Diversity is strength: In support of the small-scale farmer, with Timothy Wise | Ep. 23

            In this episode we talk to Timothy A Wise, author of Eating Tomorrow: Agriculture, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food. Recently, I interviewed a guest on this show representing the African Green Revolution Forum—an entity that promotes large-scale agriculture involving multinational companies as the key to Africa’s economic development. In response to that interview, listeners to this podcast asked if we could present an alternative view that might help us understand the risks and challenges of the AGRF approach.
            In the interest of fairness—and of seeing issues from all perspectives--I’ve invited Timothy Wise to that end. He argues that the key to a more sustainable, earth-friendly mode of development is not industrial agriculture—which, he explains, does much to harm the environment and disrupts local cultures. Rather, in his view we need to be supporting the work of small farmers, whose local knowledge and relationship to the land actually helps them to farm in ways that promote environmental health and produce food that is better for us.

Keywords:  industrial agriculture, Gates Foundation, African Green Revolution Forum, African Green Revolution Alliance, sustainable farming, small farm, Millennium Development Goals, seed patent, indigenous agriculture, local knowledge, community development, restorative agriculture, farmer cooperatives, climate change

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Notes:

Tim’s web page (with a catalog of all his writings and a lot from the book):
https://www.timothyawise.com/

His book: Eating Tomorrow: Agriculture, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food:  https://www.timothyawise.com/book

Book excerpts: https://www.timothyawise.com/book#Excerpts

Video: set of clips from a great book launch in NY with Mark Bittman and Vandana Shiva

Book presentation, Seattle Town Hall, October 2019, with AFSA’s Million Belay

AGRA: https://agra.org

Earthkeepers interview with AGRF’s Debisi Araba: https://www.circlewood.online/podcastepisodes/episode/4798e197/a-beacon-of-hope-for-the-world-debisi-araba-and-the-african-green-revolution-forum

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