Episode 2: ‘You don’t get justice merely by surviving the system’: a food justice conversation with Dr. Raj Patel Artwork

Fair Food Futures

The Fair Food Futures podcast explores the stories and visions for change put forth by community food networks in Australia as they seek to progress transformations towards sustainable food futures, and identifies the strategies, challenges and opportunities for making civil society’s visions for fair food futures come to life. Our main questions were: what does it mean to do ‘food justice’ in Australia? What does your fair food future look like, and how do we get there? With these questions in mind, we listened to stories from leaders of grassroots food organisations, community workers, farmers, First Nations communities, activists, consumers, academics and global policy makers. By bringing these voices together, the Fair Food Futures podcast aims to create a space for dialogue and alliance building between members of civic food networks in Australia, and contribute to ongoing conversations about the opportunities and challenges for policy change. Fair Food Futures is based on research conducted at The University of Queensland and funded by the Australian Research Council, in collaboration with civic food networks in Australia. The Fair Food Futures Podcast is produced and facilitated by Dr Kiah Smith, Dr Daniel Cruz, and Joanna Horton, from the School of Social Science at The University of Queensland. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Future Earth's Pathways Communication Grants Program. Recorded at VMP Studio by Liam Polmear & Ian Chapman. Illustrations by Brenna Quinlan. Audio sting by Charlie Mgee. Visit our website for more information: https://fairfoodfutures.com/

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Fair Food Futures

Episode 2: ‘You don’t get justice merely by surviving the system’: a food justice conversation with Dr. Raj Patel

October 31, 2022 • Dr Raj Patel, Dr Kiah Smith, Joanna Horton, Dr Daniel Cruz • Season 1 • Episode 2

In this second episode of the Fair Food Futures podcast, the world-famous author, filmmaker, activist, and academic Dr Raj Patel shares an overview of some of the structural problems with the global food system, in conversation with Dr Kiah Smith, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland.

By drawing on evidence gathered during more than 30 years researching (and fighting) the global and US food systems, Raj shares his insights about the history and potential of food justice as a vehicle to build more sustainable and fair food systems at various levels. Kiah talks about the concept of food justice from the Australian perspective, delving deeper into the diversity of fair food experiments already taking place at a national level, and describing the key pathways that the Fair Food Futures Project identified to build food justice in Australia.

The conversation touches on the interplay between capitalism, food justice, resistance, and transformative social change in the food system, from a political economy perspective and a social justice standpoint, based on the experiences of real-life movements currently transforming food systems, both globally and in Australia.

More information about the Fair Food Futures Project and the pathways for food justice:

https://fairfoodfutures.com/explore-the-scenarios/

Raj Patel website: https://rajpatel.org/

Links mentioned by Dr Raj Patel during the podcast episode:

Landless Workers' Movement: https://mst.org.br/

2023 US Farm Bill: https://www.rafiusa.org/2023-farm-bill/

The Durban Shack Dwellers’ Movement: http://abahlali.org/a-short-history-of-abahlali-basemjondolo-the-durban-shack-dwellers-movement/

Fairbairn, M. (2014). ‘Like gold with yield’: Evolving intersections between farmland and finance. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 41(5), 777-795. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2013.873977

Like and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more updates about fair food systems in Australia: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX9Jg67LCCUWV9on5gGLtTg

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The Fair Food Futures project is led by Dr Kiah Smith from The University of Queensland and funded by The Australian Research Council (DE190101126). This podcast is produced by Dr Kiah Smith, Dr Daniel Cruz, Joanna Horton and VMP Studio, and funded by the Future Earth's Pathways Initiative.

Visit our website at: https://fairfoodfutures.com/