Reclaiming Food Sovereignty through Farming Clubs? with Jason Bradford | TGS 211

Описание: (Conversation recorded on December 4th, 2025)

With grocery prices skyrocketing and supply chain disruptions becoming more frequent, the average person has more and more incentive to get involved in growing their own food – but how does one even get started? For most people, the time, money, knowledge, and land remain out of reach in order to learn even the basics of agriculture. What kind of options are available for individuals who want to reclaim their food sovereignty – and subsequently become more connected with the Earth and like-minded people?

In this episode, Nate is joined by biologist and farmer Jason Bradford, to discuss his ‘Farming Club,’ which offers hands-on learning for ecologically based agriculture, where members also get to take home food and build a relationship with the land. Jason explains why industrial agriculture, optimized for financial returns and machine efficiency while ignoring ecological costs, makes it almost impossible to become a successful small-scale farmer in today’s economy. The Farming Club’s model provides a way for people to maintain their jobs while building the knowledge, skills, and community connections needed for a lower-throughput future.

How could reinvigorating farming culture provide an avenue to real skills and purpose to the next generation, especially for young men? How could the farming club model be replicated across the country, sparking small rural movements everywhere? And how could thousands of ideas and initiatives like these act as safety nets for individuals and communities as we transition to a more simplified society?

About Jason Bradford:

Jason co-manages a Community Supported Agriculture program with the Organic Growers Club at Oregon State University, where he practices land stewardship methods and cultivates community rooted in ecologically-based agricultural practices. Prior to his switch to agriculture, he was a research biologist studying evolution, ecology, and global change.

Additionally, Jason has been affiliated with the Post Carbon Institute since 2004, first as a Fellow and then as Board President. He is currently a co-host of the Crazy Town podcast, as well as a writer for Resilience.org. Additionally, in 2019, he authored The Future is Rural: Food System Adaptations to the Great Simplification.


Show Notes and More:
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00:00 - Introduction
03:18 The Farming Club: A Day in the Life
07:04 The Rich Soil of Willamette Valley
09:44 Challenges and Rewards of Small-Scale Farming
19:00 Ecological Degradation and Large-Scale Farming
22:02 Reviving Rural Communities
24:54 The Future of Food Sovereignty
42:06 Practical Steps for Aspiring Farmers
46:18 Creating a Self-Sustaining Paradise
48:02 Community Connections and Wide-Boundary Capital
52:49 Scaling Farming Clubs and Community Involvement
55:24 Challenges and Opportunities in Modern Farming
01:03:22 The Role of Simplification and Embodied Knowledge
01:10:22 The Future of Farming
01:14:27 Reflections on Sustainability
01:18:33 Closing Thoughts