In RTÉ One's Food Matters, GIY (Grow it Yourself) founder Michael Kelly studies how the food system is a major contributor to the climate change emergency, and explores some inventive alternatives.
Across six episodes, Michael will travel the country, meeting farmers, food producers, food experts, climate experts, and chefs as well as economists, ecologists, and activists as he digs deep to uncover the complexity of the Irish food system and its impact on the environment.
"I think food issues are front and foremost in people's minds at the moment, with the veg shortages a couple of weeks ago and things like that," he explains. "I think food, in general, and sustainable food, in particular, are hot topics at the moment."
Filmed at Grow HQ in Waterford, the home of GIY, as well as on location in Cork, Kildare, Dublin, Westmeath, Kerry, Meath, Wicklow, Tipperary, Limerick, Kilkenny, and Wexford, the show aims to challenge viewers to question their shopping, eating and growing habits.
"I was always aware that the food system is a big part of the problem in terms of the climate emergency," he explains. "I think it's a huge part of the problem, but then I think, it being food, it's also a very accessible part of the solution."
"With food, you've got three chances every day to make a sustainable food choice or not. It was a personal journey for me, and the crew, as we met all these amazing people and projects around the country. I think it shifted all our behaviours and that's what we hope to achieve with the show.
"It's not a brow-beating sort of a series," he adds. "It's about showing a different path and letting people make their own minds up."
In this first episode of Food Matters, Michael travels to West Cork to visit Dr. Steve Collins, a pioneer of regenerative agriculture, who is farming on the side of a mountain, and managing to grow a superfood in bad soil.
"It's just such an inspiring story that he can make decent money out of an acre of really crappy soil on a mountain," he says. "It's an inspiring story about what's possible when people are willing to think a bit differently about things."
"The main takeaway that I hope people come away with is that little changes can mean a lot. Sometimes little changes get bad press, and that putting the focus on little changes lets governments off the hook or lets the bigger stakeholders off the hook, and that's true to a degree, but we forget that we as consumers have huge power to affect change."
If you're inspired by the show and want to get growing your own food at home - even if it's only a small space - Michael says that there are some sturdy options for beginners to try.
"It's a great time of year to get out and do a little bit of sewing. In terms of fail-safes, I'm a big fan of growing your own salad leaves, lettuce and oriental greens are very easy to grow and are quite quick growing.
"It's a great time of year for sowing potatoes, which I think are very straightforward to grow; you literally stick a potato in the ground and it turns into a plant that produces loads more potatoes.
"Herbs are a fantastic thing to grow yourself. With some of the perennials, you'll have for years, things like thyme, and rosemary, and so on. You'll never need to buy them again once you get them started."
Watch Food Matters on RTÉ One on Wednesdays at 8:30pm.
