Whereas it may always be a great source for funny cat videos, YouTube is quickly becoming a reliable venue for intelligent and informative videos on the food system. From tutorials on urban permaculture and interviews with smallholder farmers to culinary recipes and even food humor, YouTube food channels showcase the food world in exciting and diverse ways.
1. CGIAR Climate is produced by CGIAR‘s research program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS). It features compelling stories from smallholder farmers, interviews with leading agricultural experts, and innovative information on climate-smart agriculture.
2. Chelsea Green Publishing promotes sustainable living with an activist edge and has published books on “the politics and practice of sustainable living” since 1984. YouTube channel videos showcase a variety of topics including how to grow perennials in the shade, beekeeping, and investigative reporting.
3. Epic Meal Time is food humor, not to be taken seriously at all. The channel spoofs the excessive consumption of alcohol, fats, and sugars with a racy, lighthearted, and hilarious tone. Detailed recipes play out as comedic sketches and their outrageousness should probably not be reenacted.
4. FarmersWeeklyVideo is produced by U.K.-based Farmers Weekly, a multimedia independent information service for farmers and agricultural businesses. Videos contain information on how to make agri-businesses sustainable, advice on farming careers, and information on different crop inputs.
5. The Farming First channel highlights the mission of the agricultural development coalition of the same name, founded in 2009. Made up of 131 organizations worldwide, Farming First prioritizes the protection of natural resources, knowledge sharing, local infrastructure, harvests, market access, and innovative research.
6. FoodAbundance from Food Abundance International, focuses on promoting proven local food production techniques to combat worldwide hunger. Videos highlight their experiences converting desert wastelands into productive land, and developing affordable farming technologies like garden towers and watering buckets.
7. Food & Water Watch acts as a public advocate and research center for food and water resources in the United States. Informative videos push for sustainable, safe solutions to food system challenges like antibiotic resistance, fracking, and the industrial production of poultry.
8. Foodskey is a channel devoted to the science of food and drink. Videos present expert scientific commentary on everything from why broccoli changes color to the microstructure of mayonnaise.
9. Food Wishes presents videos containing simple classic recipes like broiled chicken and tomato mozzarella salad with easy-to-follow demonstrations. Cooking is presented in a straightforward, fun, and casual tone, making it accessible to novice cooks.
10. Hungry is a colorful and fun YouTube channel designed to showcase delicious and vibrant recipes for the amateur cook at home. Videos feature themes on holiday cooking ideas, the secrets of food designers, and loads of irresistible desserts from Black Forest cake to ice cream cookie sandwiches.
11. IFADTV is a well produced and highly engaging channel from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). IFAD is the agency of the United Nations established to help finance agricultural development projects internationally. Videos feature news stories about smallholder farmers in addition to interviews with agriculture experts.
12. The IFPRI channel presents videos from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). IFPRI works to end hunger and malnutrition globally through research and policy recommendations. Videos feature presentations by experts in food security, food policy, and nutrition.
13. Star chef Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube presents detailed expert cooking advice on innovative recipes while maintaining a lively, fun, and casual attitude. Popular recipes include a spicy Moroccan meatball sub and a mojito cupcake.
14. Founded by innovative filmmaker Syd Woodward, the Over Grow The System channel skillfully presents the stories and science behind the emerging British Columbia sustainable farming movement.
15. Paul Wheaton is a software designer turned permaculture expert based in Montana. His YouTube channel features mainly instructional videos on topics such as raising chickens, organic gardening, and greenhouse construction.
16. The sustainable living organization, Peak Moment, highlights sustainable and local ways of life from permaculture farms to electric bikes. Videos feature interviews with experts on a variety of issues including farming, stress management, and nutrition.
17. The Rainforest Alliance channel motivates viewers to get involved and buy Rainforest Alliance certified products. This fun video, as well as other videos on topics like tea and cocoa farming, play a storytelling role within the organization’s overall drive to limit deforestation.
18. The T. Colin Campbell Center For Nutrition Studies features the organization’s work on plant-based nutrition, following mainly from the nutrition research of T. Colin Campbell. The channel’s videos highlight the numerous success stories of everyday people who have use plant-based diets to reverse diabetes, fight cancer, and combat allergies.
19. The highlights of TEDx Manhattan videos are the well produced main stage speaker presentations where food experts speak live in front of a group on a variety of food topics from urban agriculture to the obesity epidemic. The channel also contains engaging videos off-stage with speakers in a more informal light, often going into deeper detail on their work.
20. TheUrbanFarmingGuys tells the inspiring stories of passionate urban farmers innovating sustainable agriculture solutions in some of the poorest city neighborhoods in the world. Some of the most popular videos feature content on composting, aquaponic fish farms, and solar power.
21. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) YouTube channel highlights FAO’s definitive global development work on food and agriculture, allowing insight into expert scientific thinking as well as testimonials from smallholder farmers.
