsea Green. Find out more at: https://chelseagreen.co.uk/book/terra-viva/ Watch Jyoti Fernandes in conversation with Vandana Shiva at ORFC – “In the Name of the Farmer: Vandana Shiva recalls a lifetime of campaigning for small-scale farmers” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTZxmXdxAjI Watch the ORFC discussion “GM’s False Promises: could the UK b

This month, we continue to share some of the conversations we had at the Oxford Real Farming Conference at the beginning of the year. First, we meet Satish Kumar, founder of Schumacher College and editor of Resurgence and Ecologist Magazine. Satish shared his meditation practice with the conference, and talked to us about his connection to food and nature. Next, we hear from Pete Ritchie and Anna Chworow from Nourish Scotland, to talk about the work they have done supporting the Scottish Agricultural bill. We also have the second interview in a series we’ve made with Wicked Leeks, about animal feed. In this episode, Wicked Leeks editor Nina Pullman speaks with Mark Chapple, and meets some of the soya free and pasture reared chickens on his farm. Wicked Leeks have made a documentary on this topic, called ‘What’s the Problem with Animal Feed?’ which meets some of the farmers trying to reverse agriculture’s soy addiction. If you are interested in more stories on sustainable food and ethical business, you can si

In this special episode, we hear about the project “Agroecology: Enabling the Transition”, which brings together farmers, crofters and growers across Scotland to exchange knowledge and experience. Through farm visits, conversations and shared meals, the project aims to create supportive spaces where participants feel comfortable to ask questions, voice opinions, and learn new things. Funded by the Knowledge Transfer Innovation Fund, the goal is to help embed and support the transition to agroecological practices in Scotland. Katie Revell met with three members of the South-West Scotland group – farmers John Veitch and Heather Close, and facilitator Abi Mordin – to hear about their experiences with the project. “Agroecology: Enabling the Transition” is a partnership between Landworkers’ Alliance, Pasture for Life, Soil Association Scotland, the Nature Friendly Farming Network, Propagate and Nourish Scotland. This episode of Farmerama was made by Katie Revell. Thanks as always to the rest of the Farmerama te

This month, we are at ORFC celebrating the first in-person conference for three years! We learn about beneficial beetles, alternative forms of land ownership, and some of the potential problems with the overproduction of soya. Thank you to everyone who signed up to our Patreon. We appreciate every one of you - your support helps us to keep bringing you the stories of regenerative farming around the world, each month. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/farmerama Links: Dr Kelly Jowett: https://beetlekell.wordpress.com/ OSL: https://www.opensystemslab.io/projects Wicked Leeks: https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/ Innovative Farmers: https://www.innovativefarmers.org/

Welcome to Farming Fashion, our three part series co-produced by Southeast and SOuth West England Fibresheds and Farmerama Radio. In this third and final episode we talk to three designers from independent design studios who work with native natural fibres and dyes and who are pioneering a shift toward a new paradigm for fashion. While none of them would claim to be fully ‘regenerative’ they are transparent and open about their approaches to becoming more so, and take a deep, thoughtful approach to making small, truthful steps in the right direction. The first voice we hear is Tilly Kaye from Zero to Product, a design studio offering design and development services to the fashion industry. Next we hear from Pheobe English, another designer who through her connection with the Southeast England Fibreshed and Plaw Hatch Farm, is also now on a journey to rethinking how her brand designs and produces fashion. Finally we hear from Deborah Barker, who besides being a co-producer in this series conducting t

Welcome to Farming Fashion, our three part series co-produced by Southeast and SOuth West England Fibresheds and Farmerama Radio. In this second episode of the Farming Fashion series we will hear from three farmers or growers who have diversified their businesses explore fibre processing, responding to one of our biggest farming fashion challenges in the UK today - the lack of small to mid scale fibre processing infrastructure. The first voice we hear from is David from Rampisham Mill, the UK’s newest fibre spinning mill which opened in Dorset earlier this year, specializing in semi-worsted spinning of sheep wool in small to medium scale volumes. We also hear from Rosie Bristow, a costume designer who through her recent Masters research to grow, harvest a hectare of flax, is now exploring models and building prototypes for machinery that can process it. And finally we hear from Mallon Linen, an arable farm located in County Tyrone that is reinvigorating this heritage industry in Ireland, by not onl

Welcome to farming fashion, our three part series co-produced by Southeast and South West England Fibresheds and Farmerama Radio. In this first episode we speak to farmers who grow and produce yarns from their own flocks and explore what regenerative fibre farming, and adding value to that fibre, really looks like on the ground. The first voices we hear from are Leila and her mother Ellen from Tamarisk Farm, a Soil Association certified mixed farm on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. Then we hear from Katie Allen of Loopy Ewes, a designer and shepherdess who designs and makes her own knitwear collection using the fleece from her flock of native breed sheep in Gloucestershire. The final voices we hear are Jen Hunter and Andy Wear from Fernhill Farm, Somerset - one of the country’s largest native breed sheep farms which is one of the country’s largest fibre farms and now certified regenerative by A Greener World.