(De)colonial Soils

Decolonisation and dependence on fertilisers.

With Taleb Alisalem, a prominent political activist and analyst specialising in the issues of Western Sahara, the Middle East and Africa, and currently one of the most recognised voices of the Sahrawi movement. He was born in the Sahrawi refugee camps and grew up in Spain. He studied International Cooperation and Development Aid at The Open University. In 2022 and 2023 he received the “Internationalisation of the Saharawi Cause” award from UPES (Union of Saharawi Journalists, Writers and Intellectuals).

Injustices of phosphate loss and plunder: the case of Western Sahara.

With Erik Hagen of Western Sahara Resource Watch, an organisation that investigates and campaigns against companies working for Moroccan interests in occupied Western Sahara, where – among other elements – the phosphates essential for the production of fertilisers are extracted.

Alternative forms of nutrition and soil construction.

With María del Carmen Jaizme, a biological scientist who holds a PhD in Botany from the University of La Laguna. She is a researcher at the Department of Plant Protection at the Canary Islands Institute for Agricultural Research (ICIA) in Tenerife, where she is currently Scientific Director. She is also co-director of the Master’s Degree in Agroecology, Food Sovereignty, Urban Ecology and Cooperation for Rural Development at the University of La Laguna and president of the Fundación Instituto de Agroecología y Sostenibilidad (FIAES).  Working within the field of Agroecology, her activity focuses on the study of beneficial soil microorganisms (mycorrhizal fungi). Her line of research is aimed at evaluating the possibilities of applying these microorganisms in agriculture in order to improve soil fertility and health.

Use of nitrogen-fixing plants to reduce dependence on synthetic fertilisers.

With biologist Aida Arroyo, one of the driving forces behind Flora Auxiliar, a project whose aim is to assist in the transition to regenerative agriculture and permaculture. The tools employed to achieve such ends include permaculture design, the dissemination of agroecology and the production of plants for the natural restoration and improvement of biodiversity in agricultural systems.

Moderator: Brenda Chávez, journalist and researcher specialising in consumption, sustainability and culture. She writes for The Guardian, El País, El Salto, Muy Interesante and Rockdelux, among other publications. She also directs Consuma Crudeza [Consume It Raw], a section devoted to sustainable consumption on the radio programme Carne Cruda (eldiario.es). She is the author of the books on responsible (conscious, or sustainable) consumption Tu consumo puede cambiar el mundo (Península) and Al borde de un ataque de compras (Debate) and has co-authored Consumo Crítico (Catarata).