10: From Industrial To Regenerative Agriculture, How Do We Get There? | Beth Hunter

In this episode, we chat with Beth Hunter, founder of Foodbridge, a non-profit dedicated to shifting our food and agriculture system to more regenerative and sustainable practices. Beth has been at the forefront of environmental advocacy since she co-founded the pioneering environmental organization, Equiterre, and helped create the first CSA network in Quebec in the 1990s. In this conversation, we explore the complex issues involved in industrial farmers transitioning to more ecological practices, the role of culture in industrial vs. small-scale ag, and why we need bold collaboration with big food companies in order to create meaningful change at all scales of farming.

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Timestamps

[1:40] Equiterre story, Supermarket Tours in the 90s, Hungry For Justice booklet

[7:16] History of CSA's

[24:37] Working with Greenpeace on responsible seafood campaign

[32:20] Addressing "systems" to create real change, local food in hospitals and institutions

[40:55] Foodbridge, transitioning industrial farmers to more regenerative practices

[48:01] Cost of transition is too high for farmer's to bear alone

[51:23] Cultural divide as barrier to transition

[55:26] Bold collaborations with big food and ag, difficulty of measuring ecological benefits

[1:15:28] Role of personal actions and responsibility

[1:18:54} Donella Meadows and how to change systems

[1:23:13] Power of marketing, spreading awareness, cultural wave of change

[1:29:54] Collaborating With The Enemy by Adam Kahane and advice to live by

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Guest Social Media Links

Beth Hunter:

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/beth-hunter-44a1034a

Website: https://www.foodbridge.ca/ 

JM:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanmartinfortier

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanmartinfortier