Season 5 Episode 3 – "Only as good as the organizing that accompanies it": Filmmaking as Food System Solidarity, a Conversation with Raj Patel  Featuring: Raj Patel   In this special episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we sit down with renowned author, activist, and filmmaker Raj Patel for an intimate, wide-ranging conversation about food justice, climate change, and solidarity across difference. The discussion takes listeners behind the scenes of his decade-long documentary project The Ants and the Grasshopper, co-directed with Zak Piper and centered on the powerful leadership of Malawian farmer and activist Anita Chitaya, and the work of Soils, Food, & Healthy Communities.   This episode explores how farmer-led agroecology, gender justice, and climate action are deeply intertwined. Raj reflects on the challenges and lessons of creating a truly participatory and decolonizing filmmaking process, one that ultimately shifted creative control toward Anita herself demonstrating a more ethical approach to telling stories from the Global South. The conversation dives into key themes raised by the film: the gendered burdens of food and care work, the links between climate change and domestic violence, and the role of religion, race, and class in shaping food systems politics.   Listeners also hear about the film's impact beyond the screen, from grassroots screenings in churches and social movements to its use as a tool for organizing. Throughout the episode, Raj emphasizes that real change comes not from individual actions or pity, but from collective organizing, movement-building, and an ethic of mutual liberation.    Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Dr. Laine Young & Dr. Charlie Spring   Sound Design & Editing: Laine Young    Guests  Raj Patel    Support & Funding  Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems  Balsillie School for International Affairs    Music Credits  Keenan Reimer-Watts    Resources Soils, Food & Healthy Communities (please support if you can) The Ants & the Grasshopper Film Website Film Trailer Where to Watch Apple TV Kanopy Hoopla Organizations/Projects La Via Campesina (international food sovereignty movement) MST (Brazil's Landless Workers Movement) International Shack Dwellers Movement National Family Farm Coalition National Farmers Union National Black Food & Justice Alliance Voicing Change Further Reading Patel, R., & Goodman, J. (2020). The Long New Deal. Journal of Peasant Studies, 47(3), 431–463.  Lentz, E., Beznwe Kerr, R., Patel, R., Dakishoni, L., & Lupafya, E. (2018). The invisible hand that rocks the cradle: On the limits of time use surveys. Development and Change, 50, 301-328.   Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  LinkedIn Instagram Facebook   Glossary of Terms   Agroecology  A way of farming that combines ecological science with farmer knowledge, emphasizing sustainability, biodiversity, and social justice.  Climate Justice  The idea that climate change is not just environmental, but social and political, with the greatest harms often falling on those least responsible.  Decolonizing Storytelling / Filmmaking  Practices that shift power over narratives toward the communities represented, challenging extractive or colonial approaches to media.  Food Justice  An approach to food systems that focuses on equity, who has access to good food, who produces it, and how power shapes those realities.  Food Sovereignty   The right of people and communities to define their own food systems, including cultural foodways, land access, and governance.  https://viacampesina.org/en/what-is-food-sovereignty/  Global North / Global South  Terms describing global inequalities rooted in colonialism, where wealth and power are unevenly distributed.  La Vía Campesina  A global movement of peasants and farmers advocating for food sovereignty and agrarian justice.   https://viacampesina.org/en/international-peasants-voice/ Mutual Liberation  The principle that justice and freedom are interconnected. No group can be free while others are oppressed.   Patriarchy  Social systems in which power is largely held by men, shaping inequalities in labor, decision-making, and control over resources.  Reproductive Labor (Care Work)  Often unpaid or undervalued work (cooking, caregiving, and subsistence farming) that sustains households and communities.  Solidarity  Collective action rooted in shared struggle and mutual responsibility, not charity or pity.    Discussion Questions How does the film challenge conventional representations and documentaries of hunger and food insecurity, especially in the Global South?  "You can't tackle hunger without tackling gender inequality". How does the Ants and the Grasshopper convey different threads of Anita's story (e.g. her marriage, her journey to America) to reveal connections between patriarchy, food systems, and racial capitalism (a framework asserting that capitalism is inherently dependent on racism)?   How does Anita organize effectively for change across the huge geographical and wealth gaps evident in the film? For example, what is the role of religion? How can discomfort and difference be leveraged as potent nodes for conversation and change?  What does it mean to be an activist for just food systems, for a liveable planet? What is the role for feelings of pity or even empathy, and how can we move beyond this towards solidarity or 'mutual liberation'? What is the role for social movements? And what does Raj mean by saying 'to be an activist is to liberate yourself'? 

Season 5 Episode 2 - "Taking power into their own hands ": Women Leading Food Systems Change in Canada's North, Ecuador, and Uganda  Featuring: Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer, Dr. Andrea Brown, and Carla Johnston  In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we take listeners behind the scenes of a special International Women's Day panel hosted by the Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems. This event brought together women scholars and practitioners working across diverse food systems in Ecuador, Canada's Northwest Territories, and Uganda.  Featuring insights from Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer, Carla Johnston, Dr. Andrea Brown, and your co-host, Dr. Laine Young, the episode explores how gender justice in food systems is deeply interconnected with migration, Indigenous governance, urbanization, power, and lived experience. Through case studies on urban agriculture in Quito, Indigenous food governance and agroecology in Canada's North with the Sambaa K'e First Nation and Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation, the Committee on World Food Security for the Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women and girls empowerment, and migrant food insecurity in Kampala, the speakers reflect on feminist and intersectional research, positionality, and the importance of community-based knowledge.  Together, they ask timely questions about who produces knowledge, whose voices are prioritized in research and policy, and how women and gender-diverse people are shaping more just and resilient food systems locally and globally.  Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Dr. Laine Young & Dr. Charlie Spring   Sound Design & Editing: Laine Young    Guests  Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer  Dr. Andrea Brown  Carla Johnston   Support & Funding  Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems  Balsillie School for International Affairs    Music Credits  Keenan Reimer-Watts    Resources    Price, M.J., Latta, A., Temmer, J., Johnston, C., Chiot, L., Jumbo, J., Scott, K., & Spring, A. (2022) "Agroecology in the North: centering Indigenous food sovereignty and land stewardship in agriculture 'frontiers'". Agriculture and Human Values.  Johnston, C. & Spring, A. (2021) "Grassroots and Global Governance: can global-local linkages foster food systems resilience for small northern Canadian communities?" Sustainability. 13(2415).    Brown, A.M. (2024). Refugee Protection and Food Secuirity in Kampala, Uganda. Migration & Food Security (MiFOOD) Paper No. 18.   Brown, A.M. (2022). Co-productive urban planning: Protecting and expanding food security in Uganda's secondary cities. In Liam Riley and Jonathan Crush (eds). Transforming Urban Food Systems in Secondary Cities in Africa. Palgrave  Young, L. N. (2025). Operationalizing intersectionality analysis for urban agriculture in Quito, Ecuador. Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 2762.   Rodríguez, A., Jácome-Polit, D., Santandreu, A., Paredes, D., & Álvaro, N. P. (2022). Agroecological urban agriculture and food resilience: The Case of Quito, Ecuador. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6.   Theory of Water: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG  Whose Land    Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  LinkedIn: Handpicked: Stories from the Field Podcast  Facebook: Handpicked Podcast     Glossary of Terms  Feminist Research   Research that centers gendered power relations, values lived experience and seeks social justice and equity.  Food Security  Having reliable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets dietary needs and preferences.  https://www.wfp.org/stories/food-security-what-it-means-and-why-it-matters  Food Sovereignty   The right of people and communities to define their own food systems, including cultural foodways, land access, and governance.  https://viacampesina.org/en/what-is-food-sovereignty/  Gender-Diverse   Encompassing identities beyond the binary categories of woman and man.  Global Food Governance  International institutions, policies, and processes that shape food systems and food security worldwide.  Indigenous Governance  Decision-making systems rooted in Indigenous laws, knowledge, and self-determination.  Intersectionality   A framework that examines how overlapping identities (such as gender, race, class, Indigeneity, and migration status) interact with systems and structures of power to shape lived experiences.  Positionality  The recognition of how a researcher's identity, background, and social location influence the research process.  Reflexivity  Ongoing critical self-reflection by researchers about their role, assumptions, and impact.    Discussion Questions  In what ways do women act as knowledge holders, leaders, and connectors within food systems across different contexts? How do global governance frameworks (like the UN Committee on World Food Security) both support and limit gender justice and Indigenous rights?  What similarities emerge across the case studies in Quito, the Northwest Territories, and Kampala despite their very different contexts? How do positionality and reflexivity shape the ethics and outcomes of research conducted across cultures and geographies? What does an intersectional feminist approach reveal about food systems that gender-neutral or technical approaches often miss?    Bringing Intersectionality into Research Practice: Questions to Ask Yourself as a Researcher    Where does knowledge come from and what am I counting as knowledge?   Who's bringing this knowledge forward?   How do the power relations present impact my results? How?   Why do I need to think about scale?   Am I using reflexivity in this research?   How has history impacted where we are?   Am I applying social justice principles?   Am I promoting and/or furthering equity in the research that I'm doing?  How does resilience and resistance impact the work that's being done? 

Season 5, Episode 1 - "Food as Fertile Ground for Change" Cultivating Community: Food Justice in the Bow Valley and Beyond Featuring: Dr. Lauren Kepkiewicz, Avni Soma, Syma Habib, Jun Cacayuran, Melissa West Morrison, & Dr. Tatenda Mambo  In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, our conversation comes from the Bow Valley in Alberta, where a group of organizers, researchers, and community leaders gathered in 2024 to talk about food justice and the everyday work of reshaping food systems. In this episode, Charlie Spring sits down with the event's co-organizers, Dr. Lauren Kepkiewicz and Avni Soma, to look back on what unfolded at their "Cultivating Community" gathering.  The episode brings together stories about community-led food aid, Indigenous food relationships, regenerative agriculture, migrant community organizing, and the emotional power of food to connect and transform. Alongside Lauren and Avni's reflections, listeners hear short excerpts from the event's panellists, Syma Habib, Jun Cacayuran, Melissa West Morrison, and Dr. Tatenda Mambo, whose perspectives and insights bring important nuance to the conversation.  Rather than framing food systems as problems to "fix," the episode leans into questions of relationship, responsibility, and the slow, often messy work of imagining something better together. It's a thoughtful, grounded start to the season, and an invitation to consider what food justice looks like in our own communities.    Contributors Co-Producers & Hosts: Dr. Laine Young & Dr. Charlie Spring   Sound Design & Editing: Laine Young    Guests  Dr. Lauren Kepkiewicz  Avni Soma  Syma Habib  Jun Cacayuran  Melissa West Morrison  Dr. Tatenda Mambo    Support & Funding  SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant (Lauren Kepkiewicz, Marit Rosol, Elizabeth Vibert, Eric Holt-Gimenez, and Charlie Spring)  Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems  Balsillie School for International Affairs     Music Credits  Keenan Reimer-Watts    Resources    Filipino Organization in the Rocky Mountains (FORM)  Kepkiewicz, L. & Cacayuran, J. (2022). Bringing ayuda and bayanihan to the Rockies. Mountain Life, Rocky Mountain, pp. 30.  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG  Whose Land    Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  LinkedIn: Handpicked: Stories from the Field Podcast Facebook: Handpicked Podcast 

Season 4: Episode 6 – Handpicked Presents Voicing Change - Team Reflections on Podcasting for Social Change    Featuring:   In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present the last of this season featuring the Voicing Change podcast, in an episode called 'Team Reflections on Podcasting for Social Change' in which the whole Voicing Change team got together (virtually!) to reflect on some of the lessons learned in the process of co-developing a methodology for transnational and interdisciplinary podcasting. Responding to the question "What does 'voicing change' mean to you in the context of being part of this academic Community of Practice?", team members from Canada, Kenya and Brazil discuss a number of emerging lessons, including how we co-construct meaning, the conditions necessary to elicit- and truly hear- others' voices, and thoughts on the opportunities- and challenges- of the podcast format as a way for academics to really value the voices and experiences of our interlocutors. Voicing change, it seems, is change itself.    Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring  Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam     Guests  Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Olga Millicent Awuor, Eve Nimmo, Brenda Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Renata Kempf, and Andrew Spring.     Support & Funding Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Balsillie School for International Affairs Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)    Music Credits  Ali Razmi Keenan Reimer-Watts  Resources  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG Whose Land Voicing Change  Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems CedErva Rongo University     Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc   Facebook: Handpicked Podcast   

Season 4, Episode 5– Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change – "Agroecology in Kenya"  Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Olga Awuor, Laine Young & Charlie Spring   Featuring: Clark Siaji, Caleb Omolo, Andres Kathunzi  In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, 'Agroecology in Kenya'. Voicing Change team member and radio journalist Olga Millicent Awuor interviews two community leaders in agroecological and permacultural food production in the Migori County area. They consider alternative modes of farming as pathways to greater food sovereignty, especially for marginalized groups including women and youth. How can movements and practices for agroecology support decent livelihoods while restoring ecological diversity and resilience, and what are the barriers to change in Kenya, where agrifood policy tends to encourage monocultural production for export?  Voicing Change Team: Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brenda Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring   Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam  Support & Funding  Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Balsillie School for International Affairs Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)  Music Credits Ali Razmi Keenan Reimer-Watts  Resources  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG Whose Land Voicing Change  Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems  Rongo University CedErva Rongo University  Agroecology at the FAO  Growing Small featuring Caleb's forest garden (YouTube)  Wachna Greenworld CBO (Facebook)  Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc   Facebook: Handpicked Podcast 

Season 4: Episode 3 – Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change – "Agroecology in Canada and Brazil"   Featuring: Dr Andrew Spring, Dr Eve Nimmo, Dr Erin Nelson  In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, 'Agroecology in Canada and Brazil' in which we hear from three researchers investigating what agroecology means and looks like on the ground. Dr Erin Nelson describes her own discovery of agroecology in Cuba and Ontario and how she realized that it's about more than just a set of techniques but also about a change of mindset in how we use land and resources. Additionally, it calls for knowledge co-creation between the experiential knowledge of food producers and researchers- and using this knowledge to nourish social movements that can transform agrifood policy and practices. Dr Eve Nimmo describes the Indigenous knowledge roots of agroecology in Latin America and describes agroecology as a way to work with farmers growing food in traditional ways in Brazilian forests. Dr Andrew Spring links this to Indigenous stewardship in northern Canada. But does it produce enough food?  Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring   Voicing Change Team: Olga Awuor, Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brena Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam  Guests Dr Erin Nelson Dr Eve Nimmo Dr Andrew Spring   Support & Funding  Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Balsillie School for International Affairs Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)  Music Credits  Ali Razmi Keenan Reimer-Watts  Resources  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG Whose Land Voicing Change  Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems CedErva Rongo University Agroecology at the FAO National Association of Small Farmers (Cuba) Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario    Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc   Facebook: Handpicked Podcast   

Season 4: Episode 3 – Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change - "Forests, Food, and People- Part 2"  Featuring:  Dr. Eve Nimmo, Dr. Jennifer Baltzer, Dr. Zach Ngalo, and Dr. Andre Lacerda  In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, "Forests, Food, and People – Part 2". This is the second of a two part episode where Voicing Change team member Eve Nimmo interviews three forest researchers in Southern Brazil, Migori County, Kenya, and Northern Canada about relationships between forests, food and people. In this episode we hear about threats facing forests and forest communities- and how those communities and their allies are fighting back.     Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring   Voicing Change Team: Olga Awuor, Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brena Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam     Guests  Dr. Eve NimmoDr. Jennifer Baltzer Dr. Zach NgaloDr. Andre Lacerda    Support & Funding  Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Balsillie School for International Affairs Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)    Music Credits  Ali Razmi Keenan Reimer-Watts     Resources  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG Whose Land Voicing Change  Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems CedErva Rongo University Embrapa     Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc   Facebook: Handpicked Podcast   

Season 4: Episode 2 – Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change - "Forests, Food, and People- Part 1"  Featuring: Dr. Eve Nimmo, Dr. Jennifer Baltzer, Dr. Zach Ngalo, and  Dr. Andre Lacerda  In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, "Forests, Food, and People – Part 1". This is the first of a two part episode where our guests will tell us about relationships between forests, food and people in different places. You'll hear about the different types of forests that our guests work in, how people use these forests, and how the forests are managed. Voicing Change team member Eve Nimmo interviews three forest researchers in Southern Brazil, Migori County, Kenya, and Northern Canada.  Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring   Voicing Change Team: Olga Awuor, Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brena Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam  Guests  Dr. Eve Nimmo Dr. Jennifer Baltzer Dr. Zach Ngalo Dr. Andre Lacerda  Support & Funding  Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Balsillie School for International Affairs Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)  Music Credits  Ali Razmi Keenan Reimer-Watts    Resources  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG Whose Land Voicing Change  Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems CedErva Embrapa Rongo University  Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc   Facebook: Handpicked Podcast   

Season 4: Episode 1 – Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change - "Introducing Voicing Change"  Featuring: Dr. Andrew Spring, Dr. Eve Nimmo, Enock Mac'Ouma  In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, "Introducing Voicing Change." This episode introduces the project, "Voicing Change: Co-Creating Knowledge and Capacity for Sustainable Food Systems." The project connects community partners, researchers, and students from three regions—Northwest Territories; Migori County, Kenya; and Southern Brazil—to create a Community of Practice exploring local, innovative, and sustainable food systems that centre traditional and Indigenous knowledges.     The project aims to:   -celebrate local food expertise and traditional knowledge that contribute to traditional, equitable, and culturally appropriate community food systems   -amplify the voices of community members and knowledge holders as they share their technical expertise   -spark food systems innovations that flow through the Community of Practice and are adapted and piloted in other areas   The project's goal is to build a healthier, more equitable, and socio-ecologically resilient future that is grounded in sustainable local food systems and centres Indigenous and traditional knowledges.     REGIONS AND KEY PARTNERS   Northwest Territories: Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo Southern Brazil: CEDErva and Embrapa Forestry  Migori County, Kenya: Rongo University and UNESCO Chair on Community Radio for Agricultural Education    FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENT   Voicing Change is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.     LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT   We would like to acknowledge that these podcasts have been recorded on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples in the lands now known as Canada, Brazil and Kenya. Though the histories of colonization, decolonization and reconciliation differ across these contexts, we recognise the ongoing legacies of colonial dispossession that have contributed to the food system injustices that we tackle in this podcast. Nevertheless, this podcast was also inspired by the survivance of traditional food systems based on care for the land and other beings; we acknowledge and pay our respects to the ancestors, elders and inheritors of these ways of knowing and being that continue to benefit us all to this day. In a spirit of reciprocity, we recognise the harms done by colonial powers, including by institutions of higher learning, and aim to cultivate an approach of listening and sharing knowledge rather than extracting and profiting from it.    Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring   Voicing Change Team: Olga Awuor, Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brena Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam     Guests  Dr. Andrew Spring  Dr. Eve Nimmo  Enock Mac'Ouma     Support & Funding Wilfrid Laurier University  The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Balsillie School for International Affairs Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)    Music Credits  Ali Razmi Keenan Reimer-Watts     Resources  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG Whose Land Voicing Change  Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems CedErva Rongo University     Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected]  Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc   Facebook: Handpicked Podcast   

Featuring: Naomi Robert  In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we speak with Naomi Robert, a Research & Extension Associate at the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems at Kwantlen Polytechnique University and a PhD candidate at Simon Fraser University on her new project called "Beyond GDP: Lessons for Redefining Progress in Canadian Food System Policy". Naomi discusses the problematic history of GDP as a measure of well-being in our country and how we can move towards measures that more accurately depict the well-being of Canadians.     Contributors  Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Amanda Di Battista  Producer: Charlie Spring Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam     Guests Naomi Robert   Support & FundingWilfrid Laurier University The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Balsillie School for International Affairs   Music Credits Keenan Reimer-Watts   Resources  Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG Whose Land Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Kwantlen Polytechnique University Institute for Sustainable Food Systems  Simon Fraser University – Food Systems Lab  Genuine Progress Indicator  Canadian Index of Wellbeing  Quality of Life Framework for Canada  Wellbeing Economy Alliance  Stiglitz Commission  Community Resources & Applications of Doughnut Economics    Articles, Podcasts & Essays  Podcast: Kate Raworth: "The Superorganism V. The Doughnut" - resilience   Article: This Pioneering Economist Says Our Obsession With Growth Must End - The New York Times (nytimes.com)  Essay: Economics for a Full World, by Herman Daly Daly-Economics-Full-World.pdf (greattransition.org)  Books  Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist. Chelsea Green Publishing.  Hickel, J. (2021). Less is more. Windmill Books.    References and Textbooks  Daly, H. E., & Farley, J. C. (2011). Ecological economics : principles and applications (2nd ed.). Island Press.  Daly, H. E., & Cobb. J.B. (1994). For the Common Good. (2nd ed.). Beacon Press   Connect with Us:  Email: [email protected] Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc Facebook: Handpicked Podcast   Glossary of Terms Agrifood System  "The agri-food system spans diverse supply chains, from meat and fish to dairy, eggs, crops and produce. Each supply chain involves a variety of stakeholders from farmers, processors, distributors, retailers and consumers that operate at local, provincial, national and even international levels"  https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/sustainability/for-researchers/the-agri-food-system/#:~:text=The%20agri%2Dfood%20system%20spans,national%20and%20even%20international%20levels.    Doughnut Economics  "Doughnut Economics proposes an economic mindset that's fit for our times. It's not a set of policies and institutions, but rather a way of thinking to bring about the regenerative and distributive dynamics that this century calls for. Drawing on insights from diverse schools of economic thought - including ecological, feminist, institutional, behavioural and complexity economics - it sets out seven ways to think like a 21st century economist in order to transform economies, local to global.  The starting point of Doughnut Economics is to change the goal from endless GDP growth to thriving in the Doughnut. At the same time, see the big picture by recognising that the economy is embedded within, and dependent upon, society and the living world."  https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics    Economic Growth  "An economy grows when it has the capacity to produce more. Production is based on how much capital, labor, natural resources, and technology it has to produce. Policies that encourage the accumulation of any of these leads to economic growth."  https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/ap-macroeconomics/ap-long-run-consequences-of-stabilization-policies/economic-growth/a/lesson-summary-economic-growth    Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)   "Described by its authors, the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) provides citizens and policymakers fruitful insight by recognizing economic activity that diminishes both natural and social capital. Further, the GPI is designed to measure sustainable economic welfare rather than economic activity alone. To accomplish this, the GPI uses three simple underlying principles for its methodology:  account for income inequality,  include non-market benefits that are not included in Gross Domestic Product, and  identify and deduct bads such as environmental degradation, human health effects, and loss of leisure time.  The GPI developers identified 26 indicators, then populate them with verifiable data. As one example, the pure economic activity stemming from the explosive growth of urban sprawl contributes greatly to the GDP. Yet, along with sprawl come non-economic costs such as increased commuting time, increased traffic congestion, land use conversion, and automobile impacts. In short, just because we are exchanging money within an economy does not necessarily mean that we are sustainable or prosperous."  https://dnr.maryland.gov/mdgpi/Pages/what-is-the-GPI.aspx    Gross Domestic Product (GDP) "GDP measures the monetary value of final goods and services—that is, those that are bought by the final user—produced in a country in a given period of time (say a quarter or a year). It counts all of the output generated within the borders of a country. GDP is composed of goods and services produced for sale in the market and also includes some nonmarket production, such as defense or education services provided by the government."  https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/Series/Back-to-Basics/gross-domestic-product-GDP    Migrant Labour Issues  "Shifts in demographic and economic patterns are pushing workers to cross borders for jobs in ever increasing numbers. Migrants often leave their home communities due to extreme poverty and face exploitation as they search for work in unfamiliar terrain. They are commonly subject to subcontracting schemes and precarious jobs in the informal economy. They make vital economic contributions to both their host countries and countries of origin, but confront a dire lack of workplace protection and social security."  https://laborrights.org/issues/migrant-labor    Planetary Boundaries  "The planetary boundaries concept presents a set of nine planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come.   Crossing boundaries increases the risk of generating large-scale abrupt or irreversible environmental changes. Drastic changes will not necessarily happen overnight, but together the boundaries mark a critical threshold for increasing risks to people and the ecosystems we are part of.  Boundaries are interrelated processes within the complex biophysical Earth system. This means that a global focus on climate change alone is not sufficient for increased sustainability. Instead, understanding the interplay of boundaries, especially climate, and loss of biodiversity, is key in science and practice."  https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries/the-nine-planetary-boundaries.html    Canada's Quality of Life Framework  "The Quality of Life Framework for Canada brings together data for approximately 85 key indicators on the well-being of people in Canada. The Framework enables the federal government to identify future policy priorities and to build on previous actions to improve evidence-based decision making and budgeting.  "The Quality of Life Framework for Canada is organized into domains, each of which includes a number of indicators, as shown on the Quality of Life Framework for Canada infosheet. These domains were selected based on evidence of the determinants of well-being to reflect what matters most for quality of life in Canada: prosperity, health, society, the environment and good governance. In addition, the indicators of life satisfaction and sense of meaning and purpose are included as overall measures of quality of life."  https://www160.statcan.gc.ca/index-eng.htm     Well-Being Economy  "A Wellbeing Economy is an economy designed to serve people and the planet, not the other way around. Rather than treating economic growth as an end in and of itself and pursuing it at all costs, a Wellbeing Economy puts our human and planetary needs at the centre of its activities, ensuring that these needs are all equally met, by default"  https://weall.org/what-is-wellbeing-economy    Discussion Questions  An increase in GDP is often assumed to be positive for society overall. Does this episode change your assumptions about growth?    Naomi shared some of the limitations of using GDP as a measure of well-being in the episode. What are some other examples of these types of limitations? What does GDP overlook?   How might alternatives like the "Canadian Index of Wellbeing" and "A Quality of Life Framework for Canada" help address some of the shortcomings of pursuing economic growth at all costs?    Can you imagine how your local food system might look differently if we used quality of life indicators (like public and environmental health impacts) as the primary motivators for food production and distribution?   In many ways, our current economic system forces governments to pursue economic growth (sustaining employment, repaying debt, etc.). What changes to our economic system can allow governments to pursue wellbeing over economic growth? Explore the additional resources in the show notes for more information.