In Conversation with Serenity Hill - Co-Founder: The Open Food Network

I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Serenity Hill about building an alternative, fairer and more resilient path within our food systems.Serenity is the co-founder of The Open Food Network.She comes from a long line of farmers on both sides of her family and has grown up with a keen awareness of the challenges and contradictions of balancing the needs of nature and the needs of farmers within a centralised food system that does a poor job of supporting either.We talk about the motivations that led to the creation of The Open Food Network alongside the ongoing ambitions and evolution of this now expansive enterprise.For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below.See the video version of this episode here: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/serenity-hill-open-food-network/-------More Formats from We Are Carbon: [Shorter Video Format with Animations] - Can All Food be Regenerative. With Patrick Holden: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/can-all-food-be-regenerative/[Story Telling Audio Format] - Soil (My Common Sense Take) : https://www.wearecarbon.earth/soil-path-to-whole-systems-thinking/Explore ways to support this content: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/your-support/----------------------Timestamps:00:00 - Intro02:51 - Motivation & background to start the OFN08:40 - Farming with nature - influences from both parents13:42 - Challenges faced by farmers in current food system17:07 - What is a social enterprise?18:50 - What is the Open Food Network?24:00 - Input from Nick Weir (Open Food Network UK)27:54 - Shared learning, resource & investment30:21 - OFN success stories and uses36:00 - Evolving the investment and subsidy schemes for greater food access for all39:39 - 'The Power of Food'- valuing food beyond a basic commodity44:25 - Serenity and Kirsten's farm46:11 - Learning more