Navigating Economic Development and the Social Fabric of Agriculture, with Elizabeth Brennan, Wide Open Agriculture

Every decision made by founders, farmers, and leaders in agriculture shapes the future of our food system. Whether it’s the cost per hectare of a biological or the value of a ton of carbon sequestered, the different goals and outcomes that end up in business plans inevitably define how time, energy, and capital are spent.

But there are many outcomes of a healthy food system that don’t fit in a business plan. How do leaders today account for the broad connections between people, ideas, and identities? It’s this fabric that reflects who we are, what we value as a society, and how we interact as humans along the agricultural value chain.

Elizabeth Brennan is Non-Executive Director of publicly-listed regenerative food company Wide Open Agriculture. She is a leader across many other organizations dedicated to innovation, equality, and diversity in our agrifood system, and has a long connection to the Western Australian wheat belt, as well as communities overseas.

In this episode Liz shares her insights on:

• What Australian farmers can learn from other cultures, communities, and different forms of agriculture less geared toward the economics of export
• How her definition of “impact” helps her navigate multiple roles of influence across publicly-listed companies, not-for-profits, and family farming business
• How her experience working in subsistence agricultural communities in Papua New Guinea applies to her work in Australian agriculture today
• What the role social fabric in rural and regional communities means, and how to make sure it isn’t lost in the future

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