This month we invite you to join us as we take a dip into some of the key sessions at the recent Global Oxford Real Farming Conference, where Farmerama were official media partners again this year. We hear from some of the speakers at the conference
We start with Nnimmo Bassey, Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, who set the scene for this year’s conference at the start of the opening session. One of the main themes at this year’s conference was how many of us relate to the earth as if we have dominion over it, not that we are part of it–and how that mindset translates into our food system.
We travel to Aotearoa New Zealand where we hear from two women lawyers how a river and a forest have been given legal personhood. Catherine Iorns Magallanes, Professor of Law at Victoria University of Wellington, explained how the ‘crown’ or settler state, and particular indigenous Māori tribes, have found a way to hopefully move forward together after many years of conflict and oppression by the crown. Erin Matariki Carr, co-lead of River, an indigenous collective, and a young lawyer and activist, explained what that means in practice.
Then, Christian Jaccarini, a senior consultant at the New Economics Foundation shares with us the results of some research they carried out with Growing Communities, a London based CSA, to understand the community benefits of localised routes to market and local organic food.
Next, we head to Cape Town to learn about food justice at Ocean View Organics, a Cape Town farming cooperative, where we hear from Cooperative Manager, Stefanie Swanepeol, and cooperative member Sophia Grodes.
Finally, we hear from Rowen White, an Indigenous seedkeeper and leader with the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance in Turtle Island (the United States) about cultivating ancestral brilliance and cultivating regenerative economies.
Along the way, we hear a poem by Naima Penniman, a multi-dimensional artist and program director at Soul Fire Farm, from her session “These Gardens are Blueprints: Sowing the Seeds of Food Justice” and folk singer, folk singer, conservationist, and song collector Sam Lee, singing Speed the Plough. A big thank you also to Dee Woods and Kimberly Bell who share their thoughts and reflections from the conference.
This episode of Farmerama was made by Abby Rose, with Jo Barratt and Olivia Oldham. Thanks to the ORFC Global team for bringing together all of these talks.
Our Patreon supporters help make Farmerama possible. We’re very grateful to all of you who support us and allow us to bring you these stories every month. Even the smallest contribution makes a big difference to us. If you’d like to become a supporter, visit patreon.com/Farmerama
With ongoing thanks to the rest of the farmerama team Katie Revell, Olivia Oldham, Fran Bailey, Annie Landless, Eliza Jenkins and Hanna Soderlund. Our theme music is by Owen Barratt.