Stories and Structure of the Food System with Christophe Bene

04/26/22 • 63 min

Many people are now suggesting that the food system is broken, but what do they mean by broken? Is the problem the quantity of food? The quality? The inequality within the system, or its impact on the climate and environmental crisis? Despite these critiques coming on multiple fronts, the food system appears to be continuing down the same path it has been on.
In this interview with Christophe Bene, we discuss the food system, the four dominant narratives about why the food system isn't working and the different concerns and values they reflect. We also talk about the key actors that can keep the system on its current trajectory or push it to change.
Christophe is a senior researcher at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and is senior policy adviser for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). You can find more of Christophe's work here
The papers that informed most of our discussion today are this one on the narratives and this one on the barriers to the transformation of the food system.
If you enjoyed the narrative approach to complex systems, check out Episode 8- The six globalisation with Anthea Roberts
Awesome graphic exploring Organic vs Regenerative vs Agroecological practices and their underlying values that I mentioned in the show
Also, check out the website and join the discord!

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Episode 9- Liberating Local Politics with Peter MacFadyen

Most politics are currently dominated by political parties which are locked into conflict with each other. In this system, people don't turn up as individuals but as part of the party machine, in which they work together to wield power over other parties. Politicians aim to convince voters to give them the power to rule over them, but not to govern with them. Ideas are debated, but if there is no intention to listen and one side has all power to make decisions, then it is only for show. The goal isn't necessarily good governance, but to be seen to be "right", and to gain the control of majorities. This is a system in which power is centralised in as few hands as possible and is then used to exert their will over everybody else. It goes from the general population to a handful of politicians, to the majority party, and then the factions within that party.
But what could a different system look like, where dialogue dominates instead of debate, where citizens remain involved in the decision-making process, and where politicians work to have power with instead of power over people?
In this episode, I talk with the former mayor of Frome, Peter MacFadyen, about how we can take over our local politics and change the rules of the game. In the interview, we talk about the story of Frome and the group of independents that changed its politics, what it looks like in practice to listen to each other and the community, as well as the broader prospects of the movement.

Find out more about Peters's work
Flatpack democracy Website and Facebook page

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Episode 11- Creating Commons with Mary Dellenbaugh-Losse

How should we distribute resources? Often, the market is considered to be the best system for distributing resources. However, the market distributes resources to those who can afford them, not necessarily those who need them. The state may also help to distribute resources that are considered too important to leave to the market, as well as regulate them. But the state is a big and complex system that tends to move slowly. It also makes normative decisions about what things are considered "needs" on behalf of citizens.
When we talk about addressing things like access to housing, land, water and food, the conversation tends to revolve around these two systems, and how they interact with each other. Which things should the state provide access to? What things should the market provide? Should the state regulate the market more or less?
However, there is a third way that exists in parallel to both these systems; The Commons.
These are spaces in which access to resources is not based on ownership but on participation, where distribution is not motivated by profits but by needs and values, and where the guiding principle is cooperation instead of competition. In the commons, governance is in the hands of those who use resources and creates value that goes well beyond the financial.
In this episode, I talk with Mary Dellenbaugh-Losse about Creating Commons. In the interview, we talk about the contemporary commons and their history, the properties of resources that are important to consider when working out how to govern a commons, and what makes a good commons work. We also explore the tensions in keeping a commons open, so that it doesn't become enclosure by a group, but well managed.
Find out more about Mary's work here
Get the Commons Cookbook here- available for free as a PDF