Madeleine Fairbairn's guest appearances

Madeleine Fairbairn

Sustainable Dish Podcast

Reversing Climate Change

OwlTail

Farmland has transformed into a financial asset class. So, what happens when land is owned by large financial institutions? How does it impact farmer autonomy? And could it be good for fighting climate change? Dr. Madeleine Fairbairn is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz and author of Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. Fairbairn joins Ross and guest cohost Dr. Lauren Gifford to discuss the emergence of the institutional farmland investments industry and describe how land has value independent of what it produces. Dr. Fairbairn explores what’s behind the steep decline in the number of farmers over the last century and explains how large-scale farmland ownership could have positive consequences for the environment and negative social consequences at the same time. Listen in for Dr. Fairbairn’s insights into Georgism as a potential policy response and find out what the financialization of farmland means for the small farmer, the economy and the climate. Key Takeaways [1:40] How Fields of Gold explores the emergence of the institutional farmland investments industry [5:24] What Dr. Fairbairn means by ‘the financialization of land’ [9:25] The non-linear progression from communal forms of land ownership to a more and more sophisticated commodification of land [11:51] How land has value independent of what it produces [13:52] What’s behind the decline in the number of farmers over the last century [18:01] The connections between the financialization of farmland and climate (and how what we ask of farmland managers is changing) [21:12] How large-scale farmland ownership could have positive environmental consequences and negative social consequences at the same time [26:18] How landowners in Brazil are tasked with serving society as a whole [30:31] How Dr. Fairbairn thinks about billionaires like Bill Gates acquiring hundreds of thousands of acres of land [34:03] Dr. Fairbairn’s take on a Georgist land value tax as a potential policy response [40:03] The relationship between Georgism and the politics of productivity [42:37] What Dr. Fairbairn is learning about agri-food technology through the UC AFTeR Project she’s working on now Resources Dr. Fairbairn at UC Santa Cruz Dr. Fairbairn on Twitter Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush by Madeleine Fairbairn Dr. Lauren Gifford USDA Discrimination Lawsuits ‘Bill Gates: America’s Top Farmland Owner’ in The Land Report Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West by Justin Farrell The Mason Gaffney Reader: Essays on Solving the ‘Unsolvable’ by Mason Gaffney Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society by Eric A. Posner and E. Glen Weyl--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support

Farmland has transformed into a financial asset class. So, what happens when land is owned by large financial institutions? How does it impact farmer autonomy? And could it be good for fighting climate change? Dr. Madeleine Fairbairn is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz and author of <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501750083/fields-of-gold/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush</a>. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. Fairbairn joins Ross and guest cohost Dr. <a href="https://www.laurengifford.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lauren Gifford</a> to discuss the emergence of the institutional farmland investments industry and describe how land has value independent of what it produces. Dr. Fairbairn explores what’s behind the steep decline in the number of farmers over the last century and explains how large-scale farmland ownership could have positive consequences for the environment and negative social consequences at the same time. Listen in for Dr. Fairbairn’s insights into Georgism as a potential policy response and find out what the financialization of farmland means for the small farmer, the economy and the climate. Key Takeaways [1:40] How Fields of Gold explores the emergence of the institutional farmland investments industry [5:24] What Dr. Fairbairn means by ‘the financialization of land’ [9:25] The non-linear progression from communal forms of land ownership to a more and more sophisticated commodification of land [11:51] How land has value independent of what it produces [13:52] What’s behind the decline in the number of farmers over the last century [18:01] The connections between the financialization of farmland and climate (and how what we ask of farmland managers is changing) [21:12] How large-scale farmland ownership could have positive environmental consequences and negative social consequences at the same time [26:18] How landowners in Brazil are tasked with serving society as a whole [30:31] How Dr. Fairbairn thinks about billionaires like Bill Gates acquiring hundreds of thousands of acres of land [34:03] Dr. Fairbairn’s take on a Georgist land value tax as a potential policy response [40:03] The relationship between Georgism and the politics of productivity [42:37] What Dr. Fairbairn is learning about agri-food technology through the UC AFTeR Project she’s working on now Resources <a href="https://envs.ucsc.edu/faculty/index.php?uid=mfairbai" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Fairbairn at UC Santa Cruz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/landstuff" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Fairbairn on Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501750083/fields-of-gold/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush by Madeleine Fairbairn</a> <a href="https://www.laurengifford.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Lauren Gifford</a> <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_015583.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">USDA Discrimination Lawsuits</a> <a href="https://landreport.com/2021/01/bill-gates-americas-top-farmland-owner/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">‘Bill Gates: America’s Top Farmland Owner’ in The Land Report</a> <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691176673/billionaire-wilderness" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West by Justin Farrell</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mason-Gaffney-Reader-Solving-Unsolvable/dp/0974184462" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Mason Gaffney Reader: Essays on Solving the ‘Unsolvable’ by Mason Gaffney</a> <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691177502/radical-markets" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society by Eric A. Posner and E. Glen Weyl</a>--- Send in a voice message: <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message</a> Support this podcast: <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support" rel="payment nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support</a>

S3E3: Farms for sale: what's wrong with the financialization of farmland?—w/ Dr. Madeleine Fairbairn

Small and mid-sized farms in America have been dwindling for decades. Often these farms are bought up by larger conglomerates. One relatively recent example is Perdue’s purchase of Niman Ranch. You can read my post about the buyout here and my concerns about CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) taking over companies with higher standards of production.  In the episode, we learn that it’s not only Big Ag that’s getting into the small farm business. Financial institutions have been in the farmland game for years. My co-host James Connelly interviews Madeleine Fairbairn, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz about her latest book. Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush explores the financialization of farmland and how financial institutions began treating farmland as investment opportunities. You can download the ebook for free here. James and Madeleine start their discussion in the 1970s with skyrocketing crop prices, quickly followed by overproduction and inflation, making farmland attractive to wealthy investors. This situation coupled with financial deregulation in the 80s and 90s caused changing mindsets in companies and consumers that now make finance a part of our everyday lives.  Their conversation concludes with our current landscape where we see major investment companies like Harvard Management Company and TIAA owning huge swaths of farmland, often to the detriment of the local community.  Tune in to learn more about: - Financialization and how it affects all areas of our lives - The Global Land Grab - The Shareholder Value Revolution - Congress's bipartisan measure to prevent institutions from taking over farmland and how those measures went away in the 1980s - California’s water shortage problem - How Harvard Management Company bought a vineyard - The rise of ESGs (Environmental, Social, and Governance) or socially responsible investing - Madeleine’s skepticism of ESGs Resources: Fields of Gold by Madeleine Fairbairn (free ebook) The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa’s Wealth by Tom Burgis Greta Krippner  The Great Grain Robbery The Last Supper for Malthus: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It by Tom Philpott Connect with Madeleine: Website: Madeleine Fairbairn and UC AFTeR Project LinkedIn: Madeleine Fairbairn Email: mfairbai@ucsc.edu *** Episode Credits: Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Meg Chatham, and our editor is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.  A big thanks to Nakano Knives for their support of my work and the podcast. I’ve been using their knives for a couple of years now and I love them. They are beautiful, easy to hold, and a fantastic value. And just in time for the holidays, you can use my offer code DIANA for 10% off plus get a $25 voucher toward your next purchase. Who doesn’t love a new knife, right?

Small and mid-sized farms in America have been dwindling for decades. Often these farms are bought up by larger conglomerates. One relatively recent example is Perdue’s purchase of Niman Ranch. You can read my post about the buyout <a href="https://sustainabledish.com/perdue-will-buy-niman-ranch-heres-why-you-should-care/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and my concerns about CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) taking over companies with higher standards of production.  In the episode, we learn that it’s not only Big Ag that’s getting into the small farm business. Financial institutions have been in the farmland game for years. My co-host James Connelly interviews Madeleine Fairbairn, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz about her latest book. Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush explores the financialization of farmland and how financial institutions began treating farmland as investment opportunities. You can download the ebook for free <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501750090/fields-of-gold/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. James and Madeleine start their discussion in the 1970s with skyrocketing crop prices, quickly followed by overproduction and inflation, making farmland attractive to wealthy investors. This situation coupled with financial deregulation in the 80s and 90s caused changing mindsets in companies and consumers that now make finance a part of our everyday lives.  Their conversation concludes with our current landscape where we see major investment companies like Harvard Management Company and TIAA owning huge swaths of farmland, often to the detriment of the local community.  Tune in to learn more about: - Financialization and how it affects all areas of our lives - The Global Land Grab - The Shareholder Value Revolution - Congress's bipartisan measure to prevent institutions from taking over farmland and how those measures went away in the 1980s - California’s water shortage problem - How Harvard Management Company bought a vineyard - The rise of ESGs (Environmental, Social, and Governance) or socially responsible investing - Madeleine’s skepticism of ESGs Resources: <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501750090/fields-of-gold/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fields of Gold</a> by Madeleine Fairbairn (free ebook) <a href="https://amzn.to/3D0fSsZ" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa’s Wealth</a> by Tom Burgis <a href="https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/krippner/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Greta Krippner </a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_United_States%E2%80%93Soviet_Union_wheat_deal" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Great Grain Robbery</a> The Last Supper for Malthus: <a href="https://youtu.be/Bs3uISwKhU0" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Part 1</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/swFZ3Id9N-8" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Part 2</a>, and <a href="https://youtu.be/jvqqh_sLvHk" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Part 3</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/3cY6D1Q" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It</a> by Tom Philpott Connect with Madeleine: Website: <a href="https://envs.ucsc.edu/faculty/index.php?uid=mfairbai" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Madeleine Fairbairn</a> and <a href="https://afterproject.sites.ucsc.edu/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">UC AFTeR Project</a> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-fairbairn-a5811125/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Madeleine Fairbairn</a> Email: <a href="mailto:mfairbai@ucsc.edu" rel="noopener">mfairbai@ucsc.edu</a> *** Episode Credits: Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Meg Chatham, and our editor is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, <a href="https://www.patreon.com/globalfoodjustice" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon supporters</a>, and listeners. A big thanks to <a href="https://nakano-knives.com/de/blogs/people-we-work-with/sustainabledish" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Nakano Knives</a> for their support of my work and the podcast. I’ve been using their knives for a couple of years now and I love them. They are beautiful, easy to hold, and a fantastic value. And just in time for the holidays, you can use my offer code DIANA for 10% off plus get a $25 voucher toward your next purchase. Who doesn’t love a new knife, right?