Episode Details

On this bonus episode, we are joined by Alex Leff of Human Nature Odyssey to discuss the food system and the strange incentives that perpetuate a system that is at once convenient and destructive. Alex was also thinking about food, as he had just released a podcast entitled The Forest and Forager before this conversation, where he takes the listener on a journey through the Garden of Eden and the grocery store, trying to understand ourselves as a foraging creature who once lived in the hands of the gods.

We were interested in speaking about food because we had just finished editing this film at the time of recording:

Ever wondered why going to the farmers market is more expensive than going to the supermarket, buying food that was shipped all over the world? Ever wondered why it’s so difficult for small-scale farmers to make a living in this economy? Ever wondered why corporations are given carte blanche to destroy the world, while your local regenerative farmer is being over-regulated and squeezed out of the sector altogether?

We were hired by Local Futures to make a film explaining some of the mechanisms that explain why this system seems so upside-down.

In this conversation, we explore this topic from many more angles, going deeper into the history and civilizational-level analysis of the food system, discussing immediate return, convenience, and the trap of comparative advantage.

This conversation might be more interesting if you’ve watched the video and listened to the podcast, so consider doing that first before diving a bit deeper.

As always, this entire conversation is available in its entirety for our paid subscribers only. If you’d like to support the project and gain full access to these bonus episodes, consider becoming a paid subscriber today!