What the Field?! A podcast by CrowdFarming

This month’s episode from “What The Field?!” is one of our personal favourites, our guest is Eduardo Cuoco, director of IFOAM Organics Europe. IFOAM Organics Europe is the European umbrella organisation for organic food and farming. For more than 20 years, they have been representing organic in European policymaking and advocating for a transformation of food and farming. Their work is based on the principles of organic agriculture – health, ecology, fairness, and care.

In this new episode of “What The Field?!” we discover the fascinating story of Portuguese farmer Sergio Nicolau. Like most farmers, he grew up in a farming family and went to agronomy school to learn the ways. However, he soon started to realise the negative impact climate change — and conventional practices — were having on his farm and after doing quite a bit of consulting work for other farms, he realised he wasn’t alone.

In this new episode of What the Field, we invited the creator of Fork Ranger, Frank Holleman. More than just an app or cookbook, Fork Ranger is a multifaceted solution to two contemporary challenges: what to do about climate change and what to prepare for dinner each night.

In our latest episode, we had the pleasure of chatting with Meghan Sapp, a remarkable farmer and co-founder of the “Hub del Norte”, one of the many hubs that are part of the Savory Institute network. Here she focuses on holistic management and regenerative agriculture with farmers across the north half of the Iberian Peninsula and the South of France.

In this episode of "What The Field", Hannah Wickes, former CMO of Ecosia, guides us through the complexity behind reforestation, and the connection between forests and agriculture. She shares her approach to impact the business landscape, from established giants to entrepreneurs looking to change the status quo.

 In this episode, we engage with Brent Loken, the Global Food Lead Scientist at WWF, as he delves into the intricate world of food systems' impact. Loken's role spans nearly 100 countries, where he oversees food-related scientific endeavors, emphasizing the connection between research and actionable solutions while respecting global culinary traditions. 

Juliana Jaramillo leads the Rainforest Alliance's regenerative agriculture initiative. Some of you may be familiar with their "green frog" certification! We talked to her about the Rainforest Alliance's mission and her views on regenerative agriculture. Juliana emphasized its significance and how it's not a blanket solution and the approach must be adapted to local realities and contexts. Becoming a regenerative producer is a journey and starting from conventional farming, the path involves efficiency, substitution of harmful inputs, and a complete system redesign she told us.

Wir tauchen ein in das aufregende Leben und die Vision von Friedrich Lehmann, der auf den Feldern von Huelva, Spanien, wo er seine Finca hat, den Spitznamen "der verrückte Deutsche" trägt. Aber lass dich von seinem Spitznamen nicht täuschen, denn hinter dem Namen verbirgt sich ein erfahrener Landwirt und Visionär, der sich der Permakultur und seiner Naturverbundenheit verschrieben hat. Friedrich, oder Federico, wie er in der Region auch genannt wird, nimmt uns mit auf eine Reise von seinen deutschen Wurzeln bis zu seiner Liebe auf den ersten Blick zu Huelva im Jahr 1985. Im Laufe der Jahre hat Friedrich nicht nur das Land restauriert und sich der biologischen, biodynamischen und permakulturellen Landwirtschaft zugewandt, sondern sein Wissen auch weitergetragen und seine Finca als Verkörperung für Permakultur verwandelt.Hör rein um mehr zu erfahren!

Luis Leblanc Torres from the farmer collective Alvelal Foods lives in one of the driest areas of Europe, the Altiplano of Murcia. Together with his partners in crime, they are  trying to get people back to their land, to combat the rural exodus. They see restoring the land as an opportunity for giving back while also harvesting and producing food. For Alvelal, regenerative agriculture is not just a cultivation method but  a tool for the restoration of a landscape.The question at the centre of Alvelal Foods' activities: "How can we rebuild a society where the farmer is the protagonist?"Find out about what Luis had to say about the transformative power of regenerative agriculture by tuning in!

"Wir könnten den Klimawandeln tatsächlich sogar umkehren, wenn wir global regenerative Landwirtschaft betreiben"Philippe Birker, Mitbegründer von Climate Farmers, ist in Geilenkirchen groß geworden. Nach einem Studium in den Niederlanden und der Mitarbeit an Unternehmen wie Fairphone, kaufte er sich zusammen mit einer Gruppe von Freuden ein leerstehendes Dorf in Portugal, wo er begann, sich für regenerative Landwirtschaft zu interessieren. Zentral war dabei für ihn die Frage: "Wie kann ich die Leute aus der Stadt in die Natur bringen?" Bei einer Pilgerreise zu 60 Landwirten in ganz Westeuropa fand er dabei für sich die Antwort auf viele der Probleme, die wir heute haben: Die Skalierung von Regenerativer Landwirtschaft. Um Landwirten bei der Umstellung zu helfen, gründete er Climate Farmers. Ziel ist, dass Landwirte nicht wie aktuell für mehr Ertrag belohnt werden, sondern für den Aufbau gesünder Böden und Kohlenstoffspeicherung.Zur Flutkatastrophe die vor ein paar Jahren auch sein Heimatdorf Geilenkirchen betraf, hat die Bodenerosion maßgeblich beigetragen, findet Phillipe. Bodengesundheit aufbauen, so meint er,  würde nicht nur die Wasserspeicherkapazität unserer Böden verbessern, sondern auch generell für mehr Resilienz in der Landwirtschaft sorgen.Hör rein um mehr zu erfahren!

Life in plastic...is obviously not fantastic. And yet we can't seem to live without it.In this episode we talk to Garance Boullenger, Project Manager Plastics Initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, about the complexities that are behind our obsession with plastic.Why is plastic being "demonized" in the first place?How helpful is recycling?What can be done to minimize plastic pollution?How is plastic related to climate change?And why are the alternatives sometimes worse than the original?Garance's fact-based approach provides us with eye-opening insight on what is probably the most controversial material out there.Tune in to find out more!

Johannes Grenzebach beschloss eines Tages sich im Quinoa-Anbau zu versuchen. Was in Peru nichts Ungewöhnliches wäre ist für den jungen Landwirt ein Abenteuer - denn seine Felder befinden sich in Hessen.  Als er mit seinen Freunden "Mudda Natur" gründet gibt es über den Anbau der oft als "Superfood" vermarkteten Pflanze in Deutschland noch rund kein Wissen, es ist kein leichtes Unterfangen. Aber er will Menschen mit Glutenintoleranz unbedingt eine heimische Alternative bieten können.  Wir sprechen mit ihm über alles Mögliche, wie:Seine Geschichte als junger deutscher Landwirt mit einer neuen Idee Der harten Weg der Umstellung auf Bio-AnbauAlles über Quinoa: Nährstoffe, Nachhaltigkeit, Zubereitungsmöglichkeiten und wie  man den bitteren Geschmack los wirdHört rein um mehr zu erfahren!

B Corp is a global certification that certifies the social and environmental impact of a company, aiming to change the economic system towards accountability and a stronger community focus.  More and more conscious consumers are looking out for the circled B on websites and products to determine whether a company is sustainable. But how easily is the certification handed out? What does B Corp really stand for?  And how do they make sure that they're not being used for greenwashing?Maria Correa, Head of Communications and Community Engagement at B Lab Europe answers all of this and more in a candid discussion about the advantages and limitations of B Corp from both a company and a consumer perspective.  

*Disclaimer: Due to popular demand, we have decided to do this episode in German, but we will still publish in English once a month!Die Mittelmeerdiät soll die beste Ernährungsform sein. Wie kommt man zu der Annahme? Warum spielt  Olivenöl so eine große Rolle? Ist Olivenöl nicht krebserregend wenn es erhitzt wird? Und wie stehen die Verfechter der Mittelmeerdiät zu Fleischkonsum?All das und mehr beantwortet uns Dra.Estefania Toledo,  Professorin für Präventivmedizin und öffentliche Gesundheit, die auch an der berühmten PREDIMED-Studie mitgewirkt hat, die ebenfalls in dieser Folge zur Sprache kommt.Hört rein um mehr zu erfahren und die erste deutschprachige Folge von What The Field?! zu entdecken!

The topic of animal products has become a subject of heated discussions in the past decade. There’s a seemingly unbreachable chasm between vegans and meat lovers, farmers and politicians, climate scientists and nutritionists. While we don't sell meat at CrowdFarming, we do sell cheese. We are often confronted with whether that choice is in keeping with our sustainability ethos. This is why we invited experts from two sides to discuss the different aspects of animal husbandry and cheese production: Cristina Domecq, our Sustainability Director, and Antonia Herm-Stapelberg, our Farmer Analyst and daughter of dairy farmers. They help us dismantle the two main issues, environmental impact and animal welfare, but also touch upon the social implications and what the reality for our farmers looks like.Although the topic is complex and very controversial, we did our best to answer all of the most common questions we receive regarding milk production, including:Is there a distinction between organic and non-organic in terms of animal welfare?Why are the young separated from their mothers right after birth?What is the difference between cheese from the supermarket and CrowdFarming cheese?Listen in to find out more! 

Charles Dowding, award-winning organic gardener, book author and creator of the “No Dig” method has a recommendation that will make all those looking to grow their own food very happy: leave your soil alone!In this podcast he explains to us why that is, what’s most important for our soil to be healthy, how to treat it and how to achieve a bountiful harvest without using any chemicals. We also get philosophical and talk about our food system, whether food security can be achieved through organic food production and the importance of educating youth. Did you know that gardening can improve both your mental and physical health? Tune in to find out how your gut is related to gardening, how the No Dig method works and more!

In this episode, Alessio Terzi, Economist at the European Commission and author of "Growth for Good" talks about how we can reconcile economic growth with sustainability. While circularity and phasing out fossil fuels are important pillars of a green economy, we also need a determined society that demands to put nature first  - "We need action from all sides".Some major questions we discuss include:How important is the role of policy to achieve a "green economy"?Can new sustainability-oriented business models thrive in the current socioeconomic (inflation!) climate?How is the war on Ukraine affecting the "green transition?Tune in to learn more!

A shocking third of all the food produced worldwide is thrown away, while millions are starving. How did we get to this point? Why is it so hard to avoid food waste? And what is the difference  between food waste and food loss?Too Good to Go's Helena Calvo shares her perspective with us and explains what the company is doing to make an impact.  We discuss the complexities of the food waste issue, where most of it ocurrs, its relation to emissions, why households are not necessarily to blame and what we can all do to better the appalling inefficiency of the food system. To put it in Helena's words: "It's nonsense!" 

Welcome to our new series of What The Field audio articles where you can get your fresh news straight from the farm to your ears! Find the complete written article on our blog.The organic certification is based on a list of permitted and prohibited practices, which undoubtedly play a fundamental role in protecting the environment from the more damaging techniques of the conventional system. However, as the results are not measured in the environment, a certified organic farmer may not be regenerating his ecosystem. Therefore the only way to call yourself a "regenerative farmer" is to prove that you are regenerating the soil, the biodiversity and the environment in which you operate.

What is the connection between climate change and agriculture?Why are wildfires becoming more and more frequent in Europe? And what can we do about it?Dr.Emilio Chuvieco Salinero is the winner of  the Jaume I Prize for Environmental Protection 2022 and a Professor of Geography. He is also the author of 33 books and 402 papers and serves as the scientific leader of the Fire CCI project of the European Space Agency as well as scientific coordinator for the European project FirEUrisk. As such, he is the perfect partner to dive into the controversies of climate change with, and explore a topic that became especially relevant this past summer: wildfires.At a time where political discourse has taken over the climate debate, this episode tries to bring it back to scientific grounds and the down-to-earth world of farming. Whether you are looking for some arguments to counter climate-change-deniers or want to know what the main causes of wildfires are (and what shepherds have got to do with!), this one's for you.Let's make scientists the new influencers!