Brian Barrett is a Reader in Environmental Remote Sensing, School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, at the University of Glasgow. Brian studied planet earth and its physical processes using drones and satellite images. In this episode, Brian explains how the practice of intensive agriculture in different parts of the world has affected soil health.

Learn more about Brian Barrett and his research: www.gla.ac.uk/schools/ges/staff/…#researchinterests

Daniel Chinkhuntha runs Freedom Gardens in Dowa, central Malawi. Freedom Gardens adopted permaculture, a holistic approach towards nature, and used minimal inputs from outside. Daniel uses integrated soil and water conservation practices and several crops are grown on the farm, including fruits, vegetables, herbs, legumes and cereals. During the conversation, Daniel expands on the interconnections between soil health and sustainable farming practices.

To learn more about Freedom Gardens, visit their website: tikondwefreedomgardens.weebly.com

AboutSUS is produced in collaboration with Multiplied By and edited by Emilia Rubensson. These episodes were funded by the Small Projects Funding, School of Education, University of Glasgow and supported by the Sustainable Futures Global Network.

Theme music “Algorithms” created by Chad Crouch and sourced from Envato.

What does it mean to think sustainably about water or the food we eat?

Jill Robbie, senior lecturer at the School of law, University of Glasgow, reflects critically on the role law has played in facilitating a utilitarian relationship with what we call “natural resources”. Instead of ownership and property rights, Jills sustains that we should move to governance systems that allow us to consider water rights and agency.

Mo Hume, Professor of Latin American Politics at the University of Glasgow, presents the case of the Atrato river, to which legal rights were granted. Located in Colombia, this river’s history helps to reflect on what it means to understand a territory sustainably– a space where the rights of the communities intersect with those of the river. Thus, when the state failed to protect the Atrato, it also fell short of protecting the communities around it.

Anna Chadwick is a senior lecturer at the School of law, University of Glasgow, and she brings the political economy lens to this conversation. To what extent can we move towards a sustainable relationship with land or water within a system highly shaped by finance and market logic? Anna critically examines the connections between legal, economic and political structures underpinning the current environmental crisis.

Theme music “Algorithms” created by Chad Crouch and sourced from Envato.

Article music kindly provided via the Diocese of Quibdó. https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/research/politics/projects/colombiariverstories/maps/

The question “What is sustainability?” is answered by three leading voices in the field.

Deepa Pullanikkatil, founder of Abundance, has worked with communities living in vulnerable contexts in Malawi. A key lesson learned by Deepa is that to advance sustainable solutions it is critical to understand that communities live integrated lives. Therefore, when promoting the exercise of new practices (for instance, sustainable food management), as crucial as ensuring access to resources or capacity development it is key to analyse to what extent those practices are doable within highly demanding contexts.

Mia Perry, professor of Arts and Literacies in Education, sustains that we need to explore new systems of communication and knowledge to develop a sustainable relationship with the environment. This means moving away from the text and numeracy to develop other ways of making meaning and connecting with the world around us.

Jude Robinson is a social anthropologist and has dedicated much of her research to understanding the relationship between peoples’ health and wellbeing outside of conventional health care settings. In this episode, Jude shares valuable insights concerning her studies in refugee camps and how this has shaped an approach to sustainability primarily focused on the ability of communities to make sustained positive life choices over time.

AboutSUS is produced in collaboration with Multiplied By and edited by Emilia Rubensson. These episodes were funded by the Small Projects Funding, School of Education, University of Glasgow and supported by the Sustainable Futures Global Network.

Theme music “Algorithms” created by Chad Crouch and sourced from Envato.