Farmsters + Citizen Science

  Getting back to the roots. What does it really mean? This week on Sea Change Radio, we feature two women who have each recently penned pieces for Orion Magazine about movements to connect people with nature. First, we hear from Lauren Markham who has chronicled the new generation of hipster farmers, or “farmsters.” More and more educated young people are thumbing their noses at corporate America and instead working the land. She talks about the impact they’re having on modern agriculture and how it will affect the food we eat. Next, host Alex Wise speaks with Sharman Russell about citizen science – a trend where traditional scientists are embracing crowdsourcing as a way to improve their data. We’ll examine the phenomenon through the author’s own contributions as a citizen scientist assisting the study of tiger beetles.