Ep. 10 Elske Hageraats ~How To (and How Not To) Feed The World?

Wachama Podcast ~Personal Development & Social Innovation

Dear listeners, In this episode Elske shares her story how her interest shifted from biology towards social science. This shift was influenced by the well known question among Wageningen students and scientist which is; How to feed the world? She went on a journey to find THE ANSWER for this big question! Studying social sciences and development studies helped her to see the bigger picture, that the top down interventions are very often affecting local communities and smallholders on a harmful way. Food is not just a product that we eat, it is also a tool for achieving economic and political goals therefore manipulation and corruption are almost always present in food related issues. Real answers can be found in getting involved in gardening, small scale farming and by being part of rural communities. Reconnecting with the land and nature can also help us find our own true nature and show us the real value of healthy food. Interesting links to check out: Ommuurde Tuin (1 hectare CSA garden with more than 400 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits, tubers and edible flowers). Also for volunteering. www.ommuurdetuin.nl/new-page-3 Boerengroep Peasant Foundation www.boerengroep.nl/ Farm Experience Internship (FEI) - 3 ECTS summer course on agroecology in practice farmexperienceinternship.wordpress.com/ "Losing 22 farms a day in the Netherlands" - article by Elske www.boerengroep.nl/feedingtheworld/ Toekomstboeren (Future Farmers - La Via Campesina Netherlands) toekomstboeren.nl/ Future Farmers in the Spotlight (collection of short movies on (young) people starting again in agriculture) future-farmers.net/ Elske's Thesis: "How to feed the World in Indonesia Inc. a "company in the form of a state" edepot.wur.nl/336247 Documentary by John Pilger on Food as a Weapon. johnpilger.com/videos/zap-the-weapon-is-food Elske's favorite documentary: "HUMAN" (with link to a nice website with lots of documentaries) www.filmsforaction.org/watch/human/ John Perkins: Confessions of an Economic Hitman www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1IvMLTQ6ew