Sri Lanka is in the middle of a burgeoning crisis. With the island nation facing the worst economy crisis in its history, citizens have been left to bear the brunt — with fuel shortages, hours-long power cuts, and a critical shortage in essential commodities such as milk powder and rice. These difficulties have spurred people’s protests across the country. Public anger has been directed towards the country’s ruling party — and the strongman President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In the second episode of Whetstone Audio Dispatch, journalist Kris Thomas attempts to get to the heart of this multifaceted crisis. He revisits the Sri Lankan President’s decision to ban the import of chemical fertilizers — an electoral promise that has had a seismic effect on the country’s agricultural sector. Even as the citizen protests have taken on a larger symbolism as an uprising against corruption and power, Kris reminds us that the country’s food security — both in the immediate and the long term — hangs precariously in the balance. In this episode, hear from protestors expressing their frustration at the lack of basic items such as milk powder, academics who discuss the controversial fertilizer ban and farmers who discuss their falling yields. Listen to the dispatch and Kris in conversation with Whetstone South Asia editor Vidya Balachander. Learn more about this episode of Whetstone Audio Dispatch at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstoneradio, and YouTube at WhetstoneRadio. Translations by Sagar Hiranand, Vandana Hiranand, Dilina Amaruwan and Ashan Wickramanayake.

The most consumed food product in Tunisia is a white bread flute, a baguette, sold at the price of 7 or 9 cents, depending on the size. At its best, it is like a cloud on the inside and crispy on the outside. This inaugural episode of Whetstone Audio Dispatch reporter Layli Foroudi tells the story of how this breadstick came to dominate Tunisian diets and how it relates to the country’s fragile food security. And yet, while this bread could be seen as a symbol of oppression— the Tunisian baguette has also fueled revolutions and has become a symbol of resistance in the country. Today, shipments of wheat have been sitting outside the port pending payment, flour is rationed in supermarkets (when it is available) and prices are set to rise again due to the war in Ukraine. The impending social explosion combines the baguette's dual nature: it is rooted in a history of oppression and it is a source of protest and resistance, which is about more than bread, as we are told by Ahmed Ben Massoud: "It means don't touch my very low level of living." Contributors:Ahmed Ben Massoud, audiologist and bread revolutionary from Douz Halima, baker of traditional bread from Jbel Lahmar, Tunis Max Ajl, researcher at Wageningen University in the Netherlands; author A People’s Green New Deal Taoufik Khedhri, baker of industrial subsidized bread in Jbel Lahmar, Tunis Fatma Jegham, teacher and activist in Ettadhaman, Tunis Learn more about this episode of Whetstone Audio Dispatch at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstoneradio, and YouTube at WhetstoneRadio Full Transcript here: https://www.whetstonemagazine.com/whetstone-audio-dispatch-ep1

Whetstone Audio Dispatch is a series of remarkable one-off episodes about global foodways exploring community, climate, activism and politics brought to you by journalists and reporters from around the world. Premiering Friday, March 25, and hosted by Stephen Satterfield (@isawstephen).