I’ve been thinking a lot about food lately – in part because of the atrocious way the Trump administration is messing with the SNAP program, but also because agriculture is about a third of the climate problem. You read that right: About a third of the greenhouse gases that humans release into the atmosphere are from farming and land use.
So, what are we gonna do about it?
One key solution is shifting to regenerative agriculture, aka growing food in ways that are actually good for soils and ecosystems and water and air.
Our guest this episode is Dave Herring, executive director of Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment. It’s is a farm-based education, research, and visitor center set amidst more than 600 acres of conserved open space on the coast of Maine’s Casco Bay.
Dave and I talked about helping farmers make the transition to regenerative practices, getting involved in environmental policy, running a farm camp so kids understand how their food is grown, and working to make our food system a part of our climate solutions.
It’s complicated, it’s dirty (soil-y?), but we’re gonna do it anyway. Duh.
CALL TO ACTION
My call to action for you this week is really think about (and get more curious about) where your food is coming from. And eat more local, more seasonal, more plant-based.
As Dave puts it:
There are things that everybody can do — as simple as trying to purchase a local farm product or more complex like trying to elect people in your local community who care about farming, who care about food, who care about the planet.
In this age of the federal government changing and retreating from a lot of the spaces where they’ve existed, I think there’s an opportunity for people to get involved locally in ways that maybe they didn’t find time for before.... This whole old adage of thinking globally but acting locally, this is such an important moment for that.
And if you’re in a position to help others access nutritious food, please do. Our neighbors and food pantries and soup kitchens need our support. Find resources near you 💛:
And if you’re inspired by what you heard in this episode, and furious that the Trump administration cancelled Wolfe’s Neck Center’s grant to do exceedingly important work, support them! 👩🏽🌾
Notes:
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This podcast is ad-free thanks to the support of Future Being, a grant making and special project studio, which supports the healing of our planet and the safeguarding of biological and cultural diversity.
This episode was produced and edited by Remoy Philip and me, Ayana, with help from associate producer Jenisha Shrestha.
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