Episode 2. The rise of fossil fuels in our food
Episode Summary
How did fossil fuels become so embedded in our food systems? We trace this journey from the industrial extraction of guano, through the game-changing Haber-Bosch process, to today’s globalized food system. Along the way, we uncover the hidden impacts on biodiversity, farmworkers, and our oceans—revealing the true cost of this reliance on fossil fuels.
In Fuel to Fork, a new podcast series powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, we expose and explore the fossil fuels in our food, speaking to farmers, chefs, food industry experts, scientists and campaigners. Each episode delves deep into a different step of the food supply chain.
About the Experts
Jennifer Clapp is a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability and Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Dr. Clapp is currently a member of IPES-Food and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub.
Darrin Qualman is Director of Climate Crisis Policy and Action with the National Farmers Union in Canada. He is a long-term thinker, a civilizational critic, a researcher and data analyst, and an avid observer of the big picture. He is the author of Civilization Critical: Energy, Food, Nature and the Future.
Pat Mooney is co-founder and former director of ETC Group, a member of the IPES-Food panel, an IFOAM Ambassador (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements), and is chair of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).
Navinna Khanna is a co-founder and the Executive Director of HEAL Food Alliance. For over 20 years, she has worked toward social and ecological justice through food and farming systems, and her leadership is widely respected for uniting changemakers across sectors and communities.
Rashid Sumaila is a Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the University of British Columbia, and he serves on Oceana’s International Board of Directors. Rashid's research focuses on bioeconomics, marine ecosystem valuation and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, marine protected areas, illegal fishing, climate change, marine plastic pollution, and oil spills.
References and Recommended Resources
Forthcoming Book: Titans of Industrial Agriculture: How a Few Giant Corporations Came to Dominate the Farm Sector and Why It Matters (Jennifer Clapp, 2025)
Book: Civilization Critical: Energy, Food, Nature and the Future (Darrin Qualman, 2019)
Fuel to Fork is a collaboration between TABLE, IPES-Food, and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food. Logo and branding by The Ethical Agency.
