Organic and Sustainable Farming in the Southern US
Brennan Washington worked in information technology and gardened with his wife just for fun and relaxation. When they moved to Georgia, they produced so much food that they got involved with farmers markets and CSAs–and started seeing the problems as well as the strengths of these outlets. Washington now works with Southern SARE, where he goes all over the Southern US and the Caribbean, talking to farmers and sharing knowledge to promote sustainable and profitable agricultural practices, as well as cultural sensitivity and understanding.
He is co-owner of Phoenix Gardens along with his wife, Gwendolyn. He has served as a board member of Southern SARE, the sustainable research arm of the USDA, Georgia Organics, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) and is the co-founder and farmer Board Chair of the Georgia Farmers Market Association. Check out his new podcast, The Sustainable Ag Rider.
Show Notes:
0’53 starting in IT in New York and moving to agriculture in Georgia
2’08 transforming a small farmers market into a thriving one
3’00 techniques for building the farmers market
4’12 farmers markets in Georgia and how they’re doing
5’13 the problem of farmers markets being for upper income people
7’13 junk food subsidized, healthy food not
7’26 USDA programs for low-income consumers
8’09 Marker 8
9’07 “pinhooking” explained
9’52 “double-buck” programs
10’52 the limits of non-profits
11’15 consumers wanting more prepared foods at farmers markets
12’51 CSA (community supported agriculture) and its limitations
14’23 urban agriculture and its ups and downs
16’35 demand for different foods from new immigrant communities
19’01 are local food markets making a difference in people’s health
19’18 doctors presribing fresh food
20’53 the importance of “baselining” metrics
21’38 healthy food cooked in unhealthy ways
22’17 urban agriculture vs. gentrification
23’53 the soaring price of urban land in Atlanta
24’58 farmers’ land loss because of development and taxes
25’34 problems facing small and medium regenerative/organic farmers
26’04 getting younger farmers onto land
27’33 lack of housing
27’50 lack of broadband
28’18 farmers in the middle being squeezed out
28’47 lack of processing infrastructure
31’28 need for retail outlets for healthy food
32’24 barriers to building processing facilities
36’30 racism in agriculture then and now
38’17 cultural and language sensitivity
40’15 “heirs’ property”
43’40 seed saving
49’08 Native American seed story
51’02 the Sustainable Ag Rider podcast
More Episodes
Episode 133 – Healing Grounds: The enduring cultures of regenerative agriculture
The land and its creatures looked very different when the first people arrived on this continent. Dan Flores‘ book Wild New World traces human impact up to the present––and the choices we’re looking at now.
Episode 132 – Innovative approaches to regeneration on a California ranch
The land and its creatures looked very different when the first people arrived on this continent. Dan Flores‘ book Wild New World traces human impact up to the present––and the choices we’re looking at now.
Episode 131 – Giant bison, mammoths, and eagles: a deep history of the American continent
The land and its creatures looked very different when the first people arrived on this continent. Dan Flores‘ book Wild New World traces human impact up to the present––and the choices we’re looking at now.
Episode 130 – Sustainable development, climate mitigation, and biochar
For decades Brando Crespi has been working in communities damaged by extractive industries. He makes the case that biochar can and should be part of a global strategy do reverse climate change and grow more food with less water.
Episode 129 – Bringing dead land back to life: a filmmaker’s perspective
In 1995 John Liu began documenting the Loess Plateau in China, a landscape ruined by poor agriculture practices. Over decades he documented its return to vibrant life, and filmed many other restoration projects worldwide.
Episode 128 – Sustaining Southwest Agriculture
Gary Paul Nabhan knows how to grow food that’s healthy and profitable––even during times of drought and climate disruption.
Episode 127 – A vibrant pecan oasis in the desert
Coley Burgess didn’t intend to do regenerative agriculture, but a series of happy accidents led him down a path toward healthier trees, a herd of animals, virtually no chemical or tractor use––and a more enjoyable life for himself and his family.
Episode 126 – The food-housing nexus
Professor Phil Warsaw noticed that in urban Black and Latino neighborhoods the price of housing near grocery stores was higher––but the same wasn’t true in more affluent White neighborhoods. Why? And how can planners balance food access and gentrification?
Episode 125 – Leveling the growing field: promoting a fair farm system
Both big ag and small family farms have their problems…but what’s the alternative? We talk with agricultural journalist Sarah Mock about the some possible models.
Episode 124 – Big Team Farms––a new economic model?
Both big ag and small family farms have their problems…but what’s the alternative? We talk with agricultural journalist Sarah Mock about the some possible models.
Episode 123 – The USDA goes after a small sheep farm
Linda and Larry Faillace imported milk sheep following USDA guidelines and started a cheese making business in Vermont––only to have their animals confiscated and killed by the USDA under the pretext of a disease that sheep don’t get. Listen to find out why.
Episode 122 – Making your tax dollars work after fires and floods
New Mexico Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez is working not only to help the people and businesses affected by fires and floods, but also to build back land that is more resilient. All of which is easier said than done.
Episode 121 – Place, Power, And Purpose: Pollinators On Western Landscapes
Bees and other pollinators are facing threats from industrialization and habitat fragmentation. Beekeeper, scientist, and indigenous teacher Melanie Kirby knows that bees are vital to the food we eat—and is showing the way forward.
Episode 120 – What’s good for the farm is good for the planet
Carol Ekarius has worked in both large- and small-scale farming, and has written many books for hobby farmers. And she’s led organizations devoted to watershed restoration and sustainable agriculture. She talks about the daunting challenges ahead—and gives us some reasons for hope.
Episode 119 – What is Your Foodprint?
You’ve heard of a carbon “footprint.” The idea of the “foodprint” broadens the vision from the single variable of carbon emissions to the full impact that your food has on the planet––animals, community, soil, water––and helps you to make better choices as a consumer and a citizen.
Episode 118 – Kiss the Ground: A project born of devotion to the earth
When Ryland Engelhart learned that restoring soil health was a key to reversing climate change, he became an advocate for regeneration –– resulting in a film that has been seen by over six million people in 26 languages.