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Decolonizing African Agriculture: Food Security, Agroecology and the Need for Radical Transformation

William Mosely explores why so many approaches to food and farming policy fail in Sub-Saharan Africa. He argues that it’s down to Western, colonial agricultural science that is infused with power and politics. This version is open-access.

Regenerative Farming and Sustainable Diets

This book makes the case for an urgent move away from industrial agriculture towards regenerative farming and the promotion of plant-based diets. It features renowned experts such as Vandana Shiva, Jennifer Clapp, Olivier De Schutter and Henry Dimbleby as they discuss the routes in policy and practice to transform the food system.

A feast of folklore: The bizarre stories behind British food

Folklorist Ben Gazur guides you through the dark alleys of British history to uncover how our food habits have been passed down through generations of folklore. Gazur investigates the origins of famous food superstitions as well as much more bizarre and lesser-known tales.

Can we change the system from the inside?

Is it possible to change the system from within or should we instead apply pressure from the outside? Or maybe even create an entirely new system instead? In this edition of Fodder, we dig into the fundamentally different attitudes to collaboration when it comes to food systems transformation. Can social movements and environmental groups collaborate with industry to drive change, or do they risk being co-opted for the profits and interests of corporations?

What can the Dublin Declaration teach us about credible scientific advocacy?

The Dublin Declaration is a pro-livestock statement that emerged from a Summit held in Ireland on the societal role of meat. While the Declaration has had influence in EU spaces, it has also attracted considerable criticism for its limited engagement with the climate, nature and social implications of the current livestock system, and for its authors’ apparent connections to the meat industry. Irina Herzon, who co-authored a response to the Declaration published in Nature Food in August, argues that, irrespective of those connections, the Declaration provides an example of a flawed scientific advocacy that should make us wary. Here, she sets out how selective evidence and unwarranted polarisation can compromise the integrity of academic engagement.

What biodiversity do you care about?

Podcast episode

Is it possible and desirable to "shrink" the food system?

Transcript - Episode 71

Estimating methane emissions from manure: A suitable case for treatment?

Journal articles

This study finds methane emissions from slurry stores on dairy farms may be up to five times greater than official statistics suggest. It also claims there is huge potential for turning them into a renewable energy source. The study shows that if captured and turned into biogas, emitted methane could be valuable.

Enhanced agricultural carbon sinks provide benefits for farmers and the climate

Journal articles

This study in Nature Food claims that widespread efforts to sequester carbon on agricultural land could offer farmers around the world extra income and allow net zero emissions in agriculture by 2050 for a lower cost than other options. To achieve this, the study argues that it requires deploying highly efficient institutions and monitoring systems across the world in the next five years.