118. Farming Fire, Forests & Fish
Agostino Petroni on solutions journalism & great success stories
Agostino Petroni is a journalist, author, economist, gastronome, and 2021 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow. His work appears in National Geographic, BBC, The Atlantic and many more. I first came across it in Reasons to be Cheerful, the terrific news outlet founded by one of my all-time favourite musicians and producers, David Byrne. That outlet is part of a growing movement sometimes called ‘solutions journalism’. Though you might just call it good journalism. And Agostino’s article that first caught my eye is a great example of that – outlining a terrific success story so relevant to some of the pioneering efforts – and vital needs - we’ve heard about in this podcast.
Agostino Petroni at TEDx Barletta.
“In order to protect our nature, we need to live with it, and inside it. So the idea of a virgin forest from the Jurassic time doesn’t really exist anymore on this earth. And we have a lot of people on this earth. In order to protect what’s left of this pristine world, you need people in it, protecting it and working it - people that also have some personal, cultural and also little economic interest to protect the forests & the wild lands.”
One of the most fascinating and popular stories on the podcast was featured in the 100th episode under the title Wanted Land Doctors. I’ve had many interesting exchanges in the wake of that episode, including with a listener in the eastern states who shared stories of goats being used by public agencies to reduce fire fuel loads after the horrific Black Summer fires here in Australia. It turns out that the Mediterranean region has created some great models in this mould, that are successfully getting people back on Country, with communities and their livelihoods reinvigorated, and trajectories of mega-fire, extinction and polarised politics reversed. And, importantly, we’re seeing more journalists like Agostino getting out there, finding and sharing these stories.
In the first half of this episode, we talk about Agostino’s unexpected personal journey into the work he does, his formative film-making journey to Latin America, and this phenomenon of so-called ‘solutions journalism’. In the back half, we delve into some of the incredible stories he’s found, principally that piece from Reasons to be Cheerful, and the patterns we’ve observed.
This conversation was recorded online with Agostino at home in Puglia, Italy, on 3 May 2022.
Find more:
The article from Reasons to be Cheerful, ‘Grazing Livestock Among the Trees Is Helping to Prevent Wildfires’.
Some of Agostino’s broader work.
Including ‘How to Save the Sea: Lessons from an Italian Fishing Community’ in the legendary Yes Magazine.
Music:
Regeneration, composed by Amelia Barden, from the soundtrack of the new film Regenerating Australia, screening around the country now.