Agriculture may be local, but the forces shaping farming today are increasingly global — from trade and climate pressures to food security, politics, and consumer expectations.
The most recent episode of the Farm to Food podcast produced by The Gleaner features a global roundtable of agricultural journalists from Canada, Northern Ireland, and Jordan.
The conversation, led by Gleaner publisher Hugh Maynard, brought together three members of the International Forum of Agricultural Journalists, including journalist and communications instructor Owen Roberts, who is based in Guelph, Ontario; Rachel Martin, an award-winning writer and farming editor at the Irish Examiner of Northern Ireland; and acclaimed journalist Farah Ahmed Atyyat, who works out of Amman, Jordan.
The podcast delves into the interconnectedness of global agriculture while exploring some of the common challenges farmers face, as well as the unique regional issues impacting the sector in the different countries.
Across the board, uncertainty was identified as the prevailing mood among farmers worldwide. “It just feels like every few months, there’s something that is annoying farmers so much that they’re literally taking to the streets protesting,” said Martin, who suggests there are currently a lot of worried farmers across Europe who are facing big changes on the horizon.
Ahmed Atyyat agreed, before noting that in the Middle East, farmers are facing continuous pressure to adapt to climate change, water scarcity, the high price of production, and geopolitical instability that has affected supply chains and is now impacting food security.
Regionally, the journalists highlighted trade issues as another subject on farmers’ minds these days. Roberts noted the tensions around the upcoming renegotiations of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement (CUSMA) as a significant concern, while Martin highlighted the European Union’s recent ban of Brazilian beef imports following farmer protests as a relief for some producers.
In Jordan, Ahmed Attyat noted that recent conflicts in the Middle East have disrupted supply chains, and increased food process have led to a drive for agricultural resilience and independence to reduce the country’s vulnerability to external shocks.
The conversation then turned specifically to climate change and adaptation, where Jordan faces severe impacts including record high temperatures, increased drought, and acute water scarcity. Ahmed Attyat pointed out that governments are developing strategies focused on water efficiency, nature-based solutions, and leveraging green economy principles, while hoping for increased climate funding from international summits.
Martin suggested that in terms of climate change, farmers feel “unfairly targeted regarding emissions, but are willing to adopt sustainable practices if they are practical and financially viable.” Roberts noted that in Canada, government policies on carbon emissions have also negatively impacted farmers, because they were implemented without considering operational realities and resource needs.
The full episode, as well as the rest of the first season of the Farm to Food podcast, is now available online at The-Gleaner.com, on YouTube, and on most streaming services.