Gut the System with Harry Farnsworth – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Welcome to my new podcast Gut The System!

In this podcast series, I'll be delving into the world of systems thinking, talking to some of the greatest thinkers in the food, farming, health, energy, and policy world as we try and come up with a systems approach to dealing with the problems impacting all of us.

Each episode is recorded outside, as we walk the walks that inspired them to make a change in the world.

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The canary in the coal mine with Dr. Amy Godfrey:

In this first episode of Gut the System, I walk and talk with Amy Godfrey, a former anaesthetics and intensive care doctor. After 13 years training and practising medicine in the NHS, Amy became disenchanted with the healthcare system and was struggling to have the impact she intended to have. She found that the majority of her time was taken up treating patients with life changing but preventable conditions. Amy wanted to change that but it seemed impossible to do whilst working from within. So, she gave up her UK medical license in favour of working further 'upstream', for a venture capital firm called The First Thirty. And it was here that she found a way to have a greater impact on more people's lives. Here are a few of the interesting topics we cover: 

• Preventative medicine - what to look for and which metrics to use, in order to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases
• Shakira
• The strains and stresses of working in the NHS
• Linking the dots between how we produce food, what we eat and how we feel
• The mandate of The First Thirty
• Big food's role in transitioning our health and food system
• Productivity being linked to our physical and mental health
• And of course UPFs - ultra processed foods

This episode, for me, is a testimonial to the poly-crisis we, as a society, are sleep walking into. We've dangerously lost the connection between our food and health. As the old add-age goes 'you are what you eat' and we are becoming processed. Luckily there's a growing swell of nutritionists, doctors, farmers and entrepreneurs who are waking up to this reality. I wanted to air Amy's episode first because she so eloquently lays out why we need to sit up and pay attention but also draws you in with her can do positive attitude. The main take away for me? If our highly trained and sought after medical professionals are leaving the NHS, we need to ask why. We need to take action.

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Show notes:

• The First Thirty
• Groundswell
• Dr. Chris van Tulleken study
• Norman Borlaug
• RFSI
• Pasture Bird
• Walking effecting depression
• French children don't throw food

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Kingfisher and Country with Christoph Warrack:

In this episode of Gut the System, I'll be walking through the beautiful grounds of Petworth Park in Sussex with Christoph Warrack, CEO of @Common (formerly known as Woodland Savers). Having discovered the magic of social enterprise and community during his time at Open Cinema, Christoph talks me through his fascinating journey from a career in film to becoming an impact entrepreneur and systems thinker working at the intersection of land and people. As CEO of Common, he enables communities to buy and regenerate land for nature recovery. With optimism and energy, Christoph shares his mission to get land back to the right trajectory of nature restoration instead of nature degradation, at the biggest scale possible.

Christoph has a truly creative mind and a deep love of nature, which quickly becomes apparent during our walk. Christoph guides us through Petworth Park, stopping to observe the Parks' deer and wildfowl, connecting his love of story with his drive to create social change at scale, with nature and for future generations to come.

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Show notes:

.Common

.Open Cinema

.TedX

.Forest Research

.Elinor Ostrom

.We have the power

.Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

.Petworth Park

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Education, Education, Education with Professor Nicola Cannon:

It's a lovely moment in life when you go full circle. In this episode that's just what I did. Returning to the Royal Agricultural University, where I did a masters in 'Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security', I interviewed the prolific and deeply knowledgeable Professor Nicola Cannon, who I was lucky enough to be lectured by during my time there.

To say Nicola was ahead of the curve is an understatement. Her research spans over several decades and Nicola was writing papers on topics like integrated arable-livestock systems, long before the term regenerative entered the zeitgeist. We cover a broad range of topics during our walk and Nicola leaves no stone unturned when it comes to research. We're granted access into the myriad of experiments and trials she's currently conducting at the RAU, to prove the essential value of regenerative farming systems.

'The proof is in the pudding' and 'walking the walk' are two expressions that summarise Professor Cannon's attitude to agricultural research. However, Nicola's not only passionate about research but also about teaching and extending her knowledge to the next generation of farmers and to those currently working the land. She helps them approach new farming systems in an informed and evidence backed manner in order to secure the future of their farm financially and environmentally.

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Show notes:

.SAFS

.Professor Cannon

.Research

.RAU farms

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Levee Breaks with Simon Evill:

In this episode of Gut the System I am walking and talking to Simon Evill, co-founding partner of Pelican Ag. An early-stage VC who invest from farm to fork, looking to scale regenerative farming, develop smart, local supply chains and drive sustainable consumer habits. In an industry that relies on innovation and distributive technologies, early stage venture capital is crucial for start-ups, in order for them to reach the scale and access the capital they need, to execute on their pioneering work. Pelican Ag were one of, if not the first, VC firm in the UK to be working with regeneration at the core of their manifesto.

This is by no means the sum of Simon. A childhood spent elbow deep in 'Berkeley Compost,' producing biodynamic fruit and veg, sprouted deep roots into soil and ecosystems, a theme he would return to later in his career. Pre-seeding Pelican, Simon had a foundational early career, breaking the wave of Impact Investing at Clearly So. It was this experience, of seeing how well place capital can be catalytic for change, coupled with a growing frustration with the manifesto and criteria used by the impact investing community that led Simon to where he is today. Simon is now a key figure in the global regenerative transformation we're marching towards, championing and investing in companies that deliver more than IRR but deliver for nature, farming and health.

Over the last few years, going deep into regeneration, Simon has become an industry spokesman for importance of restoring the water cycle, big and small and why water is the foundational building block for true systems change. Simon and his co-founding partner, Christopher Ramsey, now dedicate a large proportion of their time to educating and sharing the important work of water pioneers like Walter Jehne and Alpha Low.

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Show notes:

Didi Pershouse

Walter Jehne - The Soil Carbon Sponge

Alpha Lo - What if water is more important that carbon

Natalie M Fleming

Millan Millan

Psedomonas syringae

Richard Wain

The Lean Start-up

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Place, The Final Frontier with Tamara Giltsoff:

In this episode of Gut the System I am walking and talking to Tamara Giltsoff. At heart Tamara is a designer, a disruptor and an innovator, having co-founded two climate tech start-ups and been a strategic advisor across a range of companies. Tamara has held a spectrum of impactful roles from leading innovation at the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, to working with The Good Economy, where she helped produce truly foundational work on Place-Based Impact Investing.

More recently Tamara's work has taken a heading into the farming, food and finance sector, seeing her working yet again on a foundational piece of work now with the Soil Association Exchange, which gave birth to The Banking for Change report. SAX is working with major banks and farmers in the UK, to identify and address some of the barriers and potential drivers to helping more farmers transition their operations, to future proof regenerative farming enterprises. Looking at how financial innovation can catalysis systemic change, in place and within complex systems, holding nature and keystone farmers at the heart of those solutions.

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Show notes:

FCDO

Land Alive

M-PESA

Anthemis Group

The Good Economy

New Foundation Farms

Roots to Regeneration

Soil Association Exchange

Banking For Change Report

FFCC

Green Finance Institute

New Economics Foundation

British Business Bank

National Wealth Fund

Oxbury Transition Facility

Mondragon

Materials Exchange

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘I Think Therefore AI’ with Naveed R. Parvez.

In this week’s episode of Gut The System I am walking and talking with the wonderful Naveed R. Parvez.

I first met Naveed in a small town in Italy of all places, whilst we were on a walk, so it seems extremely fitting to be coming together again, on a walk around the majestic Regents Park.

This conversation comes at quite an important junction in this series. Over the last few episodes we have talked at length about systems thinking, about how to scale change in our current systems and why we need systems that considered the whole rather than individual parts. However, we haven’t discussed a more foundational and or philosophical positioning on what systems thinking is, which Naveed and I touch upon during the first part of this episode. Naveed, at his centre is a systems thinker and has a really talent for condensing and simplifying complex topics.

Also, in this episode we go into Naveed’s backstory as an entrepreneur and innovator in the healthcare sector. We discuss why innovation can be so hard to successfully deploy in the NHS, even when the results are an improvement on the status quo and why we need to make sure we use data in a impactful way.

Naveed has always been an innovator at the cutting edge of technology and we analyse how now he’s working with AI, to accelerate the pace of change. We haven’t spoken much about AI in this series so far but given the monumental change it will and is bringing, not only in the way we interact with each other day to day but also run businesses and how we reward value, it is important to pay it proper attention.

Speaking to Naveed, not just during this episode but throughout the time I’ve known him has been a series of eye-opening events for me. I greatly enjoying this walk and talk and I hope you do too!

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Taking back control" of our food with Nick Jefferson:

In this week's episode, I'm walking and talking to the engaging and amusing Nick Jefferson.

Nick came onto my radar through LinkedIn after posting a very alarming article which connected the levels of anti-depressants in river water to the mental health of salmon. From there on out, I was hooked on Nick’s extremely illuminating, and sometimes provocative, posts (I don’t think he'd mind me saying that)!

By no means is Nick just a keyboard warrior, spending his time highlighting how broken our food system is. Nick has created a solution to help everyday shoppers reconnect with high quality produce and, if not more importantly, put the producers, be they farmers, fishermen or fisherwomen, back in the driver's seat.

Along with his co-founder Ella, Nick launched Wylde Market back in 2023 and it's been growing a dedicated following ever since. Wylde Market serves as an online platform that brings the best of local markets to the masses. Or as Nick would say, Wylde is a rebellion against big food and a celebration of Selon le Marché (according to the market).

I really enjoyed talking to Nick as we wandered around the beautiful Kew Gardens and as a user of Wylde Market myself, I can say from experience how fantastic it is. I hope you enjoy listening. 

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Show notes:

Wylde Market

Petition to put food and farming on the nation curriculum

Dark Matter - Dr James Kinross

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20,000 Leagues Under The Soil with Dr Jacqueline Stroud.

In this week’s episode of Gut the system I am joined by the fantastically interesting and deeply passionate Dr Jacqueline Stroud. In this episode we dive deep into the world of soil acoustics and sneak a peak at the lives of the creatures below our feet.

I first came across Dr Stroud’s work about a year and a half ago whilst attending a farming conference. It really was one of those eureka moments or indeed one of those moments where you start to connect multiple dots in your brain. Jackie was presenting her research into soil acoustics a topic which I knew very little about but one which immediately captivated my attention. The prospect of being able to hear the life beneath our feet and start to understand how certain management practices above and below ground affected soil biology and how in-turn that biology affected the health of the surrounding farm, be that in terms of sustainability or profitability really was really an enticing proposition.

Over the last year or so I have had the pleasure of getting to know Jackie and I’ve come to understand the passion for acoustics and worms stretches way beyond just the soil but also into how we work with scientific research. How we collect data and how we involve people from the industries and communities that are affected by the research. Jackie is a strong proponent of empowerment through citizen science. Jackie is not laboured by some of the traditional scientific and academic rigor that can cause friction points between those who research and those who practice, she has a wonderfully open mind and open research journal to those that are willing Interested.

In this episode I met Jackie at her research plots on the Warrack University innovation and crop Centre. I was taken on a journey, through my ears, into the truly baffling and fascinating world beneath our feet.

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'All Roads Lead to Rural' with Robert Godfrey.

Season one finale!

In this weeks episode of Gut The System I am joined by the brilliantly insightful and deeply knowledgeable Robert Godfrey. Robert is the Head of Investment Strategy and Asset Management at Savills. But more than that Robert is a naturalist, a fountain of knowledge and an extremely lovely person to walk and talk to.

In his career at Savills and with the Oxford University Endowment, Robert has been not only been talking the talk but also walking the walk, when it comes to developing natural capital investment prospects and brining the importance of rural stewardship into the boardrooms of companies like Savills and to table of institutional investors and family offices. That was demonstrated while he was Head of Natural Capital at Savills Investment Management and where Robert coined his now famed catch phrase - 'All roads lead to rural'.

In this episode we also discuss burgeoning ecosystem markets like BNG, the role of investors in fanning the flames of NatCap investments, the nexus of nature and the urban environment, where Robert sees nature as a key enabler for meeting and reaching ESG targets and what the future of rural Britain may or may not look like in the years to come.

I met Robert on the beautiful and historic Ridgeway by the famous White Horse Hill. An area, as you will hear, very close to Roberts heart and an area he knows a great deal about. I really enjoyed recording this episode with Robert and I hope you enjoy listening too. 

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Contact the show:

• Harry Farnsworth - Host
• Ned Sedgwick - Producer
• Rosanna Farnsworth - Content

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.