What is agroecology? What would it take for agroecology to take root in North America?

Video interviews from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s second symposium on agroecology, by Devon Sampson and Antonio Roman Alcalá.  

As the term "agroecology" moves into public conversations and more powerful institutions like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, we're curious about what "agroecology" means to different people, and what it would take for agroecology to take root in North America the way it has in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world. At the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's second symposium on agroecology, we interviewed people we met in the hallway.  

We had two questions.  What is agroecology? and, What would it take for agroecology to take root in North America? One dynamic of the symposium was a discussion about what agroecology is, anyway.  Is agroecology an updated synonym of sustainable agriculture, encompassing a wide range agricultural practices that do slightly less damage to people and the earth? Or is it a movement for transformative change and a scientific, practical, and political resistance to corporate food systems? Another dynamic is that in many places, especially parts of Latin America, Africa, and India, agroecology is growing in scale and power.  But we rarely hear about it in North America.  We know people in those places are always getting unsolicited advice from North Americans, so thought it would be fun to ask for their take on building a North American agroecology movement.

Here are some perspectives from the halls of the FAO.  We'd also like to hear your answers to these two questions.  Upload a video to youtube or vimeo and send us a link at deliciousrevolutionshow@gmail.com, and we will post it here. 

Press Release: Announcing Delicious Revolution

PRESS RELEASE: DELICIOUS REVOLUTION SEASON ONE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“DELICIOUS REVOLUTION” RECORDS A BROADER, DEEPER CONVERSATION ABOUT FOOD

GEYSERVILLE, CA- July 8, 2016- “Delicious Revolution” (http://delilciousrevolutionshow.com), a podcast about food, culture and place debuts it’s third season Monday, July 11, 2016, with nine in-depth interviews with farmers, chefs, artists, poets, activists and researchers who work on food.  All share a commitment to making more just and sustainable food systems.  In intimate, long-form interviews, these food thinkers discuss their evolving visions for a different kind of food system, and the many ways they have engaged with the food movement over many years.  

On this third season of Delicious Revolution, we’re brining you stories and perspectives from the unseen places in food systems, going behind kitchen doors, into the underground nests of native bees, under the waves, and to the faraway origins of flavors we love, just to name a few.  We're speaking with people who work with food in places we normally cannot see— or don’t notice.  It’s a season of unseen stories of food.  

“Delicious Revolution” is the creation of artist Chelsea Wills and scientist Devon Sampson, who have both worked on food issues for more than a decade.  They have both been encouraged by the growth in interest and around food and food issues, but also have found the most public conversations about food systems to lack the imaginative possibility of more private conversations with their friends and colleagues. 

“I have found that the best conversations seem to happen in a field, kitchen, or over a meal. These exchanges bring energy that feels alive, creative, and full of new possibilities. I wanted to record this kind of conversation, with the people who have inspired the ways I think about food.” says show creator Chelsea Wills.

“The culture and politics of food are made in our daily conversations,” says Devon Sampson, co-creator of Delicious Revolution. “With so many people deeply involved in making and thinking about food, I think it is time to broaden the scope of voices that represent the food movement.”

Listeners can subscribe now to “Delicious Revolution” on iTunes or any podcast app.  More information, including a schedule for the first season, is available at deliciousrevolutionshow.com.  

CONTACT:

Chelsea Wills or Devon Sampson

deliciousrevolutionshow@gmail.com

(510)545-3194

PO Box 721, Geyserville, CA 95441