#055: With a ticking clock and many obstacles facing the earth, activist farmer Leah Penniman continues to remind us that that the most-effective solutions always come from those closest to the problems. Here she shares her sense of hope for solving climate and justice issues before time runs out, inspired by the incredible energy and level of organization the younger BIPOC generation is bringing forth - and argues for the importance of installing them into leadership positions across our movements.

Leah Penniman is a longtime food sovereignty organizer and the author of Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Decolonizing Land, Food, and Agriculture.  She is  the Co-Founder, Co-Director and Programs Manager at Soul Fire Farm in upstate New York and is the recipient of a James Beard Leadership Award, a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching, and was a NY finalist for the Presidential Award of Excellence in Teaching.  Leah serves on the Real Organic Project Advisory Board.

To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:

https://www.realorganicproject.org/leah-penniman-ecological-healing-means-putting-land-back-into-indigenous-hands/

The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.

The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).

To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:

https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms

We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.

If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000  Real Friends:

https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/

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