009, Dr. Frederick Kirschenmann: Behaving As Though We Are Part of Nature

11/05/19 • 43 min

Soul Soil: Where Agriculture and Spirit Intersect with Brooke Kornegay

We are coming to the end of an era that uses fossil calories to power our food production. It's going to take more than technology, more than math and science, to see us out of this predicament; it's going to take collaboration, creativity, and imagination. Born on a North Dakota farm during the Great Depression and in the grips of the worst drought in U.S. history, Fred Kirschenmann has spent most of his life working to change how we farm, as well as our relationship to the land. For more than four decades, Fred has been a champion of agricultural resilience, an articulate advocate for soil health and a pioneer of organic farming. Fred currently serves as President of the Board for the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. A long time national and international leader in sustainable agriculture, Fred is a Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University at Iowa State University and a professor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy. He also continues to manage his family’s 1,800-acre certified-organic farm in south-central North Dakota. His work has helped transform what was once obscure and marginal work—resilient, sustainable agriculture focused on the health and restoration of the soil—into an international movement.

Historically, civilizations that anticipated change and prepared accordingly were the ones that survived, while those who ignored all the signs eventually collapsed....what kind will we be?

In this episode...

Fred's father stressed the importance of taking care of the land and how that shaped Fred's values
How his path took him into Philosophy and Religion, academia, and back to the land--this time on the organic path
Rudolf Steiner's influence on his philosophy of spirituality and agriculture
For Fred, spirituality and agriculture has a lot to do with microbes!
Putting agriculture in historical context
Farmers who switch from conventional agriculture to regenerative agriculture have a larger profit margin and find that the old model of "get big or get out" no longer makes financial sense
Justus von Liebig's influence on input-intensive agriculture and being
A soil-building philosophy (using the principles of nature)
Perennializing our food crops
The soil microbe-gut microbe connection; the effects of foods grown in living soil on human health
Challenges of proposing huge changes to the aging farming community, and challenges of land prices for young farmers who want to practice regenerative agriculture
Those civilizations who anticipated changes and made preparations are the ones that survived
It's going to take more than a steady diet of STEM courses (science, technology, engineering, and math) to solve the coming food crisis...it is going to take imagination, creativity, and collaboration.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently estimated that we have 11 years to make major changes in the way we operate before climate change becomes catastrophic

Resources

Growing a Revolution by David Montgomery
Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown
Journey of the Universe by Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker
The Land Institute (Wes Jackson)
Farmacology by Daphne Miller
Cultivating an Ecological Consciousness by Dr. Frederick Kirschenmann

Historically, civilizations that anticipated change and prepared accordingly were the ones that survived, while those who ignored all the signs eventually collapsed....what kind will we be?

In this episode...

Fred's father stressed the importance of taking care of the land and how that shaped Fred's values
How his path took him into Philosophy and Religion, academia, and back to the land--this time on the organic path
Rudolf Steiner's influence on his philosophy of spirituality and agriculture
For Fred, spirituality and agriculture has a lot to do with microbes!
Putting agriculture in historical context
Farmers who switch from conventional agriculture to regenerative agriculture have a larger profit margin and find that the old model of "get big or get out" no longer makes financial sense
Justus von Liebig's influence on input-intensive agriculture and being
A soil-building philosophy (using the principles of nature)
Perennializing our food crops
The soil microbe-gut microbe connection; the effects of foods grown in living soil on human health
Challenges of proposing huge changes to the aging farming community, and challenges of land prices for young farmers who want to practice regenerative agriculture
Those civilizations who anticipated changes and made preparations are the ones that survived
It's going to take more than a steady diet of STEM courses (science, technology, engineering, and math) to solve the coming food crisis...it is going to take imagination, creativity, and collaboration.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently estimated that we have 11 years to make major changes in the way we operate before climate change becomes catastrophic

Resources

Growing a Revolution by David Montgomery
Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown
Journey of the Universe by Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker
The Land Institute (Wes Jackson)
Farmacology by Daphne Miller
Cultivating an Ecological Consciousness by Dr. Frederick Kirschenmann

Previous Episode

008, Starhawk: Permaculture is Earth-Based Spirituality in Action

In today's episode, we dive into the philosophy of permaculture, activism, and earth-based spirituality with Starhawk, an author, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a prominent voice in modern earth-based spirituality and ecofeminism. She is the author or co-author of thirteen books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess, as well as the ecotopian novel The Fifth Sacred Thing, with its sequel City of Refuge. Her most recent non-fiction book is The Empowerment Manual: A Guide for Collaborative Groups, on group dynamics, power, conflict and communications.

Starhawk founded Earth Activist Training, teaching permaculture design grounded in spirituality and with a focus on activism. She travels internationally, lecturing and teaching on earth-based spirituality, the tools of ritual, and the skills of activism.

"Ask yourself what it is that you most deeply love, and figure out how to put yourself at its service."

In this episode...

Starhawk’s path as a storyteller
Why she includes activism training in her permaculture certification courses
The connection between permaculture and earth-based spirituality
Starhawk's new regenerative land management program, a follow up to a Permaculture Design course
Social permaculture: resources for collaborative groups
Advice for next steps for the ecologically-minded
"Permaculture is the art of designing beneficial relationships" --Patrick Whitefield
Ask yourself what it is that you most deeply love, and figure out how to put yourself at its service...ask yourself what you need to be in a position to do it

Resources

starhawk.org
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Overstory by Richard Powers
earthactivisttraining.org
Free webinar on Nov 3 on Regenerative Approaches to Climate Change ( starhawk.org)

Next Episode

010, Ayana Young: Unlearn and Rewild

We are in a unique time in human history. We can order an item from around the world and receive it at our doorstep in a few days. We can live our entire lives indoors. We can exist without interacting with other humans. Unfortunately, this separation from each other and from Nature makes it easier than ever to exploit and destroy nature for our own purposes. The good news is...we are actually in a position to salvage what few wild areas still exist on the planet. There is however, an expiration date on that offer.

Ayana Young is a podcast and radio personality specializing in intersectional environmental and social justice, deep ecology and land-based restoration. Young has a strong academic background at the intersections of ecology, culture, and spirituality. Young lives among the coastal redwood and salmon habitat in Northern California. She established a native species nursery and research center, spearheading the 1 Million Redwoods Project, the most backed farm project in Kickstarter history. Young is also a budding filmmaker. Her debut film, When Old Growth Ends, is an ode to the irreplaceable Tongass National Forest during its last stand as a distinctly wild place in Southeast Alaska. Young is the Founder and Executive Director of millennial media organization and nonprofit For the Wild. Her podcast, For the Wild, has featured over 100 guests, including Chris Hedges, Sylvia Earle, Vandana Shiva, Jill Stein, Winona La Duke, Terry Tempest Williams. Young approaches the mission of "For The Wild" with critical thinking, deep reverence and artistry.

Standing up and speaking out for the Earth is not the easy path...but no one is going to lay on their deathbed regretting caring about and working to protect the Earth. Devoting ourselves to something outside ourselves is what makes us truly worthy.

In this episode...

Ayana's experience creating a farm and a food forest
Soil building
Shattering her own conditioning and the origin of For the Wild Podcast
The connection between the human inner landscape and Earth's landscape
Taking responsibility for what it means to be a modern human
How modern human disconnection from Nature makes it easier to exploit Nature
Being wary of greenwashing solutions and token consumerism as distractions from the ecological disaster that is happening now
Addressing our own addiction to consumerism and entitlement is the first step
Buffers that keep us satisfied and distracted from processing what is actually going on in our world right now
It's okay to slow down and not "do" something. It's the times when we are quiet, especially in Nature, that we can hear our inner voice
If we want clean water, if we want clean air, if we want a future for our children...we have to act, and expect to be engaging for the long haul. We need to be in relationship with each other and with the work of standing up for the Earth, rather than only focusing on getting to the finish line.
Strategies for sustainable activism

Resources

forthewild.world (info on For The Wild Podcast, 1 Million Redwoods Project, Tongass Campaign)
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @for.the.wild
[email protected]
Emergent Strategy and Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown
A State of Change: Forgotten Landscapes of California by Laura Cunningham
Terry Tempest Williams
Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God by Rainer Maria