Release Date: June 14th, 2023
Uncover the truths behind the big rallying cries of the current climate moment – technological savourism, regenerative ag, the sanctity of plant-based diets, you get the picture. Alongside our guest Ayla Fenton, the team will give their hot takes on some of the biggest myths and falsehoods when it comes to the narratives and representation of the relationship between farmers and the climate.
More on the myths you heard about today at the links below.
- Nyeleni – Newsletter no 46 Dec 2021
- La Via Campesina – Agroecology and Peasant Seeds
- ETC Group / IG: etc_group_
- ETC Group – Rise of the Petri-Proteins
- ETC Group – Who Will Feed Us report
- Hootwinked in the Hothouse – Third Edition
- Bioneers – Decolonizing Regenerative Agriculture: An Indigenous Perspective
- Civil Eats – Does Regenerative Agriculture have a Race Problem?
Cast
Madeline (Maddie) Marmor— Host/Producer
Maddie is a landless farmer born in downtown Toronto. She has been farming for the past 7 years on farms throughout Ontario and has grown food on the current and traditional lands of the Houdensaunee, Anishinabewaki, Attiwonderonk, Mississauga, Odawa, Wendake-Nionwentsïo, Petun, Saugeene - Ojibiway nations.Over the years she has come to recognize the privilege and political significance of farming on stolen land, knowledge which has informed her dedication to food sovereignty and agroecology. She is a member of the National Farmers Union and sits on the Climate Justice collective for the international social movement La Via Campesina.
Aliyah Fraser — Co-Host/Producer
Aliyah is a Kitchener-based farmer who owns and operates a quarter acre market garden called Lucky Bug Farm on rented land in Waterloo Region where she grows a variety of produce for a small CSA program. The farm operates within the Haldimand Tract in Kitchener, Ontario and is on the traditional territory of the Mississauga, Anishnabeg, Attiwonderonk (neutral) and Haudenoshaunee peoples. She imagines a food system where more people have access to ecologically grown food, where there is less waste and where there's a better understanding of the labour it takes to get food from the farm to the table. Aliyah also has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies in Urban planning from the University of Waterloo. She believes that food and housing are human rights. She lives in Kitchener, Ontario with her partner Thomas and cat Frankie.
luckybugfarm.com | @luckybugfarm
Stuart Oke — Co-host/Executive Producer
Stuart is a young farmer from Eastern Ontario who, alongside his partner Nikki, owns and operates Rooted Oak Farm, a 12 acre organic vegetable and cut flower farm. After years of renting land Rooted Oak in 2020 relocated to Eastern Ontario, and the traditional territory of the Anishinabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudensaunee and Oneida Peoples. In addition to loving food and taking pride in growing food that sustains people, the farm was founded on the idea that farming is a political act, one capable of creating great change. Stuart is a former Youth President for the National Farmers Union and Vice President for Canadian Organic Growers. He chairs the National Farmers Union climate committee and is a contributor to Canada's Sustainable Agriculture Strategy. He also works on the Farm Resilience and Mentorship Program with the National Farmer Coalition Farmers for Climate Solutions.
www.rootedoak.ca | @rootedoakfarm
Ayla Fenton — Guest
Ayla is a first-generation farmer and community organizer. She graduated from Queen's University in 2011 with a B. Sc (Honours) in Biology, and since 2013 has been working on local organic farms, learning regenerative production methods for vegetables, livestock, cereal grains and dairy. Since. Ayla has been a board member of the National Farmers Union, and is a former Youth President. She has been involved with organizing young farmers and farmworkers nationally and internationally, advocating for the transition to agroecology, food sovereignty and climate justice. Ayla also represents the NFU in the global peasant movement La Via Campesina.