Down to Earth
Down to Earth is a podcast about regenerative agriculture. It’s about the place where food production and conservation come together, where the food we eat actually improves the health of land, water, people—and climate.
Above all, it’s a podcast about hope. We focus not on doom but instead on people who are developing practical, innovative solutions. We invite you to meet farmers, ranchers, scientists, land managers, writers, and many others on a mission to create a world in which the food we eat is healthy—for us, for wildlife, for the lives and livelihoods of the producers, and for the planet.
Recent Programs
Cows Save the Planet
That’s the name of the terrific book by Judith Schwartz. We talk about how ecosystems evolved with animals, and how animals can be used to restore land and improve soil.
Opening the conversation about living soils
Chris Jagger, founder of the Living Soils Symposium, talks about his journey to regenerative farming, and the many challenges, including economic, facing small and mid-size farmers.
From conflict to conciliation on Western landscapes
Lesli Allison is a conservationist, former ranch manager, and policy wonk. She’s a leader in the movement to bring conservation practices to working lands in the west, and tells us about restoration projects that benefit both nature and landowners.
What on earth is earth? A soil scientist tell us…and why we shouldn’t treat it like dirt.
Christine Jones explains what’s wrong with industrial paradigm of agriculture and how understanding soil can help us grow food that’s healthier — for people, rivers, oceans, climate, local economies, and pretty much everything else.
Eat Mesquite? Yes. Really.
The new cookbook from Desert Harvesters in Tucson, Eat Mesquite and More: A Cookbook for Sonoran Desert Foods and Living, is not only about how to make food from local ingredients, but also how communities and deeper understanding of local ecosystems arise from local eating and cooking.
Patron saints of regenerative agriculture: Gabe and Paul Brown
Gabe Brown and his family endured hail, drought, and near ruin before they changed their way of farming and ranching. Theirs is a story of creative response to adversity that led to a healthier and more successful landscape and business.
Our Roots
Down to Earth is produced by Mary-Charlotte Domandi, long-time public radio and podcast producer/host, in collaboration with the Quivira Coalition, a non-profit organization that promotes healthy agricultural lands and food systems across the West—and across the world.
We’re dedicated to the idea of the Radical Center, in which people from divergent political, cultural, and professional worlds leave their differences aside and come together to work on the things they believe in—healthy soil, landscapes, and food…clean water and air…wise use of science and technology…and flourishing rural communities.
