Oh Crop! Food Systems Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this timely episode of Oh Crop!, host Kat Morgan sits down with Catherine Bertini, the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate and former UN World Food Program Executive Director, to discuss the unprecedented crisis facing global food aid. With a staggering $16.9 billion funding gap threatening 123 million vulnerable people, Catherine shares her bold vision for completely reimagining how the world addresses hunger. Drawing from her 20+ years of experience and her "eureka moment" about women's central role in food security, she argues it's time to start from scratch and build a system fit for 2025—not 1945. This conversation offers both sobering realities and inspiring possibilities for anyone who cares about ending hunger. As Catherine powerfully reminds us: when your issue becomes prominent, pounce!

Visit CatherineBertini.com

Read Reimagining Global Governance for Food Security

Read Leading Change for UN Organizations

In this episode, Dr. Million Belay discusses research he coordinated across Africa examining agricultural approaches. "In 2013, we asked ourselves, does agroecology work for Africa?" he explains, describing how they gathered and synthesized case studies from numerous countries. Their findings revealed that ecological farming practices consistently improved both productivity and farmer income while supporting environmental health.

Million's declaration that "food is not a commodity" cuts to the heart of the matter. "Food is culturally appropriate. Farmers control their own economy," he insists. This vision—emerging from social movements like La Via Campesina—represents a fundamentally different relationship with food systems.

Through our conversation, Million reveals how African farmers are developing agroecological innovations that honor Traditional Ecological Knowledge while building climate resilience, demonstrating how community-controlled agriculture offers the true path to food sovereignty.

Million Belay is a member of the IPES-Food panel; co-founder and general coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) – a network of farmers’ organizations, NGO networks, consumer movements and small-scale producers advocating for agroecology, food sovereignty, and the rights of small-scale food producers in Africa; and he is an expert on forestry conservation, indigenous livelihoods and food and seed sovereignty.

• About Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa
• Case Studies of Agroecology
• La Via Campesina

In this episode of "Oh Crop," host Kat Morgan engages Dr. Mark Plotkin, an esteemed ethnobotanist, in a profound conversation about the vital role of indigenous wisdom in environmental conservation. They explore how environmental justice intersects with indigenous knowledge and the urgent need for collaboration between Western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and finally, Mark offers guidance to aspiring environmental justice advocates and researchers.

Dr. Mark Plotkin's impressive background includes roles at prestigious institutions and conservation organizations, and he currently serves as the President of the Amazon Conservation Team, a nonprofit he co-founded with his wife Liliana Madrigal in 1996 to promote environmental conservation and awareness.

• https://www.amazonteam.org/

• https://markplotkin.com/ 

• 
  https://ted.com/talks/mark_plotkin_what_the_people_of_the_amazon_know_that_you_don_t?language=en

This episode explores the journey of a guest who is passionate about promoting healthy diets, equity, and sustainability in food systems. Alejandra Schrader is an award-winning author, food systems champion, plant-based nutrition certified chef, and activist based in Los Angeles, CA. We discuss the role of plant-based diets in public health and environmental justice and ways to engage communities with limited access to nutritious food and inspire positive action.

Read Alejandra's Bio

Questions/comments? Email kmp2204@cumc.columbia.edu

In this podcast episode, Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a member of the Hopi Tribe, discusses the challenges Indigenous communities face regarding their food systems due to climate change. He emphasizes the importance of traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices in building resilience and sustainability in food systems. His expertise and work underscore the urgency of supporting Indigenous communities in their efforts to combat climate change and protect their cultural heritage.

Read Michael Kotutwa Johnson's Bio

Questions/Comments/Concerns? Email: kmp2204@cumc.columbia.edu

In today's episode, I’ll lead you through a short guided visualization exercise as a tool for agenda-setting to foster empathy and generate a shared vision for nourishing food systems.

Episode 1 covers Background, Theory, and Tools to understand the interconnections between climate change, food systems, and environmental justice. 

This episode discusses:

• Climate change, environmental justice, and food systems are all closely tied to public health.
• Climate change is causing rising temperatures and more extreme weather events, which can lead to health problems. It's also changing how we produce and distribute food, which is a major contributor to climate change.
• Unfortunately, marginalized communities often face limited access to healthy and sustainable food options, which can lead to health disparities. The way we grow and distribute food causes environmental injustice, especially for marginalized communities who are often left out of global food supply chains or exploited within them.
• Mitigation opportunities, including covering the drivers of environmental injustice and mechanisms to use in public health advocacy and change-making. 

Download the show outline deliverable here!!

Questions/comments/concents? Email: kmp2204@cumc.columbia.edu

In Episode 2, I'm thrilled to share a conversation with Mark Bittman about his work as a New York Times editor, bestselling author,  food justice advocate, and lecturer at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

We chat about the following: 

1. Exploring the nexus between climate change, agriculture, nutrition, and health.
2. Considering ontological shifts such as heightened ecological and philosophical awareness of Earth’s finite resources and land distribution.
3. Tips for public health practitioners who want to navigate different food system sectors.
4. Considerations for food systems transformation and advocacy work.

You’ll hear him briefly mention some of his work later in the interview, so keep your ears peeled. The works mentioned are his bestselling book Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal, and his podcast Food with Mark Bittman. Check out his website, the Bittman Project. 

Download the E1 show outline deliverable here!!

Questions/comments/concents? Email: kmp2204@cumc.columbia.edu

In this thought-provoking episode of Oh Crop!, host Kat Morgan welcomes Dr. Jessica Fanzo, a true pioneer at the crossroads of climate science and food systems. As Professor of Climate and Director of the groundbreaking Food for Humanity Initiative at Columbia Climate School, Dr. Fanzo shares her fascinating journey from nutrition scientist to global food systems champion. She unpacks the vision behind the Food for Humanity Initiative and reveals how it's bringing together diverse experts to tackle our most pressing food challenges.

The conversation explores the complex dual role food systems play in the climate crisis—both as significant contributors to global emissions and as potential game-changers for climate resilience. Dr. Fanzo offers candid insights about the critical shifts needed to transform how we produce and consume food while addressing deep-rooted inequities.

Despite the enormity of these challenges, the episode concludes with Dr. Fanzo's compelling perspective on what gives her hope for the future as we approach 2030 and beyond, highlighting the power of cross-disciplinary collaboration and data-driven solutions.

Read more about Jess

Read: What do we know about the future of measuring food systems?

Check out the Food Systems Dashboard

Investigate Columbia University's Food for Humanity Initiative

Is Bird Flu a Slow-Motion Disaster? How can industrial agriculture fuel a pandemic, and what risks do dairy workers face? On this episode of Oh Crop!, we're tackling the urgent bird flu crisis with award-winning journalist and public health expert Maryn McKenna. Maryn unravels the complex web of industrial agriculture, zoonotic diseases, and the escalating threat to animal and human health.

We delve into the realities of the current U.S. bird flu outbreak, exploring how intensive farming practices contribute to its rapid spread and evolution. Maryn sheds light on the often-overlooked risks agricultural workers face, particularly in the dairy industry, and examines animal welfare and biosecurity. Plus, we address the critical need for improved surveillance and testing systems and discuss the economic pressures that hinder effective health responses.

Maryn also highlights the challenges of public health communication, especially in vulnerable communities, and emphasizes the urgent need for increased research funding to understand and combat agricultural health threats. We touch on the cultural complexities surrounding meat consumption and explore the systemic changes required to prevent the spread of zoonotic disease.

Tune in for the down-low on Maryn's most recent New York Times-published Op-Ed, "We're running out of chances to stop bird flu."

Learn more at marynmckenna.com