Decades and Weeks with Professor Tom MacMillan.

Welcome back to season 2 of Gut the System and do we have a ripper of an episode to start the series!

In this week’s episode I am joined by highly perceptive and deeply passionate Professor Tom MacMillan, CEO of Ag-Impact.

I first encountered Tom while I was studying at the RAU, he was then holding the Elizabeth Creek chair In Rural policy and strategy. I was not fully aware it of the time but Tom’s name and mind, even though he would never openly say this himself, he is very modest, has been behind some of the UK’s foremost innovative programmes, trials and papers related to agricultural innovation, food policies and funding programmes. Many of which are directed at helping farmers research and fund the transition towards more Agroecological farming systems. Tom is truly prolific and yet understated at the same time.

During our walk, through the eclectic Stroud countryside, we encountered living and breathing case studies of community supported agriculture, we mused on the role of research and its applicability to farming and Toms roles across the Soil Association and with the FFCC and final turning our minds to the rocky world of current government funding and subsidies. Throughout his working life Tom maintains a truly can-do attitude, even when faced with extremely testing conditions presented by government and policy. 

I greatly enjoyed my walk and talk with Tom and I hope you do to. 

https://www.innovativefarmers.org/

https://farminginnovation.ukri.org/adopt/

https://www.ag-impact.org/

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

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