The Sustainable Food Trust Podcast (Patrick Holden)

Joining our CEO, Patrick Holden, for this episode of the podcast is Jamie Feilden, founder of Jamie’s Farm.

Jamie Feilden founded Jamie’s Farm in 2009, a charity which seeks to transform the lives of vulnerable children through farming, food and therapy. 15 years later, Jamie’s Farm works with over 2,300 children a year across seven farms, and aims to offer as many children as possible an opportunity to improve their wellbeing, boost engagement and develop key life-skills, whilst spending time on a farm. 

In this episode, Jamie shares with Patrick how his experiences as a history teacher in Croydon led to the inception of Jamie’s Farm, as well as discussing his recent involvement in the SFT’s Beacon Farms Network, and why an educated public is key to achieving positive change across our food and farming systems.

Visit Jamie’s Farm here to find out more about their work and follow them on their social media channels at @JamiesFarm.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up to date with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

Arizona Muse is considered an icon in the modelling world and has starred in campaigns for the world’s best-known fashion houses. She is an activist, educator and founded DIRT, a charity that promotes and supports biodynamic farming. Arizona has also spent time as an impact-consultant for brands looking to lower their environmental impact.

Muse joins Patrick to discuss her journey from super model to environmental activist and the similar challenges that are currently facing fashion and food. They discuss why biodynamic farming is so relevant today, and how we can all take inspiration from peoples who know their place is within nature rather than beside it.

Bringing the fourth series of the SFT podcast to a close, Patrick Holden caught up with longtime friend and one of the pioneers of the UK’s organic farming movement, Iain ‘Tolly’ Tolhurst.

“We need to bring farming back into society. It’s become completely divorced from society.”

Tolhurst Organic, located on the Hardwick Estate between the Chilterns and the river Thames, is a model of sustainability, and one of the longest running organic vegetable farms in England.

For over 40 years, Tolly has been producing a wide range of seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables, which are sold to the local community through a box scheme. His farm was the first to attain the “Stockfree Organic” symbol in 2004, and there have been no grazing animals and no animal inputs to any part of the farm for over 30 years. To build soil fertility, Iain uses green manures as part of a crop rotation, as well as using vegetable and woodchip compost from waste materials.

With his extensive knowledge and experience of organic food production, Iain also delivers educational talks across the UK and beyond, and runs a consultancy service giving advice on organic conversion and production, helping to train and educate farmers and growers for the future.

During this episode, Patrick and Tolly explore the economics of farming and what it means to pay the ‘right price’ for our food. Tolly also talks about the productive capacity of Tolhurst Organic and how they’re feeding the surrounding community through their veg box scheme. Patrick and Iain delve into the current state of the UK farming sector amidst the changing policy around farm subsidies and how this is affecting both organic and conventional farmers, before closing with a conversation on the importance of demonstration farms for informing and educating people about the story behind their food and the need to incentivise farmers for this.

To find out more about Iain and Tolhurst Organic, follow @tolhurstorganicveg on Instagram, or visit www.tolhurstorganic.co.uk.

This conversation has been split into two episodes – for part one click here, or find the episode wherever you get your podcasts from.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

In this special edition, Richard Dunne, the Sustainable Food Trust's Director of Harmony in Education, speaks to co-founder of the Eden Project, Sir Tim Smit, about his personal experiences of education and fascination with the natural world, as well as what lessons he learnt from the restoration of the Lost Gardens of Heligan and creation of Eden. 

For this episode of the SFT podcast, Patrick Holden travelled to the Cotswolds to catch up with Dame Prue Leith – renowned restaurateur, cook, novelist and judge on the hugely popular Great British Bake Off.

Prue recounts the incredible life she has led, from growing up in South Africa during Apartheid, to living in France where she discovered her passion for cooking.

Prue and Patrick’s far-ranging discussion takes in everything from the value of cooking from scratch and the insidious rise of ultra-processed foods to the importance of connecting chefs with the provenance of their ingredients and the role of economics in enabling widescale uptake of organic and regenerative farming methods. 

Prue Leith’s Cotswold Kitchen launches on ITV1 and ITVX on Saturday 24th February, and you can find out more about autobiography I’ll Try Anything Once here.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

In the opening episode of our new podcast series, Patrick Holden is joined by vegetarian cook and bestselling author, Anna Jones. The conversation begins by exploring a question that is on the minds of many, ‘what should I eat to be healthy and sustainable?’. While Anna and Patrick’s responses to the question differ slightly, they remain for the most part united by a shared goal – the transition to more sustainable food systems.

A special edition podcast covering our 2022 Fir Farm Conference: A Roadmap to Sustainable Farming.

Find out about more events on our website.

In this week’s podcast, Patrick Holden speaks to Dr Zach Bush – the internationally renowned, multi-disciplinary physician, founder of Farmers’ Footprint.

Together, they discuss the intricate intersections between the microbiome, nutrition and chronic diseases, highlighting the devastating impact of chemical herbicides and pesticides on both soil and human health.

In episode two of our second podcast series, Patrick is joined by Tom Watson, former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Tom was also a speaker at The Sustainable Food Trust's 2019 Farming and Climate Change event at Fir Farm in Gloucestershire, during which he shared his health journey. Tom and Patrick discuss challenging orthodoxies around nutrition and agriculture as well as the recent publication of the UK’s National Food Strategy.

In this week’s podcast, Patrick speaks to Alice Waters – founder of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, International Vice President of the Slow Food Movement, and widely celebrated for her work with the Edible Schoolyard Project.

Alice's revolutionary understanding of food as a political act and a tool to influence positive change underpinned the various subsequent stages of her remarkable career and she believes now is the time for a ‘delicious revolution’. 

In this latest Sustainable Food Trust podcast, Patrick Holden talks to Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and a fellow, organic farmer in Wales. On the premises of Fir Farm in the Cotswolds, Patrick talks to Sue about her journey into farming, from her Welsh heritage, to attending Atlantic College, and later becoming the Chief Executive of the FFCC.

In this episode Patrick speaks to American farmer and pioneer in regenerative agriculture, Joel Salatin, about local and resilient food systems. 

Joel raises livestock at Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. Meat from the farm is normally sold by direct marketing to consumers and restaurants, however the farm’s direct sales method has had to adapt to the challenges caused by the coronavirus crisis. Joel’s new online order and ‘drive through’ pick-up approach offers hope and inspiration for other farmers having to adapt.

Joel and Patrick discuss the ingenuity of farmers faced with a challenge and the emergence of a new consciousness around resilient, food secure systems.

Weathering the current storm at Polyface, Joel says that “during this time of anxiety and worry, sometimes it’s good to know that the apple blossoms are still on the trees and the honey bees are coming out – it offers a sense of normality in an otherwise abnormal time”.

This week’s podcast features Patrick in conversation with journalist and broadcaster John Humphrys. Patrick and John have known each other for more than 30 years, initially through John’s involvement with organic dairy farming in West Wales, during which time they have had an ongoing dialogue, both public and private, about the need for changing our food systems and the reasons why it isn’t happening fast enough.

Themes explored during the conversation include – why John believes only a catastrophe will provide enough motivation to persuade people to pay more for sustainable food, how well the supermarkets have performed during the Covid emergency, where John Humphrys does his food shopping, why policy makers are unlikely to introduce the polluter pays principle.

Over the course of the conversation they debate whether the sustainable food movement has been successful along with how the food system has coped with coronavirus and what it will take for people to question where their food comes from more rigorously.

As we reach the halfway point in this current series of the SFT podcast, Patrick Holden becomes the interviewee in a conversation with Dave Chapman on all things organic.

Dave is the co-founder of the Real Organic Project, a farmer-led movement based in the US which aims to strengthen people’s understanding of the organic movement, including the traditional values and practices. Dave has devoted much of his life to organic farming and is also the co-founder of Vermont Organic Farmers.

In this episode, Patrick and Dave both share how they came to be involved in the organic movement in the UK and US respectively, and reflect on how the movement has changed over time and continues to develop across the world. Later on in the episode, they discuss the challenges associated with commercialising organic standards and how in doing so this risks diluting the philosophy and basic principles behind the movement. Speaking from the US, Dave also talks about how organic standards there have deteriorated in recent years with the rise of so-called organic CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) and hydroponics, and how this could influence the organic standards of other countries around the world.

To find out more about the Real Organic Project, visit https://realorganicproject.org.

This episode is also available to listen to on the Real Organic Project’s website here.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

Visit Good Gardners International here to find out more about their work and follow them on their social media channels @GoodGardenersINTL.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up to date with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

In this episode, Patrick speaks to Green Party politician Caroline Lucas. Caroline has twice led the party and has been the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion since the 2010 general election.

The coronavirus has exposed the “intense fragility of our current food system” says Caroline.

Reflecting on the impact that the coronavirus is having across the UK, Patrick and Caroline discuss the UK Government’s response to the pandemic, and consider how to help ensure that people can get access to healthy and sustainable food during times of crisis.

Caroline and Patrick also discuss the Agriculture Bill and food security, the importance of local food systems and a green framework for the future.

In this first episode, Patrick Holden meets Sophie Gregory – one of the UK’s most prominent first-generation dairy farmers. With a passion for connecting more people with the origins of their food, Sophie talks to Patrick about how she first got into farming, her plans for her Nuffield scholarship on the future of organic, and why she feels education on food and farming is so essential.

Want to find out more about Sophie and her farm? Find her on Instagram: @farmer_in_training

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to the main podcast page on our website at sustainablefoodtrust.org. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook @SusFoodTrust.

In this week's episode Patrick speaks to author and former Conservative member of the European Parliament Stanley Johnson. Since 1951 his family has farmed on Exmoor, on the Devon-Somerset border, and Stanley still manages the farm there today.

During the conversation, Stanley and Patrick discuss agricultural trade with the European Union, the opportunity for food and farming to form a central part of COP21, animal welfare standards in relation to the Agriculture Bill and the current 'war on obesity'. 

Dr Claire Whittle is a farm vet, Nuffield scholar, but above all, a dung beetle enthusiast.  

In the UK, there are 60 species of dung beetle, which fall into the categories of 'dwellers', 'stealers' and 'tunnellers'. Each beetle plays a vital part in breaking down dung, improving soil health, suppressing pests, and even reducing greenhouse gas emissions and flood risk. 

A recent study showed that many of our dung beetle species are in serious trouble, with almost 50% categorised as scarce or threatened nationally. A key cause of this? Agricultural practices that damage the fragile dung biome. 

In the podcast, Claire explains the important role dung beetles can play in preventative care, crucial in a world of ever-increasing drug resistance. She explains how dung beetles are vital to a return to homeostasis and ecological health on farms, and what farmers can do to help these critical critters. 

Books mentioned in this episode:

Wilding, by Isabella Tree

The Secret Life of Cows, by Rosamund Young

Silent Earth, by Dave Goulson

Silent Spring, by Rachel Carlson

Keep up to date with Claire Whittle’s work via Instagram, and Dung Beetles for Farmers.

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While in Dubai at COP28, Patrick caught up with Helmy Abouleish, who – through his work as CEO of sustainable development initiative, SEKEM – has launched a soil carbon credit scheme in Egypt, bringing together around 40,000 farmers who are mainly smallholders farming biodynamically and organically. 

With food and agriculture a central theme at this year’s COP, the SEKEM model, which honours farmers for their ecosystem services, including saving water, improving soil carbon, planting trees and increasing biodiversity, is a focus of conversation. 

From reclaiming desert land to natural pest control, cattle management and composting, Helmy describes how SEKEM has brought life to the desert in Egypt. 

The initiative is about much more than just farming, with schools, a university, medical centre and arts department serving the local community. “It’s not only about the tractor” says Helmy, “it’s also about the music.” 

“The spirit of COP needs to be about collaboration, synching our differences and acting in the common interest.”

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to the main podcast page on our website at sustainablefoodtrust.org. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook @SusFoodTrust.

In this week's podcast, Patrick talks to President of the National Farmers Union Minette Batters about what we can learn from coronavirus pandemic in terms of the Agriculture Bill, as well as discussing the potential for re-establishing the local food agenda, the role of livestock in sustainable farming systems, and whether or not food should be considered a public good.

In this week’s podcast, Patrick Holden is joined by Thomasina Miers, co-founder of restaurant chain Wahaca, which has won numerous awards for its food and sustainability credentials. Thomasina’s passion lies in food and the environment, co-founding the Pig Idea in 2015 in an effort to tackle food waste, she is a trustee of Chefs in Schools and is an ambassador for the Soil Association. In 2019 she was awarded an OBE for services to the food industry, and continues to be a pioneer of sustainability in the world of hospitality and beyond.

This week Patrick is joined by Tim Spector, professor of Genetic Epidemiology, author, and co-founder of personalised microbiome and nutrition analysis company ZOE. They discuss the microbiome of the human gut and its similarities to the microbiome of soil, exploring how farmers might influence the diversity of several microbiomes through their practices, and how legislation might be altered to support microbial diversity.

See more of Tim Spector's work via Twitter, his website and his books

In this week’s podcast, Patrick is joined by Lord Benyon, the UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DEFRA. Lord Benyon is himself a farmer and landowner and was a Member of Parliament for 15 years, serving as Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries during the coalition government. During the conversation, Lord Benyon shares his thoughts on regenerative farming, the land sharing vs land sparing debate and the importance of small, family farms. 

Journalist and broadcaster Dan Saladino joins us for this episode. Dan is best known for his work as a food writer, and for his long-term contribution to the BBC's Food Programme. 

 
Dan’s recently published book Eating to Extinction:The World’s Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them, involved 10 years of travel and research, exploring the plight of unique food systems which are threatened and rapidly disappearing. Inspired by Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, Dan explains the impact of industrialisation on our farming systems and what this means for our food culture. Starting with the Sicilian orange groves of his childhood, the past leads to the present and questions of whether the diversity of our food can be saved, and the need to exert collective pressure on the existing food system and demand food with a better story.

In our latest episode, Patrick is joined by Nicolette Hahn Niman, author of the recently re-published book Defending Beef. Nicolette began her career as an environmental lawyer and was a vegetarian for 33 years before becoming a cattle rancher and an advocate for the role of livestock in sustainable farming systems. 

In this week's podcast, Patrick speaks with young horticulturalist Huw Richards, who tends an 11 acre plot in West Wales and shares his growing experiences with a large online audience.

Huw shares what led to his childhood passion for growing, his ambition to "make food growing less complicated" and his belief that "seasonal and local diets are the most sustainable". 

In this episode of the SFT podcast, Patrick Holden sat down with John and Alice Pawsey, pioneering organic farmers of Shimpling Park Farm in Suffolk.

As well as farming 650 hectares of arable land and 1,000 New Zealand Romney breeding ewes, Shimpling Park also farms an additional 980 hectares of land for neighbouring farmers, all of which are managed organically. Diversifications on the farm include an extensive environmental scheme to support nature-friendly farming and various renewable energy projects, and the farm regularly hosts school visits and events.

During the conversation, John and Alice discuss their journey from conventional to organic agriculture, as well as their decision to re-integrate livestock into their mainly arable system. They also touch on the role of farms as educational centres to help connect people with the story behind their food, before finishing with a discussion on agricultural policy and what the future of farming looks like for organic farmers, following the introduction of new environmental land management schemes.

John and Alice also feature in the SFT's Feeding Britain from the Ground Up report, as an example of what future farming could look like. To find out more about their farm, watch this video.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

In this pre-Christmas podcast, Patrick speaks to a very special guest - his daughter, Alice Holden. Currently working as head grower at Dagenham farm, Alice is considered one of the UK’s pioneering female growers.

Gunhild Stordalen, founder and executive chair of the EAT Foundation and one of the world’s leading environmentalists and food campaigners joins the podcast. Recorded on the eve of COP26, Patrick and Gunhild discuss how the world can transition into a more sustainable food system, and how by working together, we can all help advance this transition.

Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, sits down with Patrick to discuss the challenges facing the world, key among them the impact of agriculture. In a wide ranging conversation, they consider what needs to be done to fix ‘our broken planet’, to borrow a phrase from the museum’s current exhibition looking at ways to repair the world. Gurr aims to inspire people to become advocates for the planet. The discussion – sometimes challenging and contentious – considers the role of the museum in our culture and how it can look forward as much as back.

Gurr started as director at the Natural History Museum in 2020. He came from a background in business, notably working for Amazon UK and Amazon China, but has long supported the work of charities such as the British Heart Foundation, the National Gallery, the Science Museum and others, as a board chair or trustee.

In the final podcast of the series, Patrick Holden speaks to John Sauven, the Executive Director of Greenpeace, about transforming food and farming systems in order to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss - touching on the land sparing vs land sharing debate, as well as true cost accounting and sustainable diets.

Kicking off the new year and marking our fourth episode in the latest SFT podcast series, Patrick Holden meets with Ian Wilkinson at this year’s Oxford Real Farming Conference.

Ian is the Managing Director of Cotswold Seeds which boasts a bespoke seed catalogue, supplying 15,000 farmers across the UK with green manures, cover crops, herbal leys and more. He is also the co-founder of FarmEd, an organisation based at Honeydale Farm, a diverse 107 acre mixed farm in the Cotswolds, operating as a space for education and connection around sustainable farming and food systems.

During the episode, Patrick and Ian discuss the history behind events like the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) and the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC), recalling earlier iterations of both and how each has developed over time. Ian delves into the origins of organic seed, the evolution of Cotswold Seeds and the importance of demonstration farms as beacons for knowledge-sharing and on-farm education. Patrick and Ian also take a moment to highlight the potential of true cost accounting to reveal the hidden costs behind so-called ‘cheap food’ and why good quality, organic food appears so expensive.

To find out more about Cotswold Seeds, visit cotswoldseeds.com and for more information about FarmEd, visit farm-ed.co.uk.

This episode doubles up as a dual podcast, in which Patrick and Ian both take turns interviewing one another. You can also listen to the episode on FarmEd’s spotify channel here.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

Julius Roberts – a first-generation farmer and chef with a passion for seasonal cooking and self-sufficiency – joins Patrick Holden for this episode of the SFT podcast.

After studying sculpture at university, Julius worked as a full-time chef in London before moving to a smallholding in Dorset where he now farms. He keeps a range of livestock, including goats, sheep and pigs, and grows a wide variety of vegetables. He’s also amassed an online audience of over one million followers, where he shares delicious, seasonal recipes, inspiring people to think more about the seasonality and provenance of their food. In 2023 he published his recipe book, The Farm Table, which is now a Sunday Times bestseller.

During the conversation, Patrick and Julius discuss a range of issues, including the pressured but inspiring time that he spent working as a full-time chef in London, the role of restaurants in providing a “home for good farming”, and humans’ responsibility to ensure a good life and death for the animals that provide our milk, cheese, meat and more. Talking about his animals, Julius comments, “I feel very privileged to be so close to my food. When you rear animals on the scale that I do, they become companions… and they should be respected… What has happened to the world of meat to make it cheap for us and an everyday commodity is a scar on humanity.”

They also explore the power of storytelling and social media in connecting people with the story behind their food, as well as touching upon the current farmer protests taking place in Europe and the UK.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

In this week’s podcast, Patrick speaks to Dr Harpinder Sandhu – global expert in food and farming systems, based at the University of South Australia, in Adelaide. Harpinder talks about his pioneering work on measuring farm sustainability, before moving on to address the ongoing farmer's protests in India. 

In the first episode of our new podcast series, Patrick Holden, CEO of the Sustainable Food Trust is joined by life-long activist and former monk, Satish Kumar, who has been inspiring global change for over 50 years.

In his 20s, Satish undertook a peace-pilgrimage for nuclear disarmament, walking without money from India to America. Now in his 80s, Satish has devoted his life to campaigning for ecological regeneration, social justice and spiritual fulfilment. An acclaimed author and international speaker, Satish founded The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity that seeks a just future for all. To join Satish in protecting people and planet become a member of Resurgence (with 20% off), entitling you to this charity’s change-making magazine, Resurgence & Ecologist.

In our first podcast of 2021, Richard Dunne, The Harmony Project’s Director of Education, speaks to a very special guest - Lord John Bird, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Big Issue who in 2015 became a people’s peer in the House of Lords. 

With the Future Generations Bill, Lord Bird hopes to challenge the status quo around education, and introduce a new kind of pedagogy - one which fosters children’s innate curiosity and passion for knowledge, and nurtures our environmental, social, cultural and economic wellbeing in the years to come.

In this week’s podcast, Patrick talks to Darina Allen, renowned chef, best-selling author, and co-founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School on the South coast of Ireland.

‘Ballymaloe Cookery School was born out of desperation’, explains Darina, as she recounts the heart-warming story of how it all began, and what first brought her to Ballymaloe House – where she met her husband Tim Allen, who she opened the school with in 1983. Today the school maintains a world-class reputation for its cookery courses, attracting people from all walks of life. Based upon the slow food philosophy and ‘farm-to-fork’ cooking, the school aims to teach about cooking within the wider context of the landscape, the seasons, and agricultural sustainability.

A must-listen for anyone interested in learning more about the impact genetic modification, gene editing and pesticides are having on our personal and planetary health.

In this episode, Patrick Holden speaks to Simon Fairlie, farmer and former co-editor of The Ecologist magazine. The two discuss Simon’s new book, Going to Seed, plus advice on how anyone can get involved in the world of agriculture.

Simon advises, “Go WWOOFing and make connections, plus renting land is a lot cheaper than buying. Younger people come to our farm who are looking for something different in farming generally, and they go onto work at others places and get more accomplished, and perhaps they go and establish their own farm.”

During this special podcast, The Harmony Project's Richard Dunne speak to Serena Murdoch, a 16 year old from Kent, passionate about climate justice and environmental activism. 

Serena is a volunteer for the UK Student Climate Network and the Teach the Future Campaign. She is also involved with the charity Action for Conservation, and is part of the Youth Leadership Group for the conservation initiative, the Penpont Project, in Wales. During the podcast, Richard and Serena discuss the future of education, as well as Teach the Future's demands for a reform of the education system - repurposed around the climate emergency and ecological crisis. 

For the third episode of the SFT podcast, and closing out 2023, Patrick Holden caught up with Sarah Langford – a criminal and family barrister, turned organic farmer and author of the critically acclaimed book, Rooted: How Regenerative Farming Can Change the World.

Sarah spent 10 years as a barrister living in London, during which time she also wrote her debut book, the Sunday Times bestseller In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law, to highlight the stories of those she represented and the legal system she was once a part of. In 2017, with her husband and two sons, she decided that it was time to leave the city and get back to the land in Suffolk, where she and her husband took on the management of his small, family farm.

In this episode, Sarah shares with Patrick her journey from barrister to farmer, as well as her love of the land and belief in the power of farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange in driving the transition to more sustainable systems. Finally, Sarah reflects on the life of her farming heroine, Lady Eve Balfour.

You can find out more and keep up with Sarah by following her on Instagram (@sarahlangfordwrites) and X (@wigsandwords), or by visiting her website: www.sarahlangfordwrites.com.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

In this latest episode, Patrick Holden is joined by Andy Cato, musician and farmer. From gigs to diverse grains, Andy describes his journey into farming and why he founded Wildfarmed.

In this episode, Richard Dunne speaks to the founder of Square Food Foundation, Barny Haughton - a chef, teacher and food educator who believes that food education should be playing a central role in health and education policy both at local and national government level. "If we want resilient food systems, we need resilient communities and if we want resilient communities, we need a food educated society" says Barny. Square Food Foundation teaches people from all backgrounds and of all ages and abilities to cook good food and to better understand the role food plays in every aspect of life.

In this week's podcast Patrick talks to Livia Firth MBE, Co-founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age and founder of the Green Carpet Challenge (GCC).

During the conversation, Patrick and Livia discuss the parallels between the social and environmental footprints of food and fashion, and how consumers can use their purchasing power to affect change and transform the fashion industry. 

An important part of this transformation is an understanding of the provenance of our clothing. "Natural products have superiority over synthetic fibres" says Livia, calling herself a "huge fan of wool".

In this episode, Patrick speaks to author and wellbeing entrepreneur, Liz Earle, who has been a familiar face in the world of health and wellbeing for over thirty years, building brands from beauty to publishing, based on living well in every sense. Liz is a passionate advocate for sustainable and regenerative agriculture and how this impacts our own personal health as well as that of the wider environment. During the conversation, Patrick and Liz discuss how our food choices impact our health and the environment, what it means to 'buy local', and the opportunity to change our food and farming systems.

Anya explains to Patrick how she was inspired by the closed-loop system that exists in nature to design a compostable leather bag, addressing the difficulties of sourcing regenerative hides, and using methods of production which prevent the leech of chemicals into the soil when the bag comes to the end of its life. 

Patrick and Anya discuss the potential of the Global Farm Metric to translate into clear standards and labelling for customers wishing to shop sustainably - so watch this space! 

In the second episode of the Sustainable Food Trust podcast, Patrick Holden speaks to ffinlo Costain and Roland Bonney about how to develop more transparent, welfare-friendly and sustainable livestock farming systems.

ffinlo has worked on farming, land use, food, and sustainability policy for over fifteen years. He is now director of Farmwel, an organisation working to generate momentum towards sustainable and accountable mainstream agriculture and aquaculture, focussing on climate and food security. ffinlo also produces the Farm Gate podcast.

Roland Bonney is Co-Founder of FAI Farms and Benchmark Holdings, a company whose mission is to enable food producers to improve their sustainability and profitability, working across 70 countries. Roland is an experienced agriculturalist who, prior to co-founding the Benchmark group, established his own farming business and then a food chain research and development consultancy for global food retailers, food service and food production companies.

In this week’s podcast, Patrick talks to Tim Mead, founder and CEO of Yeo Valley - the UK's largest organic dairy brand, based just outside of Bristol, at Holt Farm.

Tim starts by telling us how it all began, from when his parents bought the family farm in North Somerset, over 60 years ago, to Yeo Valley becoming the 3rd largest yoghurt brand in the UK. He explains that the changes the dairy market has witnessed over the past few decades have been considerable, making it increasingly difficult for farmers to make a living from their produce. However, by strengthening the market for organic dairy, he hopes to encourage more environmentally sustainable and financially viable farming methods, on a wider scale.

In this week’s podcast, Patrick talks to Sophie Throup, the Head of Agriculture, Fisheries and Sustainable Sourcing for Wm Morrison plc. Morrisons is the UK’s 4th largest supermarket chain, with almost 500 stores across the country. Patrick is keen to gain a clearer understanding of one of the major influencers of our food systems: the consumer. Are customers actually interested in the provenance of their food? Do they understand the weight of their purchasing power, and the impact of their choices on wider food systems? Throughout the conversation, Sophie explains that in reality, there is no simple answer to such questions. The topics of customer demand, and the corresponding supermarket supply, are of course part of a far more complex picture, in which various external factors come into play.

Bringing the fourth series of the SFT podcast to a close, Patrick Holden caught up with longtime friend and one of the pioneers of the UK’s organic farming movement, Iain ‘Tolly’ Tolhurst.

Tolhurst Organic, located on the Hardwick Estate between the Chilterns and the river Thames, is a model of sustainability, and one of the longest running organic vegetable farms in England.

For over 40 years, Iain has been producing a wide range of seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables, which are sold to the local community through a box scheme. His farm was the first to attain the “Stockfree Organic” symbol in 2004, and there have been no grazing animals and no animal inputs to any part of the farm for over 30 years. To build soil fertility, Iain uses green manures as part of a crop rotation, as well as using vegetable and woodchip compost from waste materials.

With his extensive knowledge and experience of organic food production, Iain also delivers educational talks across the UK and beyond, and runs a consultancy service giving advice on organic conversion and production, helping to train and educate farmers and growers for the future.

During this episode, Patrick and Iain recount how they first met in 1981 when the UK Organic Farming movement was still in its infancy, and Iain shares the origin of his passion for horticulture, including his earliest influences. They also discuss the impacts of World War II on agriculture in the UK and what lessons we can learn from this, before digging into Iain’s farming practices including the use of wood chip, as well as a discussion around the the role of livestock.

To find out more about Iain and Tolhurst Organic, follow @tolhurstorganicveg on Instagram, or visit https://www.tolhurstorganic.co.uk.

This conversation has been split into two episodes – tune in for part two on Wednesday 10th April.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, Xor Facebook.

Sebastian Pole is a herbalist, best known for establishing organic tea and supplement brand Pukka herbs.

In this episode, Sebastian describes his journey from ‘WWOOF’ (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) volunteer to herbalist, finding inspiration in India after experiencing the healing powers of herbs first hand. He explains the value high quality, organic herbs hold for those who grow them and those who consume them, and why the sale of Pukka to multinational brand Unilever offered a unique opportunity to improve business practice.

Find out more about Pukka herbs www.pukkaherbs.com
or to buy seeds for your own herb garden visit www.earthsongseeds.co.uk

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In this weeks episode Patrick is joined by Simon Wright, a restauranteur, food writer and broadcaster living and working in West Wales. Simon’s current business, Wrights Food Emporium supplies local and sustainable produce. During the conversation, Simon explains how the current pandemic has affected the business, and shares his commitment to supporting the transformation of the food system in Wales. 

In this episode, Patrick speaks to regenerative farmer Will Harris, based in the United States, in Bluffton, Georgia. At White Oak Pastures, Will farms livestock including cows, pigs, chickens and sheep under a rotational grazing system.

An independent carbon footprint evaluation demonstrates the amount of carbon sequestered each year at the farm, and the environmental benefits this way of farming can provide.

Will shares the rich history of White Oak Pastures, and explains how the coronavirus has affected the farm’s sales. They also discuss the principles of regenerative agriculture, soil building, and the farms fully integrated supply chain.

Kicking off series five of the Sustainable Food Trust podcast, Patrick Holden, SFT CEO and organic dairy farmer, catches up with Dani Nierenberg, President of Food Tank.

Dani Nierenberg is a world-renowned researcher, speaker, and advocate, on all issues relating to our food system and agriculture. In 2013, Dani co-founded Food Tank with Bernard Pollack, a nonprofit organisation focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Food Tank is a global convener, thought leadership organisation, and unbiased creator of original research impacting the food system. Dani has an M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and spent two years volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic.

In this first episode of the new series, Dani and Patrick discuss the impact of an extractive approach to agriculture upon our planet and our health. They consider how we can switch to a more regenerative approach – one that restores the soil, conserves water, and reduces the need for agrichemicals. Dani shares her insights on the recent shake-up in US politics and what the new administration could mean for food and farming, as well as exploring challenges relating to certification, labelling and consumer engagement.

The conversation also examines the true cost of industrial food production, which typically isn’t reflected in the retail price, and unpicks some of the sustainable agriculture challenges currently being faced in California and beyond. Commenting on what gives her hope for the future, Dani gives plenty of reasons to be optimistic, including opportunities for young people in agriculture and the huge potential for collaboration within the food and farming sector.

Visit Food Tank here to learn more about their work.

And you can find Dani on LinkedIn and X.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 – Intro
• 0:43 – Welcome Dani!
• 1:28 – Food Tank’s impressive global reach
• 3:06 – Dani’s path to agriculture & sustainability
• 4:40 – The Peace Corps’ influence on Dani’s work
• 6:45 – The California wildfires
• 10:35 – Extractive agriculture in America 
• 11:55 – What does the transition to more sustainable food & farming systems look like?
• 13:54 – How will the new US administration impact food and farming?
• 19:03 – How can we reach a wider audience?
• 21:22 – What did the Democrats achieve on food & farming in the last four years?
• 23:50 – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Joel Salatin
• 25:59 – Barriers for young farmers in the US
• 26:46 – Groundswell film
• 27:31 – The challenges with certification in organic farming
• 30:56 – The agrochemical industry’s attempts to silence critics
• 32:53 – The importance of uncomfortable conversations and unusual collaborations
• 33:34 – True Cost Accounting 
• 39:53 – Taking 'Feeding Britain' international
• 41:16 – Goodbye and thank you!
• 42:11 – Outro

This week Patrick is joined by scholar and environmental activist Dr Vandana Shiva. Together they discuss the influence of Sir Albert Howard on sustainable farming principles, the de-colonisation of agriculture as well as the importance of biodiversity and true cost accounting.

"If you change the metric, you realise that cultivating biodiversity can heal the earth" says Vandana, adding that "good food [also] cultivates the wilderness of our gut microbiome".

"It's time to reclaim wilderness as a state of being in harmony, a state of being in peace with nature, a state of being healthy. The meaning of health is to be in balance".

In this podcast, Patrick speaks to his long time friend, fellow environmentalist and campaigner Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future, and former Director of Friends of the Earth. The conversation touches on differences in opinion between conservation organisations and farming groups, and the ways in which this may have led to a separation of policy and public understanding of the relationship between food production and nature.

Jonathon highlights the need to link climate change action and renewable energy - "If we really wanted to treat the climate as the emergency that it is, we could have 100% of the electricity that the entire world needs coming from renewable energy by 2030" says Jonathon.

On food and farming change, Jonathon explains why “addressing food waste and massive reductions in the amount of intensively reared, factory farmed meat" are vital in maintaining  a habitable planet for future generations.

Today, Patrick Holden speaks to the Chief Executive of Triodos Bank UK, Bevis Watts, about the ways in which Triodos supports sustainable agriculture. They discuss true cost accounting, the impact of Covid-19 on the banks farming and food producing clients, and finally the role of the public and private sectors in supporting an honest economic system. 

In this week’s podcast, Patrick speaks to Guy Hayward, the Director and Co-Founder of the British Pilgrimage Trust, a charity dedicated to renewing the ancient tradition of pilgrimage in Britain.

Patrick and Guy discuss the intersections between pilgrimage, food and farming and explore the idea of journey across agricultural landscapes that ‘makes food sacred again’.