How to Fight a Factory Farm

Food systems and biodiversity are deeply intertwined. Agroecology is grounded in biodiversity, taking advantage of ecological processes and relationships to improve farm resilience and productivity. But the dominant industrial agriculture system works against biodiversity in ways that are harming human health, driving mass extinction, and threatening all of life on earth. In episode three of Agroecology Uprooted, hear from Dr. Claire Kremen, Courtney Tchida, and Dr. Jonathan Lundgren on what's at stake under the industrial system, and how restoring biodiversity can have surprising benefits on the farm and beyond. Photos, guest bios, and episode transcript on our website at https://www.iatp.org/agroecology-uprooted-episode-three. Agroecology Uprooted is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate and subscribe on your preferred podcast platform and share the show with a friend. IATP works at the intersection of policy and practice to advance just, sustainable food systems. You can support our work at iatp.org/donate.

As the war in Iran squeezes fertilizer and fuel supplies, there is renewed attention on the vulnerability of global food systems. But the roots of this current crisis go much deeper. In episode one of Agroecology Uprooted, we begin with a look at the systems that shape how we produce and access food, the ways that the industrial food system is pushing our planet beyond its natural boundaries, and the potential for a radically sustainable approach to food and agriculture: Agroecology. This episode features interviews with Dr. Bonnie Keeler of the University of Minnesota and Pat Mooney, founder of ETC Group. Agroecology Uprooted is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. IATP works at the intersection of policy and practice to advance just, sustainable food systems. You can support our work at iatp.org/donate.

The rise of factory farms in the U.S. didn't happen by accident. Corporate influence over our political system has created policies that subsidize and incentivize the industrial model and allow factory farms to pollute with impunity, even creating new revenue streams that greenwash their climate impacts. Our food system does not have to be this way. Members of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment are working to build sustainable alternatives to factory farms while advocating for policy reforms to dismantle the CAFO system and level the playing field for independent family farmers. In the final episode of the series, hear from Frank James of Dakota Rural Action, Rebecca Wolf of Food and Water Watch, Bonnie Haugen of Land Stewardship Project and Noah Earle of Missouri Rural Crisis Center on how we got into this mess, and how to get out of it. How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org. References, further reading and ways to get involved Support the Farm System Reform Act Packers and Stockyards Act In-Depth, Bryce Oates, 2024 Why we need an Agricultural Market Volatility Relief Program, CFFE, 2023 Biogas or Bull****? Friends of the Earth & Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, 2024

What does it mean to get big or get out? As CAFOs began to take over livestock production in the U.S. through the 1990s, the consequences of this corporate-controlled, vertically-integrated system rippled throughout rural economies, putting smaller independent farmers and their suppliers out of business, and trapping others in debt and dependence on exploitative meat companies. In this episode, hear from Missouri Rural Crisis Center’s Rhonda Perry and Tim Gibbons and Iowa CCI’s Barb Kalbach and Hugh Espey on the price we pay for factory farms. How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.

Coming October 2 from the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment, a new four-part podcast series about factory farms, and the farmers and rural organizers fighting to end them: How to Fight a Factory Farm. How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.

In Episode Six of the Farm Bill Uprooted, hear from experts from across the food system on what changes are needed in the 2023 Farm Bill and beyond. From nutrition access to fair markets to climate resilience, a better food system is possible; it’s up to us to demand it. References and Further Reading: Closing the Meal Gap Act Improving Access to Nutrition Act Enhanced Access to SNAP Act Hot Foods Act Meat Packing Special Investigator Act Farm System Reform Act Fairness for Small Farmers Act EQIP Improvement Act Agriculture Resilience Act RAFI-USA Marker Bill Tracker Why we need an Agricultural Market Volatility Relief Program

Over the past few decades, the landscape of the food and farm system has become more concentrated, less diverse and less resilient. In Episode Four of the Farm Bill Uprooted, hear from Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment’s (CFFE) Patty Lovera and Iowa Interfaith Power and Light’s (IIPL) Elston Tortuga about how corporate consolidation in the food system has impacted farmers and rural communities, and how Farm Bill reforms can help.

After decades of Farm Bill policy incentivizing the overproduction of commodity crops, conventional agriculture in the U.S. has taken an increasing toll on water, soil and the climate — and on farmers’ own ability to withstand extreme weather and climate disruptions. Episode Two of the Farm Bill Uprooted features IATP’s Michael Happ and the University of Iowa’s Dr. Silvia Secchi on industrial agriculture’s environmental impacts and the Conservation Title programs meant to address them.

The Farm Bill sets the course for our food and agriculture system in the U.S. – and right now, there's a lot that's not working. How did we get here? And how can we fix it? Coming soon from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a new 6-part podcast series: The Farm Bill Uprooted. Episode One premieres July 12. Featuring: Dr. Silvia Secchi, University of Iowa Lilly Richard, IATP Michael Happ, IATP Kate Hansen, Center for Rural Affairs Dr. Steve Suppan, IATP Karen Hansen-Kuhn, IATP Margaret Krome-Lukens, RAFI-USA Ray Jeffers, RAFI-USA Erin McKee-VanSlooten, IATP Ben Lilliston, IATP Marcus Grignon, Rural Coalition Elston Tortuga, Iowa Interfaith Power and Light

Ahead of IATP's final days at COP27, hear from Shefali Sharma on progress at the conference and the struggle to hold governing bodies accountable. Visit our COP27 web hub for more articles, reports and media.

With COP27 fast approaching, and recent reports from the UNEP and the WMO warning that the world is not on track to stay below 1.5 degrees of warming, the time for real, transformative change is now. In this episode, hear from IATP Executive Director Sophia Murphy and IATP Europe Director Shefali Sharma, both of whom will be travelling to Egypt for this year's COP, on the role of civil society groups at COP and the false solutions for climate and agriculture that IATP is working to discredit. At COP27, Shefali will be speaking on two panels which will be livestreamed for remote audiences: Net Zero Food Systems: Fact or fiction? on November 9 at 2:30 p.m. EET/6:30 a.m. CST Driving Systemic Change: Policy and Finance for Real Zero Solutions (with Sophia as moderator) on November 10 at 11:30 a.m. EET/3:30 a.m. CST Find a transcript of this episode and more information about IATP's work on our website: https://www.iatp.org/blog/talking-cop27-episode-3

Our industrialized food and farming systems are both driving the climate crisis and threatened by it. How did we get here? And what path can we take toward true climate resilience?