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

We Are Carbon

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/

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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/

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:51 - Motivation & background to start the OFN

08:40 - Farming with nature - influences from both parents

13:42 - Challenges faced by farmers in current food system

17:07 - 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 & investment

30:21 - OFN success stories and uses

36:00 - Evolving the investment and subsidy schemes for greater food access for all

39:39 - 'The Power of Food'- valuing food beyond a basic commodity

44:25 - Serenity and Kirsten's farm

46:11 - Learning more