The story of farming has always been one of adaptation. The next chapter may be its most one important yet.
In this special episode of Fix The News, we bring together two conversations exploring one of the defining questions of our time: how do we feed a growing world without destroying the planet that we depend on?
Meet Professor Rattan Lal, one of the world's leading soil scientists and a World Food Prize laureate, whose life's work has transformed our understanding of the living world beneath our feet. Then meet Alesha Miller, Chief Strategy Officer at Digital Green, who's helping smallholder farmers across Africa and Asia combine generations of local knowledge with artificial intelligence to build more resilient food systems.
Together, they help us unpack that that the future of agriculture isn't about choosing between nature and technology, tradition and innovation, or human and artificial intelligence. It's about strengthening both.
In this episode:
Why healthy soil is the foundation of healthy food systems
How our lifestyle choices today will help shape the future
The importance of the world's 500 million smallholder farmers
How AI can amplify rather than replace human knowledge
Why trust matters as much as technology
Why the future of farming may depend on combining old wisdom with new ideas
Timestamps:
00:13 The most common occupation on earth
03:45 Meet Professor Rattan Lal
04:54 Why soil is a living entity
08:37 What does Regenerative Agriculture actually mean?
12:05 The Law of Return
20:53 Midpoint Reflections
22:47 Meet Alesha Miller
25:47 What is Digital Green?
30:14 Can weather predictions save AI?
37:21 Technology and Trust
43:04 Closing Reflections: Choose Both
Dig Deeper:
👉Professor Rattan Lal
👉 Digital Green
About Fix The News:Fix The News is a solutions-focused media platform sharing stories from the frontlines of progress - exploring what’s working in the world and the people making it happen.
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Production credits:
Hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose
Produced by Fix The News
Audio production: Anthony Badolato, Hear That!
** **This episode was produced in Australia on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples.