This week we are devoting the entire issue to share information about the free 24-hour People’s Food Summit on World Food Day, October 16th, 2023.

Check program below for times. 

Please Join Us!

This is OCA’s sister project Regeneration International’s third year of hosting this gathering of regenerative visionaries, presenting practical knowledge, by family farmers, pastoralists, and foresters—the people who produce 70% of our food.

You may recognize some of these names and gravitate to their stories, please do! 

But don’t miss out on the gems of wisdom from speakers you may not recognize. 

The 24 hours of the summit will be filled with compelling stories, wisdom, and interviews with people giving tips on innovative, creative farming, bringing new or resurrecting long-dormant practices to light. 

All of these people were asked to participate because they have something special to share! 

You can hear some of the speakers from past years on People’s Food Summit podcasts here. These podcasts feature speakers from every continent presenting the truly good news about climate stabilizing food production and regenerative systems. Speakers include Dr. Vandana Shiva, Ronnie Cummins, Dr. Andre Leu, Winona LaDuke, and many more!

This year’s People’s Food Summit speakers will highlight solutions, inspiring action and touching on a wide array of important food and farming topics, connecting us all through regeneration and food sovereignty.

Check out the impressive line up! 

We hope you can catch many of these segments on World Food Day, Monday, October 16, 2023. If you miss a session, you can watch here.

Want to help us spread the word about the summit? Check out our social media toolkit for sample posts, and posts, images and videos you can share!

Local Time: Fiji (5pm) — Tokyo (2pm) — Mumbai (10:30am) — London (6am) — Bogotá (12am) — Chicago (12am)

Moderator: Dr. Andre Leu, International Director, Regeneration International and Oliver Gardiner, Regeneration International

Speakers:

– Opening: Prof. Dr. Andre Leu,  Introduction and Welcome to the People’s Food Summit 2023

– Uniting the Australian Organic Sector: Tim Marshall, Chair, National Association of Sustainable Agriculture Australia – Tim will discuss a new initiative that united the Australian organic sector and future initiatives to grow the sector.

– Regenerating Ecosystems and Communities: John D. Liu, Filmmaker and founder, Ecosystem Restoration Camps. 

– Keynote Speech: From Degenerative Industrial Agriculture to Regenerative Organic Agriculture – The real future of food, farming and communities, Dr. Vandana Shiva. Vandana discusses Bill Gates and the billionaires’ corruption of agriculture and food systems compared to the positive alternative, regenerative organic agriculture of smallholder family farms, which produces more health and wealth per acre.

– Jacob Jose, Regenerative Organic Spices, Poverty Elimination and Payments for Ecosystem Services.

– Mathana Aphaimool, Green Organic Center  

– Vittoon Panyakul, Green Net – Thailand 

– Sam Merito, Merito Farm – Thailand

– Arms2Farms – Philippines

Local Time: Nairobi (2:30pm) — Tokyo (8:30pm) — Mumbai (5pm) — London (12:30pm) — Bogotá (6:30am) — Chicago (6:30am)

Moderator: Precious Phiri, African Coordinator Regeneration International. This talk will focus on: The bigger picture, landscape level crises and insights on seed and food issues.

Speakers:

– Chifundo Kokwa, SCOPE – Malawi. This talk will focus on: Engaging schools, youths (water harvesting at landscape level) and value addition for small-holder farming communities.

– Vanessa Black, Biowatch – South Africa. This talk will focus on: A deep dive into agroecology as a framework, and the dynamics of working with farmers, and movement building across the continent.

– Ntando Ndlovu, female farmer and activist, DUMANDO Investments – Zimbabwe. This talk will focus on: Seed and food sovereignty at a household level. A mother’s personal story.

– Ferdinand Wafula, BIOGI – Kenya. This talk will focus on: Working with tools of restoration in Kenya and beyond especially working on healthy soils and healthy food.

– Juliet Nangamba, Community Technology Development Trust (CTDT) – Zambia. This talk will focus on: Mobilizing communities and movement building around issues of seed and food.

– Method Gundidza, Earthlore – South Africa and Zimbabwe. This talk will focus on: Engaging local wisdoms and the culture of food and seed issues.

Topics / Themes of Event: 

Overarching theme – Continental to household level view of the issues and actions being taken. Connecting the dots of the crises, building hope, resiliency and abundance through agroecological and regenerative actions.

Local Time: London (3pm) — Tokyo (11pm) — Mumbai (7:30pm) — London (3pm) — Bogotá (9am) — Chicago (9am)

Moderated by Oliver Gardiner, Regeneration International

Speakers:

Dr. Gilles Eric Seralini – France –  “Regen Organic Farming Solutions to Weather Drought & Biodiversity Loss”

The Regeneration Academy / La Junquera Farm – Spain – “GHG Draw Down Through Holistic Livestock Management”

Rancher Cedric Cabrol – France – “How Corporate Interests Drive Policy and Regulation”

Conscious Food Systems Alliance – UNDP – “New/Emerging/Critically Needed EU Farming Policies”

Compassion in World Farming UK – “Rural Regeneration in Post-Conflict Zones” 

Dr. Irena Ateljevic, Terra Meera – Croatia – “Human Health and Well-Being”

Mr. Thomas Legrand – France – “Consciousness in Food Systems”

Global Alliance for Organic Districts  – “Feeding Society from the Ground Up”

Patrick Worms International Union for Agroforestry 

Ms. Bonnie Welch, Sustainable Food Trust – UK

Philippe Birker, Climate Farmers – Germany/UK

Ms. Yanniek Schoonhoven, Regeneration Academy – Spain/The Netherlands

Latin (South & Central) American Program

Local Time: Buenos Aires (8pm) — Tokyo (8am) — Mumbai (4:30am) — London (12am) — Bogotá (6pm) — Chicago (6pm)

Moderadores:

– Dra. Mercedes López Martínez, Asociación de Consumidores Orgánicos, Vía Orgánica

– Ercilia Sahores, Regeneration International América Latina

– Luis Arturo Carrillo, Regeneration International América Latina

Ponentes:

– Sofía Monslave, ILPES-FOOD y FIAN-Internacional, CIP – Alemania

– Miriency González Zapata, Mecanismo de la Sociedad Civil y Pueblos Indígenas (MSCPI); Corporación para el Desarrollo Humano Sostenible – Colombia  

– Marcos Ezequiel Filardi, Unión de Científicos Comprometidos con la Sociedad, Movimiento por la Salud de los Pueblos (MSP), Cátedra Libre de Soberanía Alimentaria de Argentina, Red de Abogados en Soberanía Alimentaria – Argentina  

– Pánfilo Hernández Ortíz, integrante de la organización campesina Proyecto Desarollo Rural Integral Vicente Guerrero, A.C., representante de la Campaña Nacional Sin Maíz No Hay País – México 

– María Noel Salgado, MAELA Uruguay y representante de MAELA en la Alianza por la Soberanía Alimentaria de América Latina y el Caribe – Uruguay 

– Manuel Antonio Pérez Canario, Centro de Promoción Campesina Lemba, MAELA Caribe – República Dominicana 

Secciones:

– Diplomado de Agaves y Mezquites en Vía Orgánica 2023

– Alianzas y movimientos sociales para la transición agroecológica

– Evento de premiación de Pax Natura, para reconocer la lucha para combatir el maíz transgénico

Local Time: New York City (1pm) — Tokyo (2am) — Mumbai (10:30pm) — London (6pm) — Bogotá (12pm) — Chicago (12pm)

Moderator: Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director for Organic Consumers Association

The Organic Consumers Association has teamed up with the Real Organic Project to bring you highlights from the 2023 Real Organic Conference: Saving Real Organic. Tickets and more details are available here

Real Organic Project will be live streaming this event for free on OCA’s Facebook page on Saturday, October 14th at 9am ET!

Section 1

 – Linley Dixon, Real Organic Project – “Saving Organic: The First Five Years of the Farmer-Led Real Organic Project”

 – Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Tree Range Chicken, RI Steering Committee – “The Need for a Real Regenerative Movement”

– Glenn Elzinga, Alderspring Ranch – “Why Cattle are Ruining Our Public Lands in Spite of a Better Way” 

 – Ben Dobson, Hudson Carbon – “The Politics of Farming for Climate”

Section 2 

 – Iriel Edwards, Real Organic Project – “Why is Race in This? USDA Discrimination, Land Access, and Collective Liberation”

 – Alan Lewis, Natural Grocers- “Food System Betrayal”

 – Chellie Pingree, U.S. Representative -“The Power of the Chemical Ag Lobby”

 – Dave Chapman, Long Wind Farm – “Saving Organic: The Future of the Real Organic Project”

Ronnie Cummins The Billion Agave Project

The Billion Agave Project is a game-changing ecosystem-regeneration strategy recently adopted by several innovative Mexican farms in the high-desert region of Guanajuato.

Tracy Lloyd McCarty- Black Gamer: Black Lives Matter

After decades of longstanding racism in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) loan programs, Black farmers stand to lose their farms, land and livelihoods after a temporary injunction halted an estimated $4 billion in emergency relief passed by Congress as part of the American Rescue Act.

Dr. Vandana Shiva’s Keynote Talk at 2022 People’s Food: Summit

Dr. Vandana Shiva joins Andre Leu in a conversation about the state of biodiversity, regeneration, food sovereignty, and freedom in the world.

Winona LaDuke & Frank Bibeau of Honor the Earth

The rights of Manoomin (Wild Rice).

Globally and nationally, Winona is known as a leader in the issues of cultural-based sustainable development strategies, renewable energy, and sustainable food systems. She is one of the leaders in the work of protecting Indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering.

Frank’s legal work focuses on the Treaty rights of tribes and members to help protect the natural resources for future generations.

The Eco-Credit Solution: Andre Leu, Ben Dobson, Carolyn Suggate, Greg Painter, Ronnie Cummins

The global best practice model for funding and scaling up regenerative and organic food and farming comes to us from Australia, which has more organically certified farmland and pastureland than any other nation in the world.

Mathew John: The Last Forest Enterprise in India

Based in Kotagiri in the heart of the Nilgiri mountains, Last Forest Enterprise has been a market intermediary for wild forest produce that is harvested by indigenous communities since 2010. These communities are working on forest and agriculture produce, which are natural, wild and local.