Eat the System

There is a circle in the food system that we are desperate to square. How do we ensure that farmers get paid a fair price while at the same time ensuring that food is more affordable.One example of this conundrum is our attempts to set up food buying clubs and Co-Ops that are cheaper than supermarkets, yet we are fully aware of the price pressures that supermakers are applying. to producers. And don't get me started on trying to compete with the economies of scale enjoyed by the likes of Asda and Tesco.Well the short answer to how we can square this circle is that we can't.And the long answer? Well hopefully I'm addressing it occasionally in this podcast - think back to the episode on OXFarm to fork.and in this episode I speak to some-one else who is helping to knock the edges off this conundrum. Karen Tozer has set up meat buying club that is sustainible, replicable and follows a community development model, something that is often overlooked in this space

Once again in this episode, we will be crossing the pond. Andrea Freeman is an American academic and author. Her book "Ruin their Crops on the Ground" relates the history, and current state, of the US food system; especially how it affects marginalised communities. It is a story that is, at best rife with ignorance, and at worst, fraught with deliberate harm.You can purchase Andrea's book from herehttps://www.rarewaves.com/products/9781250871039-ruin-their-crops-on-the-groundor from their Ebay Store.

This months episode is a sort of epilogue to last month's. After the metaphorical tape stopped rolling the conversation, between me an Janie continued - much of it on a topic dear to both our hearts, the role food in the school school system - from school dinners to the school curriculum.Because this wasn't intended for the podcast you'll hear a lot more from me than usual, along with some insights into how the podcast is made.Find out more about Incredible Edible Lambeth, and watch the film that Janie mentions, here https://www.incredibleediblelambeth.org/

If I was to try and describe the perfect food procurement supply chain it would go something like this:short, transparent, fair and sustainable.well in this month's episode Janie Bickersteth from Oxfarm to Fork tell us about an initative that hits all these points and some.

A month or so ago a US publisher emailed to ask if I'd like to interview Elspeth Hay, about her recently published book about harvesting nuts., called 'Feed us with Trees' Obviously I agreed, I love talking to anyone about food . But what I didn't expect was how profoundly reading the book would both change and clarify my outlook. From how traditional hunter-gathering societies managed the land, to how trees could and should play a major role in modern agriculture, prepare to discover a missing piece of the modern food system.You can download a copy of the book from herehttps://newsociety.com/book/feed-us-with-trees/?aff=65For the full episode, go to:https://youtu.be/z6kIB9Vrl5I

In this episode we're heading out of town And by 'out of town, I don't mean the countryside I mean suburban Auckland, on New Zealands North Island. This is a bit of a family affair, as the tour guide is my sister, and you hear the odd interjection from my Dad.You'll also need a brief orentation session, so here we go. I was there at Christmas, which is coming into summer, and when talk about the climate up north, that's closer to the equator, with hotter summer and milder winters. So join me on on a tour of the The Lucida Place Community Orchard.The crops might be different - I mean olives and avacadoes for goodness sake - but a lot of the issues around running a community orchard are pretty much identical.This was recorded on the fly, so expect lots of wildlife, wind, and the odd plane.