Real Organic Podcast

Nicola Shirley-Phillips : Growing Organic in Jamaica

#284: Nicola Shirley-Phillips joins us to explore the crossroads facing Jamaican agriculture. She reflects on Ital food traditions, the spread of Green Revolution farming, the pressure of exports and imported processed foods, and the need to reconnect farmers, consumers, and policymakers to a more ecological, organic vision. Along the way, she introduces her idea of “organic intelligence” and describes why Jamaica could become a regional force for cleaner food if more people start asking where their food comes from and how it is grown. https://realorganicproject.org/nicola-shirley-phillips-growing-organic-jamaica The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince. The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations). To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit: https://www.realorganicproject.org/directory We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront. To read our weekly newsletter and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here: https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

State of Seed Ep 1: Welcome to the State of Seed

We have a special episode to share with you this week from our friends at the State of Seed podcast, produced by Foreign Policy and the International Seed Federation: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/state-of-seed/ Hosted by Laura Ross-brow Tell-emm, State of Seed focuses on how seeds feed and sustain the planet. Each episode features sound-rich explorations with innovative players advancing this vital resource, including leaders of multinational companies and NGOs, UN and government officials, national seed associations, scientists, and of course, farmers. You’ll hear about the key concerns keeping them up at night.  To introduce you to their great show, we’re sharing their series premiere titled “Welcome to State of Seed,” where they travel to the Netherlands to attend the centennial World Seed Congress and their annual gathering of seed leaders, including Beth Bekdoll, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Bechdoll comes from a grain farming family going back seven generations, and she has great insights into what the policy world misunderstands about agriculture and the key barriers farmers face in accessing quality seed.  If you enjoy today’s episode, be sure to check out State of Seed, available on your favorite podcast app. And tell them, Real Organic Podcast sent you!

Chuck Benbrook: The Supreme Court’s Big Win for Bayer-Monsanto

Chuck Benbrook returns for an urgent conversation about the Supreme Court ruling in favor of Bayer-Monsanto and the wider consequences for public health, pesticide regulation, and the future of farming. He explains how the decision weakens one of the most important legal tools available to people harmed by pesticides, why it matters far beyond Roundup, and how the same political forces now shaping pesticide policy are also redefining “regenerative” agriculture in ways that could strengthen the industrial system rather than replace it. https://realorganicproject.org/chuck-benbrook-supreme-court-big-win-for-bayer-monsanto The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince. The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations). To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit: https://www.realorganicproject.org/directory We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront. To read our weekly newsletter and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here: https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Coalition of Immokalee Workers: Why The Fair Food Program Works

#282: Greg Asbed and Gerardo Reyes Chávez join us again for a deeper look at how the Coalition of Immokalee Workers turned one of the most exploited sectors of the food system into a model for change. They trace the path from wage theft, sexual violence, and modern-day slavery in the fields of Florida to a proven system of prevention that is now influencing labor protections across the globe and challenging the empty promises of corporate social responsibility to show what real accountability can look like. https://realorganicproject.org/coalition-imokalee-workers-why-fair-food-program-works The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations). To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit: https://www.realorganicproject.org/directory We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront. To read our weekly newsletter and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here: https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Laura Orlando: PFAS, Sewage Sludge, And Poisoned Farms

#281: Laura Orlando explains what happens when industrial waste and human waste are routed into the same sewage system and repackaged to be sold as something safe - valuable even, for improving farmland. She explains how sludge spreading has poisoned farms, why Maine became a national beacon by banning its application, and what it will take to stop sewage sludge from becoming an even bigger crisis for farmers, soil, water, and public health. https://realorganicproject.org/laura-orlando-pfas-sewage-sludge-poisoned-farms The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince. The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations). To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit: https://www.realorganicproject.org/directory We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront. To read our weekly newsletter and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here: https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/