Why changing how we farm isn't enough to save our food

A summer of extreme heat and drought cut forecast European grain production by 16.7 million tonnes — worth around €3.2 billion at current prices. It is a stark reminder of how quickly climate shocks can expose vulnerabilities in food supply. But when crops fail or farmers struggle, the question often becomes: **how can farmers do things differently?** The answer from our agriculture series is: they can’t — at least, not alone. In our last three episodes, we focused on agriculture, looking at the tools and technologies transforming the field. We heard from Philipp Lukas (Future Biogas) on how farm economics can change when crop rotations, energy and new revenue streams connect, Richard Zaltzman (EIT Food) on the markets, processing, finance and infrastructure that can make different choices viable, and Ivo Degn (Re:Source) on what a regenerative food system looks like when there is no single model that will work everywhere. In this week’s episode, co-hosts Felicia Jackson and Giulia Bottaro bring those conversations together. Farmers make choices, but those choices are shaped by markets, contracts, finance, processing, infrastructure, policy and demand. So the question is not simply why farming isn’t changing, but **what has to be in place for different choices to make sense**. The conversation also explores the tension between **efficiency and resilience**: what capabilities do we want to retain even when they look inefficient in normal times, and who should pay for them? Because transforming agriculture is not simply about changing farming practices but changing the system around it. It means asking **who benefits, who pays and who carries the risk —** and how we build a food system in which **different choices can actually work.** *If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already,* subscribe to our newsletter *and follow us on* LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – *and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?*