Regenerative Agriculture & Good Earth Stewardship

The major challenges upon us today, from an Agricultural point of view, can be narrowed down to two issues: (1) Soil degeneration and (2) Humans’ poor health. Humans began agriculture over 10,000 years ago, starting with the annual crop wheat, then rice, and later corn. The topsoil is being killed on a large scale by the forces of deforestation, repetitious farming of monocultural annual crops, extensive tillage, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers since the invention of industrious technology. As the amount of living soil decreases on our Earth, so does the potential for carbon sequestration via photosynthesis. Today, some studies suggest that we only have 60 years of farmable soil left on the planet and mainly caused by massive agrobusinesses who dominate industrialized food system. The fate of our lives is directly connected to soil degeneration and loss of eco-diversity.

As COVID-19 claims its 1 millionth death, the other greatest risk factor for human mortality is poor health. Ill health conditions are caused by the non-stop consumption of addictive junk foods that make-up 60 percent or more of the calories in the typical American diet. Calorie and chemical-laden, humans have become more vulnerable to diseases and the earth community has become more vulnerable to destructive pandemics. A basic human right—access of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food is threatened by unprotective, heavily refined and processed cheap food. Especially ultra-processed food system severely affects our children’s weight, cognitive function, and long-term health. Our health, our gut microbiomes and our immune systems are in danger. Our global health emergency cannot be solved without a fundamental change in our diets, monopolizing food system by mega size agribusiness.

We need to build a viable agricultural system to reverse the effects of climate change and restore our soils that reengage our nature’s integral ecosystems. As conscious agents and consumers, we should not only get involved in growing food but also take control of our health, consume a plant-based diet and genetically diverse, nutrient dense-variety of whole food that help to improve our metabolism and immune system reduce inflammation. 

There are new findings and urgent calls from emerging and influential organizations—exploring the breeds of perennials by Wes Jackson and his Land Institute, the Regenerative Organic Alliance, a coalition of organizations and businesses led by the Rodale Institute, Bill McKibben of 350.org.  Beyond the organic movement which has emerged lacking integrity allowing certified organic for big industrious farms and soilless grown hydroponics produces, the Regenerative agricultural movement seems promising among the sustainable agriculture movements. Its key points are threefold: 1) Soil nurtured to support a largely unseen microbial network will grow healthier plants, 2) The plants grown in healthy soil provide healthier nutrition for people and animals, and 3) Healthy soil actually sequesters enough carbon from the atmosphere to heal our catastrophic global climate disruption.  

Urban farm movements have grown in recent decades and community farms are increasing in urban as well as suburban areas throughout the world. Realizing importance of improving personal physical, mental health and the health of earth, many people are now seeking local/regional food growing by local farms where no-chemicals or pesticides are applied, want to be involved in building local community farms where they can promote access to local nutritious food.

Processian worldview has taught us how powerful our embodied experiences are in cooperation with organically intertwined surroundings. As a holistic health practitioner, once running a local grocery store of organic crops and produces, especially my prehended distinctive memory helped me to discern the way toward creative advancement and optimum health-wellbeing in relation to my family and local community. If you desire to exercise such powerful lesson and to participate in the sustainability of the good earth and humankind, I suggest two simple and concrete courses of action: 1) Get involved in your local community’s efforts towards sustainability. In our local context, the Pomona Valley Urban Agriculture Initiative is a great organization that we can get involved with and support. 2) Work in the soil by creating a veggie-plot in your own home. Our lives become richer when we incorporate our land into our lives. Our mini farm has been a great source of pleasure and joy for my multi-generational family. If you are wondering about a good eco-spiritual practice, I would refer you to the EROS paradigm, which evokes the practices of historical Romantic Ecologists, Hildegard of Bingen and Francis of Assisi, who entertained themselves by taking care of their gardens filled with colorful flowers. These gardens are our sources of self-care.

How to engage your garden/farm? I suggest a four-step process:

Enter: The first step is to enter the garden. Enter as often you would like in that beginning passive mode until your interest is piqued.  Relate: A stage beyond the level of passive entering. Roam from place to place without purpose or direction. Wander around it. Cultivate deep understanding, respect, and appreciation. Appreciation changes our inner life as well as our environment. Open: This stage involves a deeper loving relationship. As a concrete experience with the garden begins, you will receive what you have offered the earth. Surprise: The final stage, where transformation takes place in deeper love. Participants may get to this point with or without personal awareness. This stage brings together actualization and celebration for personal and communal wholeness via healing and rejuvenating process.

The Good Earth Stewardship is to trust that planet earth has sustained her life for billions of years without fail. It is our responsibility as citizens of this beautiful planet to live humbly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, creatively, and harmoniously to contribute our part to the whole beauty and wonder of good earth.

This essay was presented for The Cobb Institute, Process Thought At A New Threshold Conference

Sung Sohn, 11/2/2020