About this episode
The episode discusses the future of farming, food production, and rural life with insights from various experts.
What is the future of farming and rural life? Adam Rutherford hosts Radio 4's discussion programme which starts the week, asking about the future of food production and the communities that support it. Minette Batters was the first female president of the National Farmers’ Union. Born and raised on the family farm that she took over running, she became a committed advocate for the UK farming industry. UK agriculture has faced challenges from Brexit, Covid as well as international conflict and energy crises. Her new book, Harvest, part memoir and manifesto, makes a case for how and why we must rally to support British farming and rural life. Dave Goulson is Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex. Modern, intensive farming systems producing pesticide-laced foods at scale, he says, are bad for us and bad for the planet. He believes that it is time to change the way we produce food today, making the case for sustainable agriculture. In Eat the Planet Well he argues that consumers can lead this change, even where governments fail to act. Melissa Harrison has written columns, nature diaries, a series of novels and non fiction books including All Among the Barley, Rain and At…
People in this episode
Host: Adam Rutherford
Guests: Minette Batters, Dave Goulson, Melissa Harrison
Topics covered
- farming
- food production
- rural life
- sustainable agriculture
- UK agriculture
- community support
Keywords
- farming
- sustainable agriculture
- food production
- UK agriculture
- rural communities
- Brexit
- Covid
- energy crises
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: National Farmers’ Union, University of Sussex
Books & works: Harvest, Eat the Planet Well, The Given World
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