Farm Gate 102: Can Labour build 1.5m new homes in balance with nature?

Well, the summer's over, but for the last week in the southwest of England the sun's been shining while autumn's been gently easing itself into the air - and Newsweek is back with a full, ripe crop of six conversations. ffinlo Costain speaks to: Emma Toovey from the Environment Bank - 1'10'' Leona McDonald, the director of Golden Hooves - 9'12'' Andrew Barbour from Mains of Fincastle - 15'58'' Bishop Takalani Mufamadi from the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute - 25'46'' Emma Bell from The Open University - 40'22'' Alice Groom from the RSPB - 53'24''

ffinlo Costain speaks to Alpha Lo, the founder of the Climate Water Project, a series of podcasts and articles in which Alpha investigates how to restore the water web. Farm Gate is part of https://8point9.com/ To find out more about the Climate Water Project just visit https://climatewaterproject.substack.com/

Forests are super important - they have enormous environmental, economic, cultural and amenity value as well as being sources of food and nutrition, medicines, habitats, fuel and, of course, building materials. In this programme, we discuss what timber can do - why forests are so important - how public support for commercial forestry could be improved - and where forestry fits within broader land use conversations. ffinlo Costain is joined by Paul Brannen, the author of Timber! How wood can help save the world from climate breakdown - and by sustainable forestry consultant, Andrew Heald.

* Pat Thomas from A Bigger Conversation - 1'00'' * Emily Bull from FAI Farms - 14'18'' * Professor Sebastian Dötterl from ECH Zurich - 31'08'' * Million Belay from IPES Food and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa - 42'11'' * Vicki Hird from The Wildlife Trusts - 55'32'' * Alun Thomas from the Beacons Water Group - 1,05'23''

In Britain, Labour has promised to "build 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament, with the biggest increase in social housing and affordable housebuilding in a generation." ffinlo Costain asks, can these homes be built in the time available - and just as importantly, can this level of house building be achieved in balance with nature and food production? ffinlo is joined by James Ellis, Director of Planning at Rural Solutions - and by Gabriel Connor Streich, the Chief Executive of Greenshank Environmental.

Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) discuss Labour's landslide general election victory, and what it means for food, farming and nature. This is Phil's last WFTC, as he moves on to a new role in Northern Ireland. A BIG thank you for all his knowledge and expert conversation.

In this week's programme we'll hear interviews with candidates from three of the parties standing across Britain in next week's UK general election - the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and the Green Party. The Labour party were unable to make anyone available for a conversation. Julia Aglionby, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Penrith and Solway - 01'0'' Simon Hoare, the Conservative candidate for North Dorset - 45'25'' Toby Hammond, the Green Party candidate for Beccles and Lowestoft -1,16'05'' A list of all candidates in the Penrith and Solway constituency: Julia Aglionby, Liberal Democrats Markus Campbell-Saviours, Labour Party Susan Denham-Smith, The Green Party Roy Ivinson, Independent Mark Jenkinson, The Conservative Party Chris Johnston, Independent Shaun Long, Social Democratic Party Matthew Moody, Reform UK A list of all candidates in the North Dorset constituency: Si Adams, Independent James Coldwell, Labour Party Simon Hoare, Conservative and Unionist Party Ken Huggins, Green Party Gary Jackson, Liberal Democrats Ash Leaning, Reform UK Lester Taylor, UK Independence Party Daniel Woodruffe, Social Democratic Party A list of all candidates for Beccles and Lowestoft: Peter Aldous, Conservative Jessica Asato, Labour Toby Hammond, Green June Mummery, Reform Adam Robertson, Lib Dem

Phil Carson and ffinlo Costain discuss what's on offer in the Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Labour manifestos, in terms of food, farming and nature.

Peter Byck talks about his new documentary series, Roots so Deep - 0'40'' John Gilliland talks about the ARC Zero project - 13'56'' Tom Johnstone from the Usk Catchment Partnership talks about giving nature a voice - 27'17'' Sarah-Jane Laing from Scottish Land & Estates talks about Scottish land reform - 41'22'' Robert Hindle from Rural Solutions on biodiversity net gain - 53'30''

We'll hear from Jerry Alford from the Soil Association, Beth Metson from the Soil Association Exchange - and Lauren Baker from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food will tell us that we need to respect farmer experience and indigenous knowledge as much as we do peer-reviewed science. I'll talk to Neil Nicholas from Coleg Sir Gar about slurry spreading, and Charlie Taverner from the FFCC will tell us what the UK government's got wrong about food security. First up, I discuss the 'Land squeeze’ report with Nettie Wiebe from IPES-Food. Nettie Wiebe, IPES-Food - 0' 42'' Lauren Baker, Global Alliance for the Future of Food - 11' 40'' Jerry Alford, Soil Association - 25' 40'' Beth Metson, Soil Association Exchange - 34' 42'' Neil Nicholas, Coleg Sir Gar - 44' 35'' Dr Charlie Taverner, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission - 52' 01''