62. The Efficiency Trap: Why Doing More Isn't Doing Better w/ Andrew Flachs

62. The Efficiency Trap: Why Doing More Isn't Doing Better w/ Andrew Flachs

In this episode of Hands in the Soil, we sit down with Andrew Flachs, associate professor of anthropology at Purdue University and author of two books that ask some of the most clarifying questions in food systems discourse: Cultivating Knowledge: Biotechnology, Sustainability, and the Human Cost of Cotton Capitalism in India and his most recent, Feeding the World as if People Mattered: How Small Farms Produce Value Beyond Yields. Andrew grew up in a small Pennsylvania town with a grandmother's garden he admittedly didn't love as a kid, and found his way into this work through a chance encounter with urban gardening research, a student meal cooperative, and an advisor who sent him to India at exactly the right moment. Andrew brings the kind of rigor to this conversation that comes from years in the field with farmers across three continents, combined with a willingness to question the assumptions baked into how we talk about food.  Tune in to learn more about: * How Andrew went from hating picking beans as a kid to becoming a leading anthropologist of food and agriculture * Why the fight to prove that small farms can match conventional yields is the wrong fight entirely * The "iceberg economy" and all the care work, infrastructure, and labor that lies beneath the visible surface of our food system * What his research across the US Midwest, Bosnia, and South India revealed about what small farming families actually share across different contexts * The explosion of GM cotton seeds in India, from three brands in 2002 to over a thousand by 2012, and what that did to farmers' knowledge, livelihoods, and mortality rates * Why farmers on organic cotton programs kept farming even when the economic math didn't add up, and what that reveals about what farming is actually for * The true costs of "cheap" food: what isn't being counted in environmental degradation, public health, labor exploitation, and soil loss * Why efficiency is often a trap, and how efficient technologies without systemic change just lead us to do more of the same harmful thing * How the current Farm Bill debate and the Iran war oil disruptions reveal the fragility of just-in-time global supply chains * What a resilient food system would require, and what we already know how to do Books & Resources Mentioned By Andrew Flachs: * Feeding the World as if People Mattered: How Small Farms Produce Value Beyond Yields [https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/feeding-the-world-as-if-people-mattered] (Use code AZFLR for 30% off. If cost is a barrier, email Andrew directly.) * Cultivating Knowledge: Biotechnology, Sustainability, and the Human Cost of Cotton Capitalism in India [https://www.andrewflachs.com⁠] * Interactive Story Map: Cotton in India https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/20f488863e4a41a892f0dd7a346180c0 [https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/20f488863e4a41a892f0dd7a346180c0] Referenced in conversation: * Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - E.F. Schumacher (1973) * The Labor of Lunch: Why We Need School Food and How to Get It - Jennifer Gaddis * Beginning to End Hunger: Food and the Environment in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Beyond - Dr. Jahi Chappell Connect with Andrew * Website: andrewflachs.com [andrewflachs.com] * Instagram: @drflachsophone [https://www.instagram.com/drflachsophone] * Email: aflachs@purdue.edu [aflachs@purdue.edu] * University of Arizona Press: @azpress [https://www.instagram.com/azpress] on Instagram Connect with Hannah: * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hannahkeitel ⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/hannahkeitel]

61. The Real Price of Food w/ Greg Reese

In this episode of Hands in the Soil, we sit down with Greg Reese, first-generation farmer and farm manager at Fox Point Farms - a working agrihood community in Encinitas, California. Greg didn't grow up on a farm. He grew up in the suburbs, stumbled into organic food through a farm-to-table restaurant job in his mid-twenties, and spent the next decade piecing together an education from backyard gardens, WWOOFing trips to Costa Rica, rainwater harvesting work, school gardens, indigenous land partnerships, and small urban farms. That winding, mentor-rich path eventually led him to the farm he manages now: a two-and-a-half-acre regenerative operation embedded in a 250-home community, with a restaurant, market, brewery, and apothecary all on site. Tune in to learn more about: * The moment Greg realized organic food tasted and felt different, and what that curiosity unlocked * The difference between gardening and farming, and how scale, markets, and business thinking change everything * What an agrihood is, why the concept resonates deeply, and how Fox Point Farms came to be * Why cutting out the supply chain middleman is one of the most powerful things a small farmer can do * The true cost of food: land, labor, water, machinery, government subsidies, and why "cheap" conventional produce is only cheap on the surface * Why Americans spend less of their income on food than almost any other developed nation, and what that says about our priorities * The race to the bottom on food prices, and why Greg refuses to participate * Greg's step-by-step advice for anyone who wants to get started in farming * How agritourism (farm dinners, animal encounters, U-picks, school visits) is becoming essential to the small farm business model Connect + Learn More: Follow Greg’s Instagram: @farmergreg_official [https://www.instagram.com/farmergreg_official] Check out Fox Point Farms: @foxpointfarms [https://www.instagram.com/foxpointfarms] Website: foxpointfarms.com [foxpointfarms.com]  Connect with Hannah: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hannahkeitel ⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/hannahkeitel]

60. The Need for Systemic Change in the Food System w/ Chuck Samuelson

In this episode of Hands in the Soil, we sit down with Chuck Samuelson, recovering chef, tribal member of the Assiniboine Nation, founder of Kitchens for Good, and founder of his current nonprofit, Heal the Earth. Chuck's path into food systems work started with a question he couldn't stop asking: why does perfectly good food get thrown away while people go hungry? That question followed him out of professional kitchens and restaurants, through decades in food service, into a life where Chuck is now stewarding 43 acres of avocado groves in San Diego while building a regional food hub, an AgTech accelerator, and a co-packing manufacturing facility designed to fill the missing middle of the local food system.  His work sits at the intersection of food access, farmer support, and community sovereignty, and his vision is as practical as it is bold. In this conversation, we go deep on what it actually means to work on a system rather than just within it. We talk about the difference between charity and sovereignty, the four A's of hunger relief, and why doubling down on the same hunger solutions isn't working. We talk about co-ops, farm stops, and we talk about dreams - the big, hairy, audacious kind - for what the food system here in San Diego could become. Tune in to learn more about: * Chuck's journey from dishwasher at 13 to chef, restaurateur, and nonprofit founder * How watching a grocery store employee discard bruised apples became the seed for Kitchens for Good * What food insecurity actually means, and why over 800,000 people in San Diego, including more than 200,000 children, are affected by it * Why Chuck believes charity creates an "unfortunate power dynamic,” and what sovereignty in the food system looks like instead * The four A's of hunger relief: accessible, affordable, appropriate, and awesome * How cooperatives changed Chuck's understanding of what a local food economy can look like * The Adopt an Avocado Tree program - how it started, how it works, and why it's expanding to other farmers and crops * The role of storytelling and community in small farm success * Chuck's Big Hairy Audacious Dream for San Diego's food future, and what he's asking each of us to do right now Connect + Learn More: Chuck Samuelson / Heal the Earth: healtheearth.info [healtheearth.info] Instagram: @healtheearthfarm  [https://www.instagram.com/healtheearthfarm] Kitchens for Good: kitchensforgood.org [kitchensforgood.org] Connect with Hannah: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hannahkeitel ⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/hannahkeitel]

59. The Art of Minimizing Waste w/ Hamid Pezeshkian

In this episode of Hands in the Soil, we sit down with Hamid Pezeshkian, founder of FlameTree Farms, to explore what it looks like to find your way back to the land - sometimes unexpectedly. Hamid didn’t grow up in agriculture, but his earliest and most vivid childhood memories were rooted in time spent in nature, surrounded by fruit trees and family. Years later, after a career in the corporate world, he found himself called to a small orchard in San Diego, a place that would ultimately reshape his relationship with work, creativity, and life itself. In this conversation, Hamid shares the reality of caring for an orchard, the constant learning curve of farming, and the deeper philosophy that guides his approach: using everything the land offers. From turning fallen fruit into new products to repurposing pruned wood into art, his work reflects a commitment to regeneration, resourcefulness, and curiosity. We also explore the emotional and creative shifts that can happen when we slow down, step away from the screen, and reconnect with nature, and how that connection can ripple into entirely new projects, communities, and ways of living. Tune in to learn more about: * Hamid’s journey from city life and corporate work into farming * How FlameTree Farms began and what it looks like today * The reality of orchard care, and why it’s far more work than most people realize * What it means to farm regeneratively in a small-scale orchard * Creative ways to reduce waste and use every part of the land * Edible “weeds” and overlooked plants and their nutritional value * How pruning, composting, and mulching can become part of a closed-loop system * The role of curiosity and creativity in sustainable farming * Why challenges and mistakes are essential to growth in farming (and life) * How reconnecting with nature can unlock deeper purpose and creativity Connect + Learn More * Hamid's Instagram: ⁠@flametreefarm [https://www.instagram.com/flametreefarms/⁠] * Connect with Hannah: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@hannahkeitel ⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/hannahkeitel] Foundations in Land Stewardship Hamid is one of the farm teachers in the Foundations in Land Stewardship program here in San Diego. This in-person farm school is designed for aspiring farmers, land stewards, and anyone looking to deepen their relationship with land and food systems. Throughout the program, participants will learn directly from experienced growers like Hamid and explore different approaches to regenerative agriculture in real-world settings. You can find more details here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.handsinthesoil.farm/farmschool⁠ [https://www.handsinthesoil.farm/]

58. Raising Chickens & Building Soil w/ Michelle Bearmar

In this episode of Hands in the Soil, we sit down with Michelle Bearmar of Black Mountain Farm, a diversified farm rooted in pasture-raised poultry, eggs, vegetables, and regenerative land stewardship. After years of raising chickens, gardening, and learning alongside her family, she found herself pulled deeper into small-scale agriculture through Wild Willow Farm’s Winter School and sustainable agriculture studies. What began as a backyard pursuit eventually became a full-time farm business. We talk about why chickens became the heart of her farm, what pasture-raised poultry actually looks like in practice, and how animals, soil, and vegetables all function together as one living system. Michelle shares the realities of raising birds on pasture, from feed costs and predator protection to geese as guard animals and building healthier soil through rotational systems. We also dive into the less glamorous but equally important side of farming: business, record keeping, and learning how to make a farm financially sustainable. This conversation is full of practical wisdom for anyone dreaming of starting a farm, and a reminder that farming is as much about community and long-term learning as it is about growing food. Tune in to learn more about: * Michelle’s journey from engineering into full-time farming * Why chickens became the foundation of Black Mountain Farm * What pasture-raised poultry really means, and how it differs from conventional systems * The role of supplemental feed, custom grain mixes, and why feed is one of the biggest farm expenses * How geese became unexpected protectors against aerial predators * Rotational grazing, chicken tractors, and how birds improve pasture health * How poultry and vegetables work together to build soil fertility * The importance of feeding soil microbes instead of just feeding plants * The challenge of learning the business side of farming * Why mentorship, community, and starting small matter so much for new farmers Connect + Learn More * Visit Black Mountain Farm: https://farmblackmountain.com/ [https://farmblackmountain.com/] * Instagram: @black_mtn_farm [https://www.instagram.com/black_mtn_farm] * Connect with Hannah: ⁠⁠⁠@hannahkeitel ⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/hannahkeitel] Foundations in Land Stewardship Michelle is one of our farm teachers in the upcoming Foundations in Land Stewardship program here in San Diego. This 3-month in-person farm school is designed for aspiring farmers, land stewards, and anyone looking to deepen their relationship with land and food systems. Throughout the program, we’ll be visiting farms and learning directly from experienced growers and land stewards—including Michelle at Black Mountain Farm. We’re so excited to begin and to get to learn from her in person soon. You can find more details here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.handsinthesoil.farm/farmschool [https://www.handsinthesoil.farm/]