Resilient Agriculture, Resilient Bodies Pt. 3
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sweeter days farm in ashland city, TN
So far in this blog series "Resilient Agriculture, Resilient Bodies", we've discussed ways to combat climate change through our choices as consumers. For part 3, I'd like to take a deeper dive into the "agriculture" piece and how it effects not only the planet, but our bodies, minds, and spirits. There is so much misinformation out there regarding farming practices that it can sometimes be difficult to know who or what to believe. Though it would take far too long to address it all here, I want quickly look at 3 characteristics of "industrial agriculture" and offer 3 alternative characteristics of "regenerative agriculture" that can hopefully help us grow our own food more responsibly as well as identify the kinds of local farms we want to support:
3 CHARACTERISTICS OF INDUSTRIAL FARMING PRACTICES
1. Monoculture Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing a single crop, plant, or livestock species in a field or farming system at a time. When you only grow one crop, you get everything that comes with it. Without biodiversity to keep the balance, the more pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and genetically modified seed are used. It's important to note that nature does not naturally separate species, but rather integrates them. Plants and animals were never intended to be grown and raised in isolation.
Average Farm Size in Hectares (Note: 186 Hectares = 460 Acres)
2. Large Scale Even though the vast majority of the world's farms are small or very small, the average farm size in America is roughly 460 Acres. Farms on this scale require expensive machinery and incredible amounts of natural resources to operate. ( for example, 69% of the world’s freshwater withdrawals are committed to agriculture) Even though only 1% of farms in the world are larger than 120 acres, these farms control 65% of the worlds agricultural land.
3. Maximum efficient production for short term economic return This model of farming is based on the notion that in order to be successful in the industrial economy, you must specialize your system, simplify your management to avoid complexity, and introduce more "inputs" to your farm to maximize your production. Under this system, practices like cover-cropping, animal integration, and land rest are replaced with more mechanization and synthetic, chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
3 CHARACTERISTICS OF REGENERATIVE FARMING PRACTICES
1. Polyculture Polyculture is agriculture using multiple crops in the same space, providing crop diversity in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystems, and avoiding large stands of single crops, or monocultures. At its core, polyculture farming is about diversifying your system and integrating that diversity to grow nutritious food and create strong, resilient, natural ecosystems
2. Small Scale While western agriculture would have us believe that a 150 acre farm is tiny, it's important to know that the vast majority of the world's farms (about 72%) are less than 2.4 acres
"The agro-chemical and GM Industry claims that small scale, agro-ecological farming is backward and inefficient. But the reality is that in spite of the unrelenting pressures they face, it is these farmers who feed over 70% of the world's population. These traditional farming systems use less land, less water, and fewer resources. They grow healthy, nutritional food and nurture greater crop diversity. They protect soils, water, and ecosystems, and they are proving more resilient in the face of climate change. It is these farming methods that can show us the way forward for real food security" -From the short film SEEDS OF FREEDOM
3. No bare soil and limited to no tillage Soil and nutrients needed for sustaining life are eroding faster than can be replenished. Half of the topsoil on the planet has been lost in the last 150 years, largely due to intensive farming practices. By using natural and living mulching methods like cover cropping and mulching with straw and leaves, farmers mimic natural ecosystems and are able to retain moisture in the soil as well as cut back on invasive species. "No-till" farming is a way of growing crops or pasture from year to year without disturbing the soil. It increases the amount of water that infiltrates into the soil and increases organic matter retention and the cycling of nutrients in the soil.
For those of you who know me well, it will probably come with no surprise that whenever I'm having a conversation about industrial vs. regenerative farming, it often morphs into a conversation about faith and spirituality. I'd like take us in that direction to wrap this series up. If we just replace the word "industrial" with the word "dominion", and the word "regenerative" with the word "stewardship", we're now talking about a theological issue that should be at the forefront of the church today, yet has been noticeably absent. In an age of super technology and mechanization, where does the church stand? Farmer, author, and poet Wendell Berry writes this in his essay 'Christianity and the Survival of Creation':
Farmer, Author, poet: Wendell berry
"Throughout the 500 years since Columbus first landed in the Bahamas, the evangelist has walked beside the conqueror and the merchant, too often blandly assuming that their causes were the same. Christian organizations, to this day, remain largely indifferent to the rape and plunder of the world and of its traditional cultures. It is hardly too much to say that most Christian organizations are as happily indifferent to the ecological, cultural, and religious implications of industrial economics as are most industrial organizations. The certified Christian seems just as likely as anyone else to join the military-industrial conspiracy to murder Creation."
What is so tragic is how the redemptive work of stewardship and restoration, and the healing of Christ upon the world has been so easily undone by the very people called to lead the way. Instead of accepting God's invitation from the very beginning to "tend and keep the land", we have embraced exploiting and destroying it. Rather than observing and interacting with the rest of creation in mutuality, we've isolated ourselves out of self-interest. We've reduced "nature" down to something to be consumed for our pleasure, all the while forgetting that we are apart of it. One of the main culprits behind this separation of people and the rest of the earth has been the argument of dominion. The basic idea of this argument is that since humans were given dominion over the earth, that means it was created for us and therefore gives us license to do what we want with it. This line of thinking is not just bad theology. It's lazy theology. It's a convenient way for all of us to avoid admitting just how far we have stepped out of bounds as a species. But if we truly want to understand what the dominion of Christ looks like, we need look no further than Philippians 2: 1-11. We need look no further than the cross. Using dominion to justify the abuse and exploitation of the earth and its natural resources is a lot of things, but Christ-like is not one of them.
But there is still so much hope! And God is drawing his people more and more to this work. There's so much good work being done around the world to combat climate change and global storming. Call me naive, but in spite of the continued large scale mining, pollution, and degradation of our planet, I am increasingly hopeful that things can take a turn for the better. Whether it's friends riding bikes to work, a farm or company changing their exploitative practices, or a vulnerable community taking control of local resources and fighting back against systemic injustice, I feel a deep hope for the future. And I have to say that personally, I know this hope is rooted in my faith in Christ. I've always been captivated by this upside down kingdom at work. This co-inherence of matter and spirit streaming throughout the universe from the very beginning. This reality where lions lay down with lambs, where swords are beat into plowshares, where the last are first, and where strength is found perfect in weakness.
Is fighting climate change and seeking justice by way of living in right relationship in this world an uphill battle? Absolutely. But it's one we were created for. Lets get to work!
-Booth
