(1/2) Grazed and Confused? Launch webinar: Presentation Dr Tara Garnett TABLE 2017-10-03 | In this webinar (part 1), lead author and FCRN Director, Dr Tara Garnett, presents the key findings of the FCRN's new report. 'Grazed and Confused? Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question – and what it all means for greenhouse gas emissions.'To download the report, report summary, and related blogs, articles, and resources, see the project page: http://www.fcrn.org.uk/projects/grazed-and-confusedGarnett T, Godde C, Muller A, Röös E, Smith P, de Boer IJM, Ermgassen E, Herrero M, van Middelaar C, Schader C and van Zanten H (2017). Grazed and confused? Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question. Food Climate Research Network, University of Oxford http://www.fcrn.org.uk
Event: Nitrogen, climate change and food: showing the connections TABLE 2023-10-20 | This online panel discussion took place on Monday, October 16th and is part of a three-part series called "Setting the TABLE for COP28". Find recordings and information about upcoming events in the series here: tabledebates.org/blog/setting-table-cop28-upcoming-eventsNitrogen is essential to life - it is a building block of amino acids and therefore proteins, and it’s essential for soils and for growing food. Nitrogen, whether delivered in the form of mineral fertiliser, manure, compost or via the incorporation of nitrogen fixing legumes in crop rotations, is an essential input into agricultural production. At the same time, nitrogen is a potent greenhouse gas, responsible for around 6% of global warming. When it comes to the food system, its contribution is more significant still, at around 16% of overall food related global warming (Tubiello F N et al 2021 Environ. Res. Lett. 16 065007). Its negative effects don’t end there however: surplus nitrogen pollutes soils, water and air, damaging fragile aquatic and land based ecosystems and causing multiple harm to human health.Moreover, nitrogen’s impacts can be felt on different scales, making it an issue for local policy makers as well as for the global community. While nitrous oxide, as a greenhouse gas, is a problem affecting the whole world, other concerns are more context-specific. Some countries and farm systems suffer from the problems of excess nitrogen, including eutrophication and ammonia emissions, while others suffer from its insufficiency, the result being poor yields and hunger. So how can we get the balance right? How can we manage nitrogen at both the global and the local level in ways that minimise its harms while meeting our need for safe, nutritious food? Join TABLE for a panel discussion in which we:Highlight nitrogen’s role in the food system and its links to climate change Show how and why the food system is a major source of N2O emissions, highlighting particular foods whose production is responsible for particularly heavy impactsHighlight nitrogen’s other environmental impacts (e.g. eutrophication, ammonia)Discuss the pros and cons of the main forms in which nitrogen is delivered to soils - mineral fertiliser, manure, composts and legumesConsider the very different nitrogen requirements and concerns in the context of different countries - e.g. Sub Saharan Africa and the Netherlands. Consider the challenges and the solutions in the context of climate mitigation and our wider SDG goals. What are the options for reducing nitrogen emissions, both in terms of technical solutions and in the context of our overall goals for food system transformation? Do we need to apply, more, less or differently and where? How does dietary change fit in? And why do people disagree about how (and through what forms) we should meet our nitrogen needs while addressing our environmental problems? Speakers:Dr Wim de Vries, Professor at the Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University & ResearchRasmus Einarsson, Postdoctoral Researcher in sustainable food systems, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)Pauline Chivenge, Senior Scientist in Cropping Systems Agronomy/Climate Change, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Chair: Dr Tara Garnett, Director of TABLEFor more about TABLE and what we do, visit https://tabledebates.org.
Feed Podcast S2E16: What did we learn about power? TABLE 2023-04-17 | For our last episode of the second season of Feed, we speak with TABLE director Tara Garnett of the University of Oxford, and TABLE strategic director Sigrid Wertheim-Heck of Wageningen University to reflect on our past 15 episodes. We talk about what surprised us, what we learned, and what we missed across the season. Our wide ranging conversation covered the power of language, the power of imagination, the power of narratives, non-human power and more.Tara Garnett has worked on food for over 25 years within both the NGO and academic sectors. Since 2012 she has been a researcher at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, a fellow of the Oxford Martin School and part of the Wellcome Trust-funded LEAP project. In 2005 she founded the Food Climate Research Network (FCRN), TABLE's precursor. Tara has a degree in English Literature (University of Oxford), a Masters in Development Studies (School of Oriental and African Studies) and a PhD from the Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey. In 2015 she was awarded the Premio Daniel Carasso.Dr Sigrid Wertheim-Heck is associate professor of global food system sustainability in the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University and Research (WUR), in the Netherlands. With an interest in processes of societal transformation her research departs from situated perspectives on socio-technical transformations in which evolving practices and arrangements locally are tightly interlinked with the national and global scale. Projects across Asia, Africa and Europe bring together three areas of research, namely sustainable food consumption, governance practices and global-local dynamics. Before joining WUR, Sigrid had 20+ years of international agro-food experience in the private sector ranging from business development to market/consumer research, and marketing/distribution strategy. She has been strategic policy advisor for different governments on issues related to food security in the emerging markets of South East Asia. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions for the show, you can write us at podcast@tabledebates.org and don’t forget to rate and review us wherever you listen.More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode39Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep39-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed Podcast S2E15: Lucy Vincent and Linda Kjær Minke on Food in Prisons TABLE 2023-04-04 | As this season on power in the food system comes to a close, we wanted to focus on how food is consumed in institutions - places where people typically have less agency over their own food choices.In this episode we’re focusing on food in prisons in the United Kingdom and Denmark. We're joined by Lucy Vincent, Chief Executive and Founder of the charity Food Behind Bars in the UK, and Linda Kjær Minke, a criminology professor at the University of Southern Denmark who researches food dynamics in Danish prisons. We discuss how food in prisons is procured, prepared and eaten, and how these two systems of prison food can lead to very different results for the incarcerated, for those working in prisons and – potentially – for society as a whole.A warm thanks to TABLE volunteer Theo Heaton-Davies for guest presenting and Ingrid Reiser of Azote for editing this episode.Lucy Vincent is the Chief Executive of Food Behind Bars. While working as a freelance journalist, Lucy wrote an article in 2016 about what women eat in prison and has since immersed herself in the world of prison food. Food Behind Bars is the UK’s only Registered Charity dedicated to transforming the food served in British prisons. They work with prisons on the subject of food - to improve the lives of those eating it and support the people making it. Their aim is to positively impact the health and wellbeing of prisoners, by delivering practical food-based education, promoting healthy eating and designing exciting food and drink initiatives. Their projects and activities cover every aspect of food, cooking, eating and hospitality. They work with prisons on a bespoke basis, co-designing original initiatives that enable prisons to champion healthy, tasty and exciting food. Their work is shaped around each unique establishment and united by their philosophy of wholesome food for everyone in society.More about Food Behind Bars: foodbehindbars.co.ukThe Food Behind Bars Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/food-behind-bars/id1555038579Linda Kjær Minke is a professor in criminology at the Department of Law at the University of Southern Denmark. Linda has studied imprisonment, prison life and how punishment works for nearly 20 years. She is trained as a sociologist with a PhD in criminology from the Faculty of Law at University of Copenhagen and has led several research projects investigating the intersection of food, prisons and rehabilitation.Here are a few articles referenced in the episode:- Renting cells abroad: Understanding contemporary policy responses to prison overcrowding (Linda Kjaer Minke and An-Sofie Vanhouche, 2023) https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/njc.24.1.3- Hygge: Food and the construction of safety among incarcerated women in Denmark (Amy Smoyer and Linda Kjær Minke, 2019) researchgate.net/publication/333714171_Hygge_Food_and_the_construction_of_safety_among_incarcerated_women_in_Denmark- Prison Food in Denmark: Normal Responsibility or Ethnocentric Imaginations? (Amy Smoyer and Linda Kjær Minke, 2017) link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-58529-5_15- Cooking in prison--from crook to cook (Linda Kjær Minke, 2014) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25764291More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode38Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep38-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Meat: The Four Futures explores Plant based no meat TABLE 2023-03-06 | In the Plant based 'no meat' episode of the series, our field producer Ylva Carlqvist Warnborg visits a vegan restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden. Gustav Johansson, a vegan chef, talks about his journey to becoming vegan and why he believes in this kind of eating.Plant based 'no meat':Planet friendly eating or going against our nature?In this vision for the future, humans greatly modify their appetites and diets to a plant- and fungi-based diet designed to deliver optimal human nutrition at the least environmental cost. People directly consume the feed crops that were once destined for an animal’s stomach. Land that was producing livestock or livestock feed is rewilded or forested. "Meat: The Four Futures" is a podcast project initiated by SLU Future Food and run by TABLE, a collaboration between the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the University of Oxford. Learn more at tabledebates.org/meat.
Meat: The Four Futures explores Less meat TABLE 2023-03-06 | In the Less Meat episode of the series, our field producer Ylva Carlqvist Warnborg visits a farm in Kinnekulle, Sweden, where she speaks with Per Fredriksson, a free range cattle farmer. Per explains his beliefs around eating less meat, raising fewer animals and treating the animals he does raise, better.Less meat:Triple win for people, planet and animals or elitist and unrealistic?The livestock in this scenario are raised on land where you can’t grow crops for human food; cows and sheep eat grass supplemented with agricultural waste residues. Fewer pigs and poultry are raised since they are more dependent on feed grains that humans could be eating directly. Animal and cropping systems are reintegrated, in a shift away from more separated intensive systems of production, with animal manure feeding the next generation of crops. Meat is therefore produced on land and resource ‘leftovers’ and because less of it can now be produced, it costs more. "Meat: The Four Futures" is a podcast project initiated by SLU Future Food and run by TABLE, a collaboration between the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the University of Oxford. Learn more at tabledebates.org/meat.
Feed Podcast S2E14: Philip McMichael on the Corporate food regime TABLE 2023-02-28 | What is the corporate food regime? And are we still living in it? We put these questions to our guest Philip McMichael, emeritus professor at Cornell University who, alongside Harriet Friedman, coined the term Food Regime in 1989. In our conversation we talk about how a historical sociologist thinks about power, what voices were included and excluded in the dialogues leading up to the UN Food Systems Summit, and we flesh out Philip’s view of what a more relocalized food system would look like.Philip McMichael is a Professor Emeritus of Global Development, formerly of the Department of Development Sociology, which he chaired in 1999-2005, and in 2014-2015.Trained as a historical sociologist, Philip’s research focuses on questions of development and social change, and agri-food structuring and restructuring of the modern world, from international political economy and political ecology perspectives. His popular textbook, Development & Social Change: A Global Perspective (Sage), uses what he calls development and globalization ‘projects’ and a potential sustainability project to understand the history and possible future of world ordering and reordering.Philip McMichael works with the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples Mechanism, which is part of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security.More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode37Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep37-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Meat: The Four Futures explores Alternative meat TABLE 2023-02-20 | In the Alternative 'meat' episode of this series, our field producer Ylva Carlqvist Warnborg, visits a facility called Tebrito that is engaging in a very unique type of meat production--insects. Ola Broström explains why he believes insect protein is the way of the future.Alternative 'meat':A utopian evolution or science fiction dystopia?This scenario envisions a dwindling role for the mainstream global livestock industry, replacing it instead with a sector producing ‘meat’-alternatives (plant-based meat substitutes, cultured meat from animal cells, etc.). It believes people will only eat less meat if there are foods available with a comparable taste and texture at an affordable price. It sees food being produced by lab technicians, with the old work of farming and ranching evolving into new roles in rewilding and biodiversity conservation, now that agricultural land has been released for nature. Technology will play a critical role in solving our interlinked crises of climate change, food insecurity and biodiversity loss."Meat: The Four Futures" is a podcast project initiated by SLU Future Food and run by TABLE, a collaboration between the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the University of Oxford. Learn more at tabledebates.org/meat.
Meat: The Four Futures explores Efficient Meat 2.0 TABLE 2023-02-07 | In the Efficient Meat 2.0 episode of this series, our field producer Ylva Carlqvist Warnborg, visited a pig farm in Sweden to speak with Lars Appelqvist and Anders Gunnarsson about why they believe this kind of meat production is the way of the future.Efficient Meat 2.0:The only way to feed billions or the root of society's problems?This scenario sees an acceleration of developments underway in the early part of the 21st century. Improved genetics and breeding, optimised animal nutrition, and better veterinary care and housing all give rise to greater productivity. The upshot is a system which delivers more meat, more cheaply and at lower environmental cost, for a given unit of animal output. In this scenario, technological innovation is essential to meeting the inevitable global increase in demand for meat in ways that are affordable to everyone, and in so doing reducing malnutrition and livestock related environmental impacts."Meat: The Four Futures" is a podcast project initiated by SLU Future Food and run by TABLE, a collaboration between the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the University of Oxford. Learn more at tabledebates.org/meat.
Feed Podcast S2E13: Jason Clay on Building and flying the plane as we go TABLE 2023-01-18 | Jason Clay is the Executive Director of the Markets Institute at World Wildlife Fund. He comes with decades of unique experiences and a big picture view of global food systems. In our conversation we ask him how power needs to be shifted to transform the food system, what the future looks like for small farmers, and whether we should be intensifying agriculture and sparing land or extensifying agricultural production and sharing land with nature. Jason Clay also shares ideas around how to increase transparency for consumers, improve farmers livelihoods, and urgently scale up systems level solutions.Subscribe to Markets Institute newsletter Rethink Food to stay updated on weekly trends in global food systems: worldwildlife.org/pages/markets-institute-change-at-the-speed-of-lifeJason Clay is Senior Vice President, Markets, and Executive Director, Markets Institute, World Wildlife Fund. He leads the work of WWF-US on Markets and how companies manage supply chains and the Markets Institute whose goal is to identify and create awareness about global issues and trends on the horizon for food and soft commodities and then build consensus about how to best anticipate them. Dr. Clay launched WWF’s work on agriculture, livestock, aquaculture, finance and reshaped the WWF's work with the private sector and on fisheries. During his career he has worked on a family farm and in the U.S. Department of Agriculture; taught at Harvard and Yale; and spent more than 35 years working in human rights and environmental organizations.More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode36Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep36-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Meat: The Four Futures - Listen now! TABLE 2023-01-03 | TABLE and SLU Future Food has released a new podcast series: Meat, the four futures: 1) plant-based ‘no meat’, 2) ‘less but better’ meat, 3) alternative-’meat’, and 4) efficient meat 2.0. We speak with CEOs, civil society, food producers and scientists from across the world to unpack the promises and pitfalls with each future.What the future of meat should look like is a deeply personal and contested affair. How much and what types of meat should we eat, and how should the meat we eat be produced?Does a plant-based meatless future lead to planet-friendly eating or is it going against nature? The alternative "meat" future promises meat without animals - is that a utopian or dystopian vision? Does 'less but better' meat promote a triple-win for animals, people and the planet, or is it actually elitist and unrealistic? And is efficient meat 2.0 the only way to feed the planet and conserve biodiversity or is it the root of society’s problems?Which future of meat do you want to be a part of?Find out more about the series and listen to all 8 episodes here: tabledebates.org/meat
Feed Podcast S2E12: Sofia Wilhelmsson on Pig transport and human-animal relations TABLE 2022-12-19 | Sofia Wilhelmsson researches a very specific and stressful time for farmed pigs: the loading and transport of pigs on their way to slaughter. She not only considers the welfare of the animals, but also the well-being of the pig transport drivers. In our conversation we chat about the relationships that humans have with animals; what food systems actors have the most power in the pig production system; and whether we can add incentives for animal welfare and human well-being in our food systems.Sofia Wilhelmsson recently completed her PhD in the department of Animal Environment and Health at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. 35 years old. Sofia investigated Swedish pig transport drivers’ working conditions and interactions between drivers and pigs during loading at slaughter transport, and evaluated the effect of a training intervention on transport drivers’ attitudes, handling methods, physical workload and time efficiency. More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode35Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep35-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed Podcast S2E11: Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on the power of regenerative movements TABLE 2022-12-16 | Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin is the founder and director of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance. He moved to the US from Guatemala in the 1990s. In our conversation we talk about the power of movements, why small-scale farmers in the United States are rarely successful, and the difference between ‘feeding’ the indigenous mindset versus the colonizer mindset. Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin began working on economic development projects with indigenous Guatemalan communities in 1988. He served as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program’s Bureau for Latin America and as an advisor to the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. He was a founding member of the Fair-Trade Federation in 1994.A native Guatemalan, Regi received his agronomy degree from the Escuela Nacional Central de Agricultura, studied at the Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala, then graduated from Augsburg University in Minneapolis with a major in international business administration and a minor in communications. In 2016 Regi authored In the Shadow of Green Man: My Journey from Poverty and Hunger to Food Security and Hope.He is currently the owner-founder of Regeneration Farms LLC, and Founder and President of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance. Regi was awarded a prestigious lifetime Ashoka Fellowship in 2018 for his work in Regenerative Poultry Systems.For regenerative poultry training visit: www.regenpoultry.comFor information on the regenerative poultry system and to connect with the ecosystems management non-profit arm of the system visit: www.regenagalliance.orgTo purchase products or to invest in the system visit: www.treerangefarms.comMore about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode34Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep34-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed Podcast S2E10: Jeremy Brice on Investment, Power and Protein in sub-Saharan Africa TABLE 2022-12-12 | Who is investing in the food system and what are they investing in? What should the future of food, specifically protein, look like in sub-Saharan Africa? These are questions that Jeremy Brice explores in his new report: Investment, power and Protein in sub-Saharan Africa. They are also highly relevant to the food and climate discussions happening now at COP-27 in Sharm-el Sheikh, Egypt (November 2022).In our chat with Jeremy Brice, lecturer at Manchester University, we discuss why the particular focus on protein in sub-Saharan Africa; we unpack three different investor visions for this region; and we reflect on the consequences of how little agricultural investment there is in the region compared to the rest of the world.Read the executive summary: tabledebates.org/publication/investment-power-and-protein-sub-saharan-africa-executive-summaryRead the full report: tabledebates.org/publication/investment-power-and-protein-sub-saharan-africaMore about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode33Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep33-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed Podcast S2: What is ecomodernism? (with Helen Breewood) TABLE 2022-11-13 | In this mini-episode, TABLE staff member Helen Breewood joins Feed co-hosts to talk about her new publication, "What is ecomodernism?", co-authored with Tara Garnett. The explainer describes the values, goals, and practical solutions promoted by ecomodernists; what they would mean for land use and the food system; the history of the ideas that underlie ecomodernism; and the main contestations around the values and evidence underpinning ecomodernism. We ask Helen about the explainer, the challenging review process, and how she changed her views on the topic.Read the full explainer here: tabledebates.org/building-blocks/ecomodernismCheck out the webinar TABLE hosted on ecomodernism here: tabledebates.org/research-library/event-recording-what-ecomodernismDo you think ecomodernism's values will play a role at COP27? Tell us what you think on our community forum: community.tabledebates.org/c/feed-the-podcastMore about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode25Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep25-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed S2E9: Blain Snipstal on Battling plantation agriculture today TABLE 2022-11-09 | Blain Snipstal, former youth advocate for La Via Campesina, has thought a lot about power. In our chat on the podcast, we talk about how Blain sees the legacy of the plantation model of agriculture still lingering today; we discuss how the dialogues and exchanges between peasant farmers can uncover a deep analysis of the food system; and he shares some of his many experiences as a farmer, an activist, and an organizer. We also touch on the power of collaborating across grassroots movements and whose knowledge counts in food debates.Blain Snipstal is the founder, designer and lead builder for Earth-Bound Building. Blain has a long history in farming and land-based organizing both domestic and internationally. Blain is a dedicated craftsman, and member of the Timber Framer's Guild.Blain is a part of the Black Dirt Farm Collective, which is a regional organizing body providing strategic gatherings and trainings around Black agrarianism, agroecology, political formation, forestry and more throughout the mid-Atlantic.How do you think conversations around conventional/plantation agriculture will formulate at COP27? Tell us what you think on our community forum: community.tabledebates.org/c/feed-the-podcastMore about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode32Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep32-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed Podcast S2: What is rewilding? (with Walter Fraanje) TABLE 2022-11-08 | TABLE staff member Walter Fraanje joins Feed co-hosts to talk about his new publication, "Rewilding and its implications for agriculture" co-authored with Tara Garnett. The explainer introduces the concept of rewilding, compares different rewilding strategies across the globe, explores their relationship with agriculture and unpacks some of the related controversies. We ask Walter how does rewilding differ from conservation, why might a farmer or fisher support or be against rewilding, and what does it mean to rewild your imagination?Read the full explainer: tabledebates.org/building-blocks/rewilding-and-its-implications-agricultureDo you think rewilding discussions will happen at COP27? Tell us what you think on our community forum: community.tabledebates.org/c/feed-the-podcastThe Uppsala Health Summit was the week of Oct 24. Watch a recording of the plenary here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnVL7oHZWueddxIXVGUm9KooFwTUtDdeQMore about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode31Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep31-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed S2E8: Giuliana Furci on Without fungi we wouldnt have food TABLE 2022-11-07 | This is not a typical conversation for the Feed Podcast. We're still talking about food systems, and we're still talking about power, but we're focusing on the more-than-human world, specifically, mushrooms. Giuliana Furci, founder and executive director of the Fungi Foundation, joins us to talk about how fungi are as diverse as the animal and plant kingdom; what role fungi play in sustainable food systems; the contradicting lessons that you can learn from fungi; and what power do fungi have over humans and food systems?Do think discussions around fungi belong at COP27? Tell us what you think on our community forum: community.tabledebates.org/c/feed-the-podcastMore about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode30Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep30-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed S2E7: Joachim von Braun on an IP for Food TABLE 2022-11-06 | Joachim von Braun, former Chair of the Scientific Group for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, lays out the importance of an inclusive process and multi-disciplinary scientific collaboration to meet the calls for food system transformation. Dr von Braun joins us to talk about his experience as Chair, what he sees as the successes of the summit, and what work remains to be done. We also discuss who should be involved in knowledge production and how, and we hear his thoughts on whether we should create an Intergovernmental Panel for Food (not unlike the IPCC) that would have the power to work towards scientific consensus on food system issues.Have thoughts about how this episode fits into current conversations at COP27? Visit our community platform to start a thread or join an ongoing discussion: community.tabledebates.org/c/feed-the-podcastMore about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode29Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep29-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed S2E6: Busiso Moyo on the Right to Food TABLE 2022-11-03 | “Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food” is written in the South African constitution. But how is that implemented, and who is responsible for making that a reality? Scholar-activist Busiso Moyo grapples with what a 'right to food’ actually looks like in practice. In our conversation, he shares why he sees the right to food as a valuable framework for building a just food system. We also cover various aspects of power in the food system including: agenda-setting power; the power of corporations; the power of paradigms; and who has power along the value chain.Do you think the Right to Food will come up at COP27? Tell us what you think on our community forum: community.tabledebates.org/c/feed-the-podcastMore about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode28Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep28-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed Podcast S2E5: An agricultural economist weighs in on power (with Jayson Lusk) TABLE 2022-11-01 | Agricultural economist Jayson Lusk puts forward a vision of how science, technology and innovation are what we need for a sustainable food future, and what aspects of power he feels are getting in the way of this future. We discuss: whether having more information actually changes what food people buy; why Jayson is excited about venture capital flowing into the food system; and why he disagrees with some of the narratives and policy proposals put forward by the “food movement”. We also touch on some hotly debated topics like agricultural subsidies, GMOs, and true cost accounting.More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode27Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep27-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Event: Plating up the future of meat TABLE 2022-10-19 | This online panel discussion took place on Monday, October 17th and was part of a three-part series called "Setting the TABLE for COP27". Find recordings of the other events here: tabledebates.org/blog/setting-table-cop27-upcoming-events and find more upcoming events from TABLE here: tabledebates.org/table-eventsWhat the future of meat should look like is a deeply personal and contested affair. How much and what types of meat should we eat, and how should the meat we eat be produced?As one of the primary sources of emissions in our food system, many experts and practitioners agree the production of livestock will have to be rethought in the coming years, but exactly how remains in deep contention. In 2015, Dr Tara Garnett reflected on the potential paths for meat in the think piece Gut feelings and possible tomorrows: (where) does animal farming fit? From different stakeholders’ takes on the solutions to animal farming, the piece spun four futures into scenarios that attempted to unearth the values and assumptions that drive these views and imagine how these futures might evolve.Inspired by this piece of writing and funded by Formas, TABLE is launching a new podcast project called Meat: The Four Futures.This new project asks the questions: Does a plant-based meatless future lead to planet-friendly eating or is it going against nature? The alternative "meat" future promises meat without animals - is that a utopian or dystopian vision? Does 'less but better' meat promote a triple-win for animals, people and the planet, or is it actually elitist and unrealistic? And is efficient meat 2.0 the only way to feed the planet and conserve biodiversity or is it the root of society’s problems?These tradeoffs provide a real framework for conversation about the future. The issues are complex and the debates are often heated, bringing to the fore fundamental questions about how much meat we should consume in the future, how that meat should be produced, and how we’ll achieve that future.To explore these questions in more detail, TABLE held a panel discussion on October 17th, 2022, bringing together four key thinkers and researchers who each tackled one of the four scenarios identified in Meat: The Four Futures. These panelists presented the evidence they find most convincing for their preferred future, what other future scenarios they agree or disagree with, and how they envision achieving their version of a more sustainable and just food system.Speakers:Adele Jones (Executive Director, Sustainable Food Trust)Jude Capper (independent Livestock Sustainability Consultant & ABP Chair of Sustainable Beef and Sheep Production, Harper Adams University)Iain Tolhurst (Owner, Tolhurst Organic Farm)Varun Deshpande (Managing Director for Asia, the Good Food Institute)This event was moderated by Tara Garnett who is Director of TABLE and a researcher at the University of Oxford.More about "Meat: The Four Futures" and links to subscribe to the podcast on Apple and Spotify: tabledebates.org/meatDr Tara Garnett's "Gut feelings and possible tomorrows: (where) does animal farming fit?": tabledebates.org/node/12341For more about TABLE and what we do, visit https://tabledebates.org.
Event: Does methane from livestock matter? TABLE 2022-09-29 | This online panel discussion took place on Wednesday, September 28th and is part of an ongoing series called "Setting the TABLE for COP27". Find details about the other events here: tabledebates.org/table-eventsMethane is an important greenhouse gas (GHG), second only to carbon dioxide (CO2) in its overall contribution to human-driven climate change. It’s also very powerful, with a warming potential around 29 times stronger than CO2 on a molecule-by-molecule basis, and it's almost certain to be a point of conversation at this year's COP27. COP26 saw the launch of the Global Methane Pledge and since then 121 nations have signed up to it, thereby agreeing to reduce their methane emissions by 30% by 2030. With the food system being one the largest anthropogenic source of methane – even more so than oil and gas – efforts to honour this pledge will likely have implications for how agriculture is practiced; and potentially for what we eat. Ruminant livestock - cattle, sheep and goats - are often acknowledged as major sources of methane emissions via their digestive processes, and this suggests we may need to rethink how we rear these animals, and how much meat and dairy we eat. But not everyone agrees; some argue that methane, with its very short atmospheric lifetime, just isn't as important as getting to net zero as for long-lived GHGs such as carbon dioxide. And not all methane is equally damaging either, since methane generated from cattle and other biogenic sources is part of the short term carbon cycle, unlike methane from oil and gas extraction. In short, for some stakeholders, methane matters, and because methane matters, so does ruminant livestock production and reducing associated meat and dairy consumption. But for others, action to reduce methane through measures that focus on ruminants will at best be ineffectual in keeping global temperatures down and at worst, push the urgent need to get CO2 emissions down into the long grass, while also having negative implications for the livestock sector and those who depend upon it.The issues are complex and the debates are often heated, bringing to the fore fundamental questions about how we use land, how we should farm, what we should eat, and who wins and loses when it comes to climate mitigation.To explore these questions in more detail, TABLE brought together a panel discussion featuring key thinkers and researchers working on global climate mitigation and agriculture.Speakers: Andy Reisinger (IPCC Working Group III (mitigation)/New Zealand Climate Change Commission)Claudia Arndt (The International Livestock Research Institute [ILRI])John Lynch (University of Oxford)Martin Persson (Chalmers University of Technology) This event was moderated by Tara Garnett who is Director of TABLE and a researcher at the University of Oxford.To register for the next event in the series, visit bit.ly/3SpB6ZN.
Event: Carbon sequesterers or climate trashers? What role for grazing ruminants in a 1.5°C world? TABLE 2022-09-15 | This online panel discussion took place on Wednesday, September 14th and is part of an ongoing series called "Setting the TABLE for COP27". Find details about the other events here: tabledebates.org/table-eventsEvent description:In order to limit global warming to 1.5°C, we not only need to bring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions down as close to zero as possible, but also actively take carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere. The carbon sequestration potential of land has drawn increasing attention as the need to achieve negative emissions becomes ever more urgent.When it comes to agriculture, the role of ruminant livestock (e.g., cattle, sheep, and goats) in sequestering CO2 through grazing on the one hand, and in contributing to GHG emissions and other environmental damage on the other have become highly polarized topics of debate. Some argue that well-managed grazing systems can help draw down CO2 from the atmosphere and lock it in soils, while yielding a range of other benefits for water and biodiversity. Others, however, highlight the association between ruminant livestock expansion, deforestation, and soil degradation, with accompanying declines in soil quality, water retention and biodiversity.So what does the science actually say? How do the specificities of local context fit into our understanding of global land use interactions and into wider debates about what a good food system looks like?To explore these questions, TABLE held a panel discussion on 14 September at 6pm BST with leading thinkers and researchers on agriculture, food systems and climate change mitigation.The anonymized text from the Q&A from the event is available here: bit.ly/3rblygeSpeakers:- M. Francesca Cotrufo is a Professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University. Dr Cotrufo is a soil ecologist and biogeochemist, internationally recognized for her work in the field of litter decomposition and soil organic matter dynamics, and in the use of isotopic methodologies in these studies. With Dr Keith Paustian and other colleagues at CSU, she recently formed the Soil Carbon Solution Center. Dr Cotrufo is editor of the journal Global Change Biology. She has been the recipient of the SSSA Soil Science Research Award, the CSU Provost 14’er Award for Faculty Excellence, and the ASA- CSSA-SSSA Mentoring Award. Recently, Dr Cotrufo became an entrepreneur and co-funded, with other five women in her lab, Cquester Analytics, an analytical facility designed to accurately quantify, using science- based approaches, metrics of soil organic matter and C sequestration at scale.- Pete Smith is Professor of Soils and Global Change at the Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Aberdeen and Science Director of the Scottish Climate Change Centre of Expertise (ClimateXChange). His interests include climate change mitigation, soils, agriculture, food systems, ecosystem services and modelling. He has been an author on many reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and led its work of climate change mitigation in agriculture, forestry and land for its 4th and 5th Assessment Reports, and led its work interlinkages between land based mitigation options for the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, a Fellow of the Institute of Soil Scientists, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, a Fellow of the European Science Academy, and a Fellow of the Royal Society (London).- Matthew Hayek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University (NYU). He received his PhD from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science. Hayek's research quantifies the environmental impacts of our food system, with a specific focus on climate change. Prior to joining NYU, Hayek was a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Law School.This event was moderated by Tara Garnett who is Director of TABLE and a researcher at the University of Oxford. This event was organized by TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and Wageningen University & Research. Learn more at tabledebates.org/. Follow us on social media; we are @tabledebates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Event: What is ecomodernism? TABLE 2022-06-16 | This is a recording of the event "What is ecomodernism? Perspectives from ecomodernism and degrowth on limits to growth, lifestyles and media narratives" which occurred on June 15, 2022. The aim of the event was to discuss the recently launched TABLE explainer on ecomodernism, which can be found here: tabledebates.org/building-blocks/ecomodernismEcomodernism is an environmental movement that emphasises the role of technology in enabling material prosperity while also protecting ecosystems. It stands in contrast to the degrowth movement, which challenges the current economic paradigm, and emphasises the need to reduce global consumption and production in ways that tackle inequality and foster environmental sustainability. The two philosophies paint different visions for the future of humanity and the planet.At this TABLE event, research and communications officer Helen Breewood summarises the new TABLE explainer "What is ecomodernism?" This presentation is followed by a discussion between our guest speakers Linus Blomqvist and Sam Bliss, chaired by TABLE director Tara Garnett, in which we hear both ecomodernist and degrowth perspectives on the following issues:- What is ecomodernism? How is the concept represented and misrepresented?- Is the idea of planetary boundaries valid? Do we need to change our lifestyles to avoid irreversible environmental damage? What is the role of technology in decreasing our impacts?- What are the most important components of a good life - material wellbeing, community ties, meaningful work? How do ecomodernism and degrowth differ in their views here?- To what extent does ecomodernism conflict or align with mainstream narratives from the media, politicians and industry?Guest speakers:- Linus Blomqvist is a PhD candidate in Environmental Economics and Science at University of California, Santa Barbara and former director of the Conservation and Food & Agriculture programmes at the Breakthrough Institute, where he is also a Senior Fellow. Linus is a co-author of the Ecomodernist Manifesto. He is interested in how technology can help decouple environmental impacts from economic growth, and is working on strategies to meet food demand while protecting biodiversity.- Sam Bliss is a Ph.D. candidate in natural resources at the University of Vermont's Gund Institute for Environment. His doctoral research and community organizing focus on the production and distribution of food that's not for sale. Sam has studied ecomodernism since 2015 and published academic and popular articles on the topic. He is the U.S. correspondent of scholar-activist collective Research & Degrowth and also president of DegrowUS.We invite continuing discussion around this event on our community platform: community.tabledebates.org/t/table-event-what-is-ecomodernism-perspectives-from-ecomodernism-and-degrowth-on-limits-to-growth-lifestyles-and-media-narratives/466This event was organized by TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and Wageningen University & Research. Learn more at tabledebates.org/.
Event: Decoupling desire? Food, advertising, consumption and the question of limits TABLE 2022-05-06 | Each day, the average British consumer will see around 3000 commercial messages – on billboards, on their screens, on television – and 15% of these will be for food. Advertising is part of life.And although most of us may not ‘see’ most of the ads we’re exposed to any more, advertising clearly works – it gets us to buy things. The advertising sector estimates that in the UK alone, nearly £90 billion worth of products were sold as a result of its persuasions. But while advertising may be good for the economy, it’s making the climate problem worse. One recent report estimates that emissions generated by the increase in UK sales that arise from successful advertising amount to around 186 mtCO2 eq. This is equivalent to about half the UK’s domestically produced emissions. That said, if advertising is clearly part of the problem today, could it also be reconfigured to become part of the solution? Could the sector rise to the challenges of helping achieve a 1.5C, net zero world, and, more specifically in the case of food – a food system that is healthier, fairer, and less environmentally damaging? Could it play its part by persuading us to want, and to consume better, differently – even less? Can we, in short, decouple desire from damage?This TABLE panel discussion, hosted by the Oxford Martin School, brought together representatives from the advertising and food industries, from social enterprise and academia to explore advertising, food, desire and the question of ecological limits on 6 May, 2022. SpeakersBen Essen is Chief Strategy Officer at Iris Worldwide, a global integrated marketing agency, and the co author of the Advertised Emissions report which quantifies the increase in emissions arising from the increase in consumption that can be attributed to advertising: purposedisruptors.org/advertised-emissionsFergus Lyon is a Professor of Enterprise and Organisations at Middlesex University in London and Deputy Director of the ESRC Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity. He has a particular research focus on social enterprise but combines his academic career with the running of a B-Corps certified mixed farm in Hertfordshire: easthallfarm.comApril Redmond is a global brand vice president at Unilever, responsible for the Knorr range, whose ambition is "to be a force for good and to get food that is good for people and the planet on 7 billion plates by 2025".This online event was chaired by Tara Garnett, director of TABLE and a researcher at the University of Oxford. It was a moderated discussion followed by an audience Q&A session. We invite continuing discussion around this event on our community platform: community.tabledebates.org/t/discussing-the-event-decoupling-desire-food-advertising-consumption-and-the-question-of-limits/415This event was organized by TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Wageningen, and the Food & Cities network at SLU. Learn more at tabledebates.org and https://www.slu.se/en/Collaborative-Centres-and-Projects/futurefood/temasidor/food-and-cities/.
Feed Podcast S2E4: Herman Brouwer and Joost Guijt on Power in Multi-stakeholder Partnerships TABLE 2022-04-29 | In this episode we explore the role of power in multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) with two people who are no strangers to this topic - Herman Brouwer and Joost Guijt, both at Wageningen University and Research. In this conversation we ask: what are MSPs, do they actually work, and what are the different ways that power plays out in them? We learn how different food stakeholders perceive MSPs differently, whether the UN Food Systems Summit could be considered a successful MSP, and some tips and tricks for dealing with power in MSPs. More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode24Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep24-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Event: Ask the Author - Rethinking urban living labs TABLE 2022-04-26 | For this Ask the Author session, jointly organised by TABLE and Food & Cities network at SLU, we discussed "A tale of two labs: Rethinking urban living labs for advancing citizen engagement in food system transformation" published in Cities in 2022: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275121004510We were joined by co-authors Anke Brons and Koen van der Gaast, as well as several volunteer panelists.The Ask the Author format here provides a space for a detailed discussion on the emergence of transformative practices in cities in relation to urban food systems, looking at the diversity of actors involved and how their different visions, goals and solutions shape narratives of change. We discuss what inclusivity means in the context of urban food systems change and the role of citizen engagement in different types of urban living labs. As is customary to our sessions, we invite a small group who approach this topic from different backgrounds and areas of expertise to join the panel.Ask the author sessions is a seminar format containing an author-led discussion and reflection on a recent publication related to food systems sustainability. We invite continuing discussion around this event on our community platform: community.tabledebates.org/t/discussing-the-event-rethinking-urban-living-labs/402This event was organized by TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Wageningen, and the Food & Cities network at SLU. Learn more at tabledebates.org and https://www.slu.se/en/Collaborative-Centres-and-Projects/futurefood/temasidor/food-and-cities/.
Event: How to squeeze fat into a sustainable food future TABLE 2022-04-13 | The future of protein... the protein transition... alternative proteins... In discussions about food and sustainability, we hear a lot about protein. Far less attention is paid to another essential nutrient: fat.This is a major oversight since protein foods come as packages of many different kinds of nutrients, and so changes in how much or what kinds of food we produce in order to shift towards a more sustainable protein future, will have knock effects on how much fat is produced and available for global consumption.This is particularly relevant when it comes to the question of meat. A substantial body of evidence suggests that, globally, we need to cut down on livestock production and associated meat and dairy consumption. But since meat is a major source of fat in our diets, reductions in animal production will also reduce global availability of fat. While this may not be an issue for over-consumers in the affluent Global North, many populations in the Global South currently consume less than nutritional guidelines recommend and to bridge this gap, more fats from plant sources will need to be produced or made available. There are various options here, each one of which will have different environmental implications.Please join us for an event which explores the future of sustainable fats from a food systems perspective; the discussion will cover not only environmental considerations but also fat's role in nutrition, taste and pleasure.The event, which occurred on 13 April, 2022, was prompted by the article "The role of fats in the transition to sustainable diets" authored by Bojana Bajželj, Federica Laguzzi and Elin Röös: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519621001947 This event was organized by TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Wageningen. Learn more at tabledebates.org/.Join the conversation about this event on TABLE's community platform: community.tabledebates.org/t/discussing-the-event-how-to-squeeze-fat-into-a-sustainable-food-future/387.
Feed Podcast S2E3: Channa Prakash on GMs, Golden Rice, and the Green Revolution TABLE 2022-03-29 | In the third episode on power in the food system, we speak with Channa Prakash, professor of crop genetics, biotechnology and genomics at Tuskegee University in the United States. Channa has been actively involved in enhancing the societal awareness of food biotechnology issues around the world. We speak with Channa about who decides what ends up on our table, discuss how his personal story connects to the Green Revolution, and unpack how he sees ideology as getting in the way of science. We also learn how Channa approaches food systems debates as we discuss Golden Rice, the Green Revolution, and different efforts to promote Organic farming across South Asia.More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode22Transcript available here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep22-transcriptFeed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed Podcast S2E2: Julie Guthman on Capital, Tech and Alternative Food TABLE 2022-03-03 | In our second conversation exploring power in the food system, we speak with Julie Guthman, professor and food geographer at UC Santa Cruz. We ask her: how is Silicon Valley trying to transform the food system, who within Silicon Valley has the most power, and how does their vision compare with the Organic food movement? We discuss the different ways 'sustainability' is understood in these two different worlds and the broader structures that define or limit their competing visions. We also chat about how Julie's views on the Alternative Food Movement have evolved over time, and how Silicon Valley might be different if venture capitalists took her "101: Intro to Food and Ag'" class.More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode21Feed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Panel Discussion: Fleshing out a future COP TABLE 2022-02-25 | The food system generates around a third of human-made greenhouse gas emissions, with about half of these attributable to animal production; and yet food was markedly absent from official discussions at COP26. This, for many analysts, represented not only a major climate-relevant omission but also a missed opportunity for reshaping the food system in ways that could achieve broader set of social, environmental and economic benefits.That said, some of the major commitments agreed at the 2021 COP – notably around deforestation and methane – will, if implemented, require action from the livestock sector, and many activists are hoping that COP27 will see a far greater focus on livestock-related concerns than has been the case so far.But what exactly is the livestock problem that needs to be addressed? For some, the ongoing trend towards large-scale, capital-intensive, high density livestock production is the major issue. For others, this trend towards intensification is to be welcomed, since, it is argued, they are far more environmentally efficient than the traditional, extensive and low yielding systems they replace. And then there is the question of appetite. Is our growing demand for meat a given, and the challenge a matter of meeting this demand at least environmental cost; or are robust policies needed to incentivise a shift towards more plant-based, lower impact diets? Is everyone actually missing the point, using overly simplistic metrics to assess the environmental goods and bads of livestock production, and in so doing failing to recognise the numerous ecological, social, economic and cultural benefits of certain livestock systems and the importance of foregrounding equity and food sovereignty in discussions about livestock?Please join Dr Tara Garnett (director of TABLE and fellow of the Oxford Martin School) in conversation with Dr Helena Wright, Policy Director at the FAIRR Initiative, Dr Pablo Manzano, Ikerbasque Research Fellow at the Basque Centre for Climate Change, and Dan Blaustein-Rejto, Director of Food and Agriculture at the Breakthrough Institute.This is a joint event with TABLE and the Oxford Martin School.Learn more about TABLE: tabledebates.orgJoin the conversation about this panel on TABLE's community platform: community.tabledebates.org/t/continuing-the-conversation-in-fleshing-out-a-future-cop/321
Feed Podcast: S2E1 Phil Howard on Corporate Consolidation TABLE 2022-02-18 | In the first episode about power hosts Matthew Kessler and Samara Brock speak with Phil Howard, author of Concentration and Power in the Food System that asks who controls what we eat? We dive right into big questions asking if Phil Howard’s ideal food future is compatible with capitalism. We also talk about the rise of organics, how is power distributed within corporations, how a US farmer’s prospects about staying a small and diversified operation has diminished over time, and how food corporations intent on growing cope with the fact that human stomachs remain the same size.More about the episode here: tabledebates.org/podcast/episode20Feed comes from TABLE, a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Swedish Agricultural University and Wageningen University. More about TABLE here: tabledebates.orgYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Feed Podcast: Introducing Season 2, Power in the food system TABLE 2022-02-03 | Feed Season 2 kicks off introducing our theme for the season: power in the food system. Across the season we’ll speak with researchers, farmers, activists and others to dig into what kind of power shapes food systems, if this needs to change, and how. Send us an e-mail to podcast@tabledebates.org or join the discussion (community.tabledebates.org) and let us know what aspects of power you’d like to us to explore and which guests you’d like us to speak to throughout this season.Find the full transcript here: tabledebates.org/podcast-ep19-transcriptYou can find the first season of Feed on our website or on Apple Podcasts/Spotify: tabledebates.org/podcast
Whose knowledge counts? TABLE 2022-01-12 | On 11 January 2021, TABLE and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food hosted a panel discussion centred around the “Politics of knowledge”, the first section of the Global Alliance report: Understanding the evidence for Agroecology, Regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways. Access the original report here: futureoffood.org/insights/the-politics-of-knowledge-compendium The panel discussing this topic includes:- Francisco Rosado-May (report contributor) Founding President and Full Professor, Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo Member (Mayan Intercultural University and works with The Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty.- Hassan Roba (report contributor) Program Officer for the African Rift Valley for The Christensen Fund- Sara Farley, Managing Director, Integrated Operations, Food Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation- Tim Searchinger, Senior Fellow and Technical Director, Food Program, World Resources Institute- Ken Giller, Professor of plant production systems, Wageningen UniversityModerator: Lauren Baker Senior Director of Programmes, Global Alliance for the Future of Food, serving on TABLE Advisory board.We're curious to hear what you thought of the event. What other perspectives would you like to have heard from? What other topics would you like us to dig more into? You can continue the conversation on our community platform: community.tabledebates.org/t/whose-knowledge-counts-11-january-2022/252Sign up to our newsletter Fodder, to stay up to date about our work at TABLE and receive a bi-weekly roundup of the latest research, jobs and events on food and sustainability: http://bit.do/FodderSubscribe to our podcast: tabledebates.org/podcast
An open-ended discussion on Power in the food system TABLE 2021-12-09 | This open-ended discussion kicks off TABLE's theme on 'power in the food system' with a conversation between representatives of four sectors:- Media: Eddy Wax - Reporter covering food and agriculture for POLITICO in Brussels.- Academia: Wendy Godek - Professor of Politics and International Relations with focus on Latin American food and agriculture politics- Civil society: Shefali Sharma - Director of Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) Europe- Private: Sahil Shah - Co-founder of agri-tech company Sustainable Seaweed and policy consultantModerator: Matthew Kessler, Research and Communications officer for TABLE at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.We're curious to hear your views about power in the food system. Continue the conversation on our community platform: community.tabledebates.org/t/an-open-ended-discussion-on-power-in-the-food-system-a-request-for-input/211Sign up to our newsletter Fodder, to stay up to date about our work at TABLE and receive a bi-weekly roundup of the latest research, jobs and events on food and sustainability: http://bit.do/FodderAnd subscribe to our podcast: feed.buzzspout.com or tabledebates.org/podcast
What is food sovereignty? (TABLE explainer video series) TABLE 2021-07-14 | What is food sovereignty? We explore the concept of food sovereignty, and its development alongside the food sovereignty movement. What does it mean? How does it relate to food security? And what are the key debates related to its use?This is the second of the TABLE explainer video series. These explainers are short, peer-reviewed introductions to concepts that are important for understanding food systems and food sustainability. To access more explainers, including our recently published "What is agroecology?" explainer, visit: tabledebates.org/explainersTo read the open-access full explainer, "What is food sovereignty?", visit: tabledebates.org/building-block/food-sovereignty
True Cost Accounting for Food (Ask the author) TABLE 2021-07-14 | TABLE and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food present: True Cost Accounting for Food (Ask the Author).In this Ask the Author session we discuss Chapter 1, "From Practice to Policy: New Metrics for the 21st Century", from the new book "True Cost Accounting for Food: Balancing the Scale" published by Routledge in 2021. We are joined by book co-editor Lauren Baker (Global Alliance for the Future of Food) and chapter author Carl Obst (IDEEA Group).Ask the author sessions provide a space for author-led discussion and reflection on a recent publication on a topic relevant to food systems sustainability. You can find an advance copy of the book/ chapter on the publisher’s website, either as open access content: routledge.com/True-Cost-Accounting-for-Food-Balancing-the-Scale/Gemmill-Herren-Baker-Daniels/p/book/9780367506858#supOr you can also order a hard copy of the book here: routledge.com/True-Cost-Accounting-for-Food-Balancing-the-Scale/Gemmill-Herren-Baker-Daniels/p/book/9780367506858
What is agroecology? (TABLE explainer video series) TABLE 2021-06-23 | What is agroecology? And what are the key debates associated with its use?This is the first of the TABLE explainer video series. These explainers are short, peer-reviewed introductions to concepts that are important for understanding food systems and food sustainability. To access more explainers, including our recently published "What is food sovereignty?" explainer, visit: tabledebates.org/explainersTo read the open-access full explainer, "What is agroecology?", visit: tabledebates.org/building-blocks/agroecology
TABLE launch event: Should the future of food be global or local? TABLE 2021-06-03 | Join the discussion about this event on our website: tabledebates.org/research-library/recording-table-launch-event-should-future-food-be-global-or-localOn 2 June 2021, TABLE had its official launch event. Marking the transition from the Food Climate Research Network into TABLE, this event centred on perhaps one of the most complex questions around food and sustainability: At what scale should the food system operate? In other words, should the future food system be more globalised or localised, and why?We had this conversation with two thoughtful panellists who approach this topic from different backgrounds and perspectives: Pat Mooney, IPES-Food (International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems) panellist and lead author of the “Long Food Movement" report, and Prof Sir Charles Godfray, an internationally renowned expert on food security and director of the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford.The panel discussion was followed by audience questions and reflections and final remarks by representatives from the three universities that participate in TABLE: the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the University of Oxford (UoO) and Wageningen University and Research (WUR).Agenda:00:00:00 Welcome by Sigrid Wertheim-Heck (one of TABLE's strategic directors and associate professor at WUR)00:04:50 Introduction to TABLE by Tara Garnett (TABLE's director and fellow of the Oxford Martin School)00:16:30 Conversation between Pat Mooney (panellist at IPES-Food) and Charles Godfray (director of the Oxford Martin School) moderated by Matthew Kessler (research and communications officer for TABLE at SLU)01:00:55 Q&A and reflections01:29:55 Concluding remarks by representatives of WUR, SLU and the UoO01:40:44 Wrap up and formal end (Tara Garnett)Please find more information about this event here: tabledebates.org/research-library/recording-table-launch-event-should-future-food-be-global-or-localFor more information about TABLE, please visit our website: tabledebates.org/about
A dialogue on Regenerative Agriculture: Why is it taking the world by storm? TABLE 2021-05-12 | TABLE and LEAP present a dialogue on Regenerative Agriculture (RA) between Ken Giller (Wageningen UR) and Yichao Rui (Rodale Institute) moderated by Tara Garnett (TABLE).We discussed the following topics:How is RA different from agroecology, organic, sustainable agriculture?What is meant by soil biological health? Is it important?How does RA tie in with debates about land-sparing and land-sharing?More information can be found on TABLE's website including the speakers' responses to additional audience questions and more resources on Regenerative Agriculture:tabledebates.org/research-library/regenerative-agriculture-dialogue
Halting European Union soybean feed imports favours ruminants over pigs and poultry (Ask the author) TABLE 2021-05-12 | Ask the author sessions provide a space for author-led discussion and reflection on a recent publication on a topic relevant to food systems sustainability. We invite a mixed audience of researchers from different fields of science, students, policymakers, and industry and NGO representatives to participate in these sessions. In this first session, Ph.D. candidate Johan Karlsson of the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU) will present on his recent publication in Nature Food: Halting European Union soybean feed imports favours ruminants over pigs and poultry. The paper examines three scenarios for animal-source food production in the European Union under two constraints: halting all imports of soybeans and soybean meal used as animal feed, and not using any additional land for animal feed cultivation (either inside or outside the EU).
A 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture (Ask the author) TABLE 2021-05-12 | TABLE presents Ask the Author series, an intimate space for a detailed discussion about the research and its implications with participants from a range of disciplines and sectors.We discuss Simon Bush (Chair of the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University) and colleagues’ recent publication in Nature: A 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture. We were also joined by co-authors Alejandro Buschmann (Universidad de Los Lagos) and Dave Little (University Stirling).Link to article: nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03308-6Link to TABLE summary: tabledebates.org/research-library/20-year-retrospective-review-global-aquaculture
Considering plant-based meat substitutes and cell-based meats (Ask the Author) TABLE 2021-03-15 | TABLE presents Ask the Author series, an intimate space for a detailed discussion about the research and its implications with participants from a range of disciplines and sectors.We discuss Raychel Santo (Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future) and colleagues’ recent publication in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems: Considering Plant-Based Meat Substitutes and Cell-Based Meats: A Public Health and Food Systems Perspective.Link to open-access article: frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00134/fullLink to TABLE summary: tabledebates.org/research-library/considering-plant-based-and-cell-based-meats
Grazed and Confused? How much can grazing livestock help to mitigate climate change? TABLE 2018-07-04 | Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question – and what it all means for greenhouse gas emissions.Farm animals, and the consumption of meat and dairy, are a major contributor to the problem of climate change. It is well-established that the livestock sector contributes some 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but there is less agreement on the specific climate impact of different types of animals and production systems. Most controversy surrounds the debate on ‘grass-fed’ beef and how its climate impact compares with other types of meat or meat produced in more intensive systems. Some have argued that grazing animals can actually stimulate grass to be more productive and put down deeper roots, drawing carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it in soils. Others go even further, arguing that this carbon sequestration can, in fact, offset all other emissions from ruminants, and in doing so solve our climate problems. It is safe to say that this debate has left people either polarised or confused. Is grass-fed better or is it worse for the climate? What’s actually true? The Grazed and Confused? report from the Food Climate Research Network finds that better management of grass-fed livestock, while worthwhile in and of itself, does not offer a significant solution to climate change as only under very specific conditions can they help sequester carbon. This sequestering of carbon is even then small, time-limited, reversible and substantially outweighed by the greenhouse gas emissions these grazing animals generate. The report concludes that although there can be other benefits to grazing livestock - solving climate change isn’t one of them. Read more about the Grazed and Confused? report here: tabledebates.org/node/12335Download the PDF version here: tabledebates.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/fcrn_gnc_report.pdf_________________________________________________________________Many thanks to Holly Cecil for providing English subtitles and to the Association végétarienne de France (not affiliated with the FCRN) for providing French subtitles. You can also contribute subtitles in another language by clicking the three dots under the video and then "Add translations".
(2/2) Grazed and Confused? Launch webinar: Q&A with panel of authors TABLE 2017-10-03 | In this webinar (part 2), a panel of authors of the new FCRN report 'Grazed and Confused' respond to the questions of webinar attendees.Those on the panel:Dr Tara Garnett, Food Climate Research Network (FCRN), University of OxfordCécile Godde (PhD candidate),Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), University of QueenslandDr Elin Röös, Division of Agricultural Engineering, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)Dr Adrian Muller, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), and Institute for Environmental Decisions IED, Federal Institutes of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)Professor Pete Smith, Professor of Soils & Global Change, University of AberdeenProfessor Imke de Boer, Professor of Animal Production Systems, Wageningen UniversityTo download the report, report summary, and related blogs, articles, and resources, see the project page: http://www.fcrn.org.uk/projects/graze...Garnett T, Godde C, Muller A, Röös E, Smith P, de Boer IJM, Ermgassen E, Herrero M, van Middelaar C, Schader C and van Zanten H (2017). Grazed and confused? Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question. Food Climate Research Network, University of Oxford http://www.fcrn.org.uk
5. Changing what we eat TABLE 2017-05-07 | SESSION 4 - Panel discussion: Where to go from here?How can we create more formalised ways of working together? Why have the arts and design communities been so often excluded? How can the work and insights that these disciplines bring be truly integrated into food system sustainability work so that they are equal partners in the work, rather than acting just to visualise the results or help with outreach (at the end of the research project)? What ideas for collaborations can we think of?Dr Sara Ilstedt, Professor in Product and service design, KTH and Director of Green Leap Dr Tara Garnett, Food Climate Research Network (University of Oxford)Dr Elin Röös, Researcher SLU (Future Agriculture Programme) David Cuartielles, co-founder of the Arduino platform and Associate Prof. at Malmö University Afton Halloran, GREEiNSECT PhD Fellow / SSHRC Doctoral Fellow (Copenhagen University)Malin Lobell, Artist working with the arts, culture and the environment to explore the human relation to nature and the importance of plants.
4 Changing what we eat TABLE 2017-05-07 | SESSION 3: What can we learn from the work of the gastronomy community and what role does it play? How has the culinary sector been thinking about sustainability as applied to food and eating patterns?What ideas and perspectives do they bring, focused at different spatial or community scales, to the challenge of shifting consumption patterns? (How) can we link food experiences/pleasure and sustainability? Speakers: Roberto Flore, Head of Culinary Research and Development - Nordic Food Lab (Copenhagen)Afton Halloran, GREEiNSECT PhD Fellow / SSHRC Doctoral Fellow (Copenhagen University)Gunnar Backman, Nordisk Råvara AB (Winners of Swedish innovation agency Vinnova's competition on climate-smart protein)Snack break: Pia Qvarnström from Mögelmat introduces the food: Tempeh (made with yellow peas) in sourdough bread with pickled red onion.
3. Changing what we eat TABLE 2017-05-07 | SESSION 2: What can we learn from the work of the arts and design communities and what role do they play? How have the they been thinking about sustainability as applied to food and eating patterns?What ideas and perspectives do they bring, focused at different spatial or community scales, to the challenge of shifting consumption patterns? (How) can design-thinking and other approaches be used to facilitate dietary change for increased sustainability? Speakers: Dr Teo Enlund, KTH, Associate Professor in Technical Design and senior project manager Green Leap.David Cuartielles co-founder of the Arduino platform and Associate Prof. at Malmö University.Malin Lobell, Artist working with the arts, culture and the environment to explore the human relation to nature and the importance of plants.
2. Changing what we eat - with the help of art, design and gastronomy TABLE 2017-05-07 | SESSION 1: Mainstream scientific thinking - what do we know so far about what works, and what doesn’t?Dr Elin Röös, Researcher SLU (Future Agriculture Programme) Dr Line Gordon, Deputy director and deputy science director, Stockholm Resilience Center. This session will focus on what science and social science knows so far about the need to change diets, and the scope and limitations for doing so. What do more sustainable diets look like? What interventions and mechanisms for achieving change have been tried or are possible – from shifts in regulation, to economic instruments, voluntary and other industry agreements, labelling and public awareness raising campaigns? Why have many of these failed or been inefficient at creating the necessary shifts? What new approaches might be worth exploring? How could new disciplines and sectors (arts, design and gastronomy) help us think differently and more innovatively about the food sustainability challenge and solutions?
