When writer, journalist and environmental campaigner, George Monbiot, returned to FarmED to learn more about sustainable food production, we took the opportunity to gather together some young farmers and environmentalists to ask him some probing questions.

Areas up for debate ranged from the need for criteria to define regenerative agriculture, plus processed foods, plant based diets and what George describes as ‘the fantastically complex’ debate about food production and the environment.

He also discusses his views on how agritech can be used to scale up regenerative farming, CAP, ELMS, and how soil is “the basis of our entire lives”. 

Encouragingly, George described how he’s “very interested in what’s happening here’ (at FarmED) and the ‘strong argument in favour of integrated regenerative rotational farming”. 

FarmEd manager, Jonty Brunyee, said;

“It was wonderful to welcome George Monbiot to FarmED. Though his somewhat controversial view on alternative proteins, rewilding and land management run contrary to the work of many farmers, our mission is to promote regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems, and in order to do that we need to provide a space for healthy debate, and give a platform to those of different views to meet and air their opinions and ideas. It certainly makes for stimulating discussion.”

The interviewees are Lucy, a biology student; Sophie, FarmED’s event coordinator, who studied Geography at Exeter Uni; Will, who is heading to Bristol University to study geography; Abbie, a young farmer and agricultural student; Chris who completed an MSc in Agricultural Technology and Innovation; and Jack who, until recently, worked in natural food retailing in London.