Talgarth Talks Community Lectures

In 2023, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation provided us with a small fund to explore how we might act as an ‘anchor institution’ for the ecological imagination. We are committed to creating a public platform for dialogue between groups with radically different ideas about how to address climate and ecological crises. 

Over the last year, we have established a public talks and events programme, named Talgarth Talks. These free, community lectures seek to showcase the work of fantastic advocates for the ecological imagination and put them in dialogue with our local community innovators and networks. 

Talgarth Talks are monthly public lectures held at the Community Hall in the town centre. Open to all and free of charge, these events aim to inspire the ecological imagination, spark fresh ideas to address today’s social and environmental challenges, and empower communities to drive meaningful change for a better future.

Who are the speakers?

So far, we have engaged with a wide range of speakers across various sectors who have led the talks and undertaken Q&A sessions with the audience. If you missed any – don’t worry, all of the recordings are available to watch on our YouTube channel!

• Rupert Read – Pathways to change, both imaginative and practical: Introducing the Climate Majority Project.
  Dr. Read, campaigner and former spokesperson for the Green Party and Extinction Rebellion, presents his urgent new book and project: The Climate Majority Project, and discusses how we can create effective change at different levels in response to the climate and nature crisis. A presentation of Dr. Read’s new book and project, ‘The Climate Majority Project’.

• Carwyn Graves – Tir: The Story of the Welsh Landscape
  Writer and naturalist, Carwyn Graves, takes us on a journey into the human and ecological history of Wales. Why, he asks, does the countryside contain far less nature and far fewer people working the land than it did a century ago? What can that teach us about how we approach the future?
• Jojo Mehta – Stop Ecocide International
  Co-founder and executive director of Stop Ecocide International, Jojo Mehta helps us to imagine a law that puts people and the planet first. Stop Ecocide International is the driving force behind a global movement that is working to create a world in which the destruction of our ecosystems is a crime. What are the challenges, how will it work and how can we help?
• Chris Smaje – Saying NO to a Farm-free Future: The Case for an Ecological Food System and Against Manufactured Foods
  Social scientist and small farmer Chris Smaje argues for a radical rebuild of our food and farming system: one that is local, low energy and biodiverse, driven by producers and communities rather than the interests of the corporate food sector with their sights set on lab-grown ‘food’. How do we push back against such a model and support a more agroecological vision of the future? In conversation with Agroecologist, Ian Rappel.
• Cleo Goodman & Joanna Poulton – Universal Basic Income: has its time come?
  A conversation about what a basic income for all would mean with co-founder of the Basic Income Conversation Project, Cleo Goodman, and Jo Poulton of BI4Farmers. How transformative would it be for society, the ecological crisis and farmers and food producers, if everyone were to receive an unconditional monthly payment? 
• Jyoti Fernandes – What does ‘food sovereignty’ mean in practice?
  Agroecological farmer, activist, and founding member of the Landworkers Alliance, Jyoti Fernandes talks about the politics of our global food system and her work with farmers all over the world to create a system that prioritises food as a fundamental human right.
• Roman Krznaric – History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity
  What can the history of slave revolts teach us about the power of rebellion to tackle the climate crisis? How might 18th-century Japan inspire us to create regenerative economies today? Join social philosopher Roman Krznaric as he draws on his latest book ‘History for Tomorrow’ to explore wisdom from the past.