Agroecology Radio Hour

Episode 8 - Raj Patel & Tammi Jonas: The role of the state in our food systems and building the counter hegemony

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +1100

In this month's episode, Lucy Ridge is joined by Tammi Jonas and Raj Patel.

Tammi and Raj have been in conversation over the last few years in various contexts, here they focus on the role of the state in our food systems, and how to create the counter hegemony.

The conversation explores the deeply human work of movement building with Raj talking to his lived experiences in South Africa, the Americas and beyond. In these times of trouble this conversation brings hope to the table to build the future we need.

Tammi Jonas is AFSA's focal Point for Farmers and grows uncommonly delicious pork and beef on the unceded lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung.

Raj Patel is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and academic who has been deeply engaged in the work of food sovereignty across the globe.

AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/

Follow this link to help fund this podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Raj Patel: https://rajpatel.org/

HEAL Food Alliance: https://healfoodalliance.org/

Abahlali baseMjondolo: https://abahlali.org/

#1 - Jessie Power & Dominique Chen

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +1100

Welcome to the first episode of the Australian Agroecology Radio Hour!

In this debut episode we chat all things Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance with Jessie Power and dive deep with Dominique Chen on indigenous food sovereignty.

Dominique Chen links:

www.yuruwan.org.au
www.walkingstory.com.au

Support this podcast at buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Follow AFSA's work at www.afsa.org.au

Episode 7 - Rocking Chair Farm: A non-family intergenerational farming and succession model

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +1100

In this episode of the Agroecology Radio Hour, host Lucy Ridge talks with John Monaghan and Alan Smith from Rocking Chair Farm in the Hunter Valley (Wonnarua country) about how chance meetings, shared meals, and big conversations grew into an intergenerational farming partnership. John and Alan farm angus beef, Australian white lamb, chooks, hops, and veggies on 800 acres and sell direct to the public.

They unpack their journeys from diverse past careers to farming and then from conventional production to holistic, regenerative decision-making, and dive deep into their unusual succession and land-share arrangement that has been built on trust and relationships. Along the way they explore the real costs and legal complexity of doing succession differently, the value of involving partners and community, and why selling direct to customers has helped them build both profitability and stronger relationships. The conversation ripples outward into local food sovereignty in action, from field days to a micro-abattoir co-op and on-farm events.

AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/

Rocking Chair Farm: https://www.rockingchairfarm.com.au/

Follow this link to help fund this podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Episode 6 - Chris Smaje

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +1000

In this months episode we chat with Chris Smaje; he is an aspiring woodsman, stockman, gardener, and peasant in Somerset, southwest England. Chris is also an author who writes urgently about the need for a small farm future, making the case for organising communities around small scale local agroecological farming in order to meet both the environmental and political challenges of our times.

Chris is the author "Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future" and "A Small Farm Future".

Chris has just finished a new book "Finding Lights in a Dark Age: Sharing Land, Work and Craft". It will be released on the 11th of November 2025. It can be pre-ordered here.

Follow this link to help fund this podcast:

https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Links:

Become a member of AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/join-us/

Chris Smaje: https://chrissmaje.com/

Episode 5 - Jacob Birch

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +1000

This month we chat with Jacob Birch, he is a Gamilaraay man, a member of AFSA's first peoples sub committee, academic and Churchill Fellow who is doing incredible work in reawakening native grain food ways.

Unfortunately we had some technical issues with the audio and lost the last section of the interview but we still managed to capture the majority of the conversation.

Follow this link to help fund this podcast:

https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Links:

Become a member of AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/join-us/

Yaamarra and Yarral: https://www.yaamarraandyarral.com.au/about/our-people

Jacob Birch Churchill Fellow: https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/jacob-birch-qld-2022/

Episode 4 - Tammi Jonas

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:00:00 +1000

This months episode we chat with AFSA's focal point for farmers Tammi Jonas. Tammi has been farming on unceeded Dja Dja Wurrung country for close to 15 years at Jonai Farms and has long been engaged in activism. Tammi and Lucy chat about Jonai farms, the language of "peasant" in Australia, how the food sovereignty movement has grown over recent years and more!

Follow this link to help fund this podcast:

https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Links:

Become a member of AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/join-us/

Jonai Farms: https://jonaifarms.com.au/

Episode 3 - Rob Wallace on Avian Flu

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 18:00:00 +1000

This months episode is a chat with renowned evolutionary epidemiologist Rob Wallace. Lucy and Rob weave through a range of topics surrounding the current avian flu outbreaks including the history and potential futures of avian flu all while dissecting the systemic struggles of farmers in the face of industrial agriculture.

Follow this link to help fund this podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Links:

Become a member of AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/join-us/

Pandemic Research for the People: prepthepeople.net

Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps: arerc.wordpress.com

Midwest Healthy Ag: midwesthealthyag.org

Rob Wallaces books: monthlyreview.org/author/robwallace

Episode 2 - Morgan Ody from LVC and Update on the Australian Abattoir Campaign

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:00:00 +1100

This episode takes us on a deep dive into the global context of the food sovereignty movement, from the formation of La Via Campesina, LVC, the need for international solidarity, and how AFSA fits into that global puzzle. Our guest today is Morgan Ody, a small scale farmer in Brittany France. She's a member of the Peasants Confederation, which is a French peasant organization, and the general coordinator of La Via Campesina, the global Peasant Movement.

We also catch up with AFSA's focal point for farmers, Tammi Jonas, for an update on the national abattoir campaign.

Become a member of AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/join-us/

Buy us a coffee here to help fund this podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Links:

AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/

La Via Campesina: https://viacampesina.org/en/

Bonus Episode: Where did all the abattoirs go? Live at Grounded Festival

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +1100

AFSA's focal point for farmers, Tammi Jonas, recently spoke at Grounded festival in Lutruwita, Tasmania about the plight of small scale farmers across Australia as more abattoirs close their doors to small scale meat producers. This was a live conversation and we apologise for some of the low quality audio of the audience questions.

Big thanks to Grounded for giving us permission to share this recording!

AFSA is currently running a survey to better understand the needs of livestock producers in Australia and can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeI0q0EyBWnx6sJOZrc1rLZoWmjuXl-YtgfVgx7gOMU_4FsFQ/viewform

And please sign and share this parliamentary petition:

https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/small-scale-livestock-farming/

Support this podcast here: https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Grounded festival: https://groundedaustralia.com.au/

AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/