Episode 30 - Relocalizing Our Food Future

Imagine creating a food future where all people have access to nourishing affordable food, growing practices are regenerative, and our food systems transition from being global and fragile to regional and resilient.

This conversation looks at our isolation from the Earth and food that nourishes us, and wonders about repairing our relationship with land and agriculture. We discuss the extractive systems on which we are dependent, and what happens when our systems are disrupted by climate change. We interrogate the prevailing economy which we have been serving and supporting - and look at other options, like a circular economy or a regenerative economy. 

Guest Barbara Swartzentruber is currently Executive Director of the Smart Cities Office at the City of Guelph, where the City and County of Wellington are collaborating with public and private sector partners to build a circular, regenerative regional food system. Building on the principles of a circular economy and leveraging the power of data, they are re-imagining a sustainable regional food system that increases access to affordable, nutritious food and finds new opportunities for waste reduction and recovery. Barbara has taught public policy, community development and advocacy at several Canadian universities, and has been appointed to expert panels and as a Senior Fellow on the circular economy at esteemed institutions, and speaks internationally about reimagining resilient local food systems. 

Facing international problems of daunting proportions, we ask: what is the role of individuals, communities, and cities? What do we want the commons to look like? How can food not only feed and nourish people, but also connect and strengthen community?