The Sustainable Food Trust Podcast

• Max Jones on the importance of preserving traditional food practices and knowing the story behind our food

  For this episode of the SFT podcast, Max Jones – transhumance guide and traditional foods archivist – visits our CEO, Patrick Holden, on Patrick’s farm in Wales.  Alongside his work as a transhumance guide – the practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in accordance with the seasons – Max Jones is also a writer, photographer, educator and founder of Up There The Last, a project which aims to reconnect people with their food and educate them about the traditional food practices of the past, which still exist in some parts of the world today. From rare cheese production in the heights of the Alps, to traditional wild salmon smoking in the republic of Ireland, Max Jones’ journey to seek out and learn more about traditional food practices has taken him all over the world and led him to meet the people working hard to preserve these essential practices that are at risk of being left behind and forgotten. In this episode, Max and Patrick talk about the threat to traditional foods including modern technology and health and safety regulations, as well as the presence of an off-the-record 'food counterculture' that exists to protect ancient practices. To find out more about Max, follow him on Instagram, and visit the Up There The Last website and Substack page. You can also read the article that Max wrote for the SFT about the importance of preserving traditional food practices, here: https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/news-views/preserving-the-practices-of-traditional-foods/. To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up to date with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook and Bluesky. This conversation was recorded in August 2024.

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• Nic Renison on her approach to regenerative grazing

  To coincide with the release of our new report, Grazing Livestock: It's not the cow but the how, the latest guest on the SFT Podcast this month is Nic Renison. Nic is a regenerative farmer based in Cumbria where she farms alongside her husband, Paul (Reno), at Cannerheugh Farm. The daughter of dairy farmers, Nic grew up within the conventional, high production agricultural environment, growing food with little thought of the environment. This all changed in 2012 when Nic and Reno had a 'light bulb' moment after visiting an organic farm in Northumberland, which inspired them to start employing more regenerative farming methods. In 2018, alongside Liz Genever, Nic co-founded Carbon Calling – a conference created for farmers, by farmers, to share ideas and exchange knowledge on all things farming and regenerative agriculture. During the episode Nic and Patrick discuss Nic's early farming influences, her and her husband's journey from conventional to regenerative farming methods and the origins of the Carbon Calling conference, and how it supports the wider farming community. To find out more about Nic and Cannerheugh Farm, follow their journey on Instagram and visit their website here. To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up to date with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

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• Richard Higgins on the influence of Sir Albert Howard and why we should be using human manure as fertiliser

  Richard Higgins, chairman and CEO of Good Gardeners International, is our guest on the latest episode of the SFT Podcast. Alongside being CEO of Good Gardeners International (GGI), Richard is also a philosopher, fungi specialist, holistic scientist, and Director of Sustainable Agriculture London. He grew up on a mixed farm in Somerset and studied his National Diploma in Agriculture (NDA) at the Royal Berkshire College of Agriculture on Farm and Grassland Management. He later completed a 10-year postgraduate study of the soil fertility works of Sir Albert Howard while travelling and teaching from China to Hawaii. In this episode, Richard talks to Patrick about Sir Albert Howard’s influence on his own career, how agriculture intersects with the work of Good Gardeners International – including the charity’s demonstration farm, its innovative composting system and the value of human manure as fertiliser. Visit Good Gardners International here to find out more about their work and follow them on their social media channels @GoodGardenersINTL. To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up to date with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

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• Jamie Feilden on the transformational power of farm visits for young people and the value of an educated public

  Joining our CEO, Patrick Holden, for this episode of the podcast is Jamie Feilden, founder of Jamie’s Farm. Jamie Feilden founded Jamie’s Farm in 2009, a charity which seeks to transform the lives of vulnerable children through farming, food and therapy. 15 years later, Jamie’s Farm works with over 2,300 children a year across seven farms, and aims to offer as many children as possible an opportunity to improve their wellbeing, boost engagement and develop key life-skills, whilst spending time on a farm.  In this episode, Jamie shares with Patrick how his experiences as a history teacher in Croydon led to the inception of Jamie’s Farm, as well as discussing his recent involvement in the SFT’s Beacon Farms Network, and why an educated public is key to achieving positive change across our food and farming systems. Visit Jamie’s Farm here to find out more about their work and follow them on their social media channels at @JamiesFarm. To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up to date with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

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• Dani Nierenberg on US agricultural policy shifts and the future of sustainable farming

  Kicking off series five of the Sustainable Food Trust podcast, Patrick Holden, SFT CEO and organic dairy farmer, catches up with Dani Nierenberg, President of Food Tank. Dani Nierenberg is a world-renowned researcher, speaker, and advocate, on all issues relating to our food system and agriculture. In 2013, Dani co-founded Food Tank with Bernard Pollack, a nonprofit organisation focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Food Tank is a global convener, thought leadership organisation, and unbiased creator of original research impacting the food system. Dani has an M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and spent two years volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. In this first episode of the new series, Dani and Patrick discuss the impact of an extractive approach to agriculture upon our planet and our health. They consider how we can switch to a more regenerative approach – one that restores the soil, conserves water, and reduces the need for agrichemicals. Dani shares her insights on the recent shake-up in US politics and what the new administration could mean for food and farming, as well as exploring challenges relating to certification, labelling and consumer engagement. The conversation also examines the true cost of industrial food production, which typically isn’t reflected in the retail price, and unpicks some of the sustainable agriculture challenges currently being faced in California and beyond. Commenting on what gives her hope for the future, Dani gives plenty of reasons to be optimistic, including opportunities for young people in agriculture and the huge potential for collaboration within the food and farming sector. Visit Food Tank here to learn more about their work. And you can find Dani on LinkedIn and X. To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.   Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro 0:43 – Welcome Dani! 1:28 – Food Tank’s impressive global reach 3:06 – Dani’s path to agriculture & sustainability 4:40 – The Peace Corps’ influence on Dani’s work 6:45 – The California wildfires 10:35 – Extractive agriculture in America  11:55 – What does the transition to more sustainable food & farming systems look like? 13:54 – How will the new US administration impact food and farming? 19:03 – How can we reach a wider audience? 21:22 – What did the Democrats achieve on food & farming in the last four years? 23:50 – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Joel Salatin 25:59 – Barriers for young farmers in the US 26:46 – Groundswell film 27:31 – The challenges with certification in organic farming 30:56 – The agrochemical industry’s attempts to silence critics 32:53 – The importance of uncomfortable conversations and unusual collaborations 33:34 – True Cost Accounting  39:53 – Taking 'Feeding Britain' international 41:16 – Goodbye and thank you! 42:11 – Outro

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