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Finding Freedom Through Cannabis and Regenerative Farming Part 2: Taking Care of Our Soil Takes Care of Humankind
or rising temperatures from the overuse of fossil fuels and lack of car- bon retained in the soil, it feels obvious to me it would be detrimental to keep on this path. 7KHUHKDYHEHHQWKHRULHVZHFDQRQO\VXVWDLQPRUH\HDUVZLWK the use of current conventional farming methods due to the extreme ODFNRIWRSVRLOIURPRYHUWLOOLQJFKHPLFDOIHUWLOL]HUGHSHQGHQF\DQG IURPWKHXVHRIFKHPLFDOKHUELFLGHVDQGSHVWLFLGHV%DVLFDOO\WKHGL - YHUVLW\DQGIHUWLOLW\RIRXUVRLODQGWKHVRLO¶VDELOLW\WRVWD\LQRQHSODFH LV GLPLQLVKLQJ IDVW )XUWKHUPRUH WKH UXQR̆ LQWR RXU ZDWHU V\VWHPV due to heavy tillage and the absence of living roots in the soil via cover crops severely impacts wildlife and water quality. In the standard approach to conventional commodity farming — LHKRZWKHPDMRULW\RIIDUPLQJLVGRQHLQWKH86²D¿HOGLVSORZHG IHUWLOL]HG ZLWK V\QWKHWLF IHUWLOL]HU SODQWHG ZLWK JHQHWLFDOO\ PRGL¿HG corn or soy to resist chemical herbicides, sprayed with said chemicals WRNLOOR̆ DQ\OLYLQJSODQWRUDQLPDODVLGHIURPWKHFURSKDUYHVWHG and then repeated the following spring without any attempts at re- VWRULQJVRLOQXWULWLRQWKURXJKFRYHUFURSVRUWKURXJK³UHVWLQJ´¿HOGV From the perspective of high yields and walking down the path of least resistance, this method technically works in the short term, especially
BY BRYNN SEATON
,QWKH6XPPHULVVXHRI3DWKZD\V,ZURWHDERXWWKHEHQH¿WV&%' FDQR̆ HUDQGKRZLQWHUQDOHDVHDQGH[SDQVLRQFDQRFFXUPRUHUHDG - LO\ZKHQWKHQHUYRXVV\VWHPDQGLQÀDPPDWRU\V\VWHPVLQWKHERG\ DUHDLGHGLQUHJXODWLRQE\&%'+HUHZH]RRPRXWLQWRDPRUHPDF - URVFRSLFYLHZ,¶OOVKDUHP\H[SHULHQFHDQGXQGHUVWDQGLQJRIZKDWLW means to farm using regenerative practices and how this land man- agement ethos creates freedom on a more societal scale — and even PRUHRIDULSSOHH̆ HFWLQWRLQGLYLGXDOIUHHGRP One thing that regenerative agriculture boasts as a core foundation is diverse microorganisms contributing to the health of the soil as a whole organism or ecosystem. The same goes for an individual human VHHNLQJRSWLPDOKHDOWK:H¶YHDOOKHDUGDERXWSURELRWLFEDFWHULDKRZ integral the gut microbiome is to mental and physical health, and how KDYLQJ ELOOLRQV RI GLYHUVH EHQH¿FLDO EDFWHULD LV DW WKH IRXQGDWLRQ RI the body and the brain functioning optimally. I really want to draw a parallel between how the health of the internal ecosystem of one LQGLYLGXDOKXPDQFDQUHÀHFWWKHKHDOWKRIWKHH[WHUQDOHFRV\VWHPWKDW LQÀXHQFHVXVWKHPDVVLYHEHLQJWKDWLVRXUVRFLHW\DQGWKHODQGZH live on. Individual internal freedom truly feels like the ultimate form of IUHHGRPWRPHVLQFHLWFRQFHSWXDOO\PHDQVWKDWVRPHRQH¶VDXWKHQWLF and grounded expression of themselves as one person can create a healing impact which undoubtedly can spread to others. What feels more hopeful in our chaotic world than more humans being healthy, JURXQGHGDQGUHJXODWHG"+HDOWKWUXO\GRHVHTXDOIUHHGRPLQP\RSLQ - LRQ2IFRXUVHLWLVQ¶WWKDWVLPSOHHVSHFLDOO\ZKHQZH¶UHWDONLQJDERXW our collective society. Unfortunately, there are very real, very oppres- sive systems in our country fueled by greed that can grind away at our IUHHGRPVDQGD̆ HFWDOORIXVZKHWKHUZHNQRZLWRUQRW When individuals seek or desire a path toward freedom and health in this country, it can feel like an uphill battle and like the cards are GHOLEHUDWHO\ VWDFNHG DJDLQVW WKHP 3D\LQJ D PRUWJDJHVL]HG DPRXQW for mediocre, confusing healthcare is one example of this. Not having DFFHVVWRKHDOWK\DQGD̆ RUGDEOHQXWULWLRXVIRRGFRXSOHGZLWKKLJKO\ addictive ultra-processed food thrown in the public face at every op- portunity is another. Lack of education from the doctor down to the patient regarding food, nutrition, and the connection between what one eats and how one feels really takes it home. &RPLQJIURPDKROLVWLFQXWULWLRQEDFNJURXQGDVD&HUWL¿HG1XWUL - tional Therapy Practitioner, I tend to think about the root causes of LPEDODQFHV DQG GLVRUGHU PRUH WKDQ MXVW WKH V\PSWRPV ,W¶V QR VH - FUHWWKHUHDUHLPEDODQFHVLQRXUIRXQGDWLRQDOV\VWHPV:KHWKHUZH¶UH talking about mental or physical health, economic or social health, or the health of the land we inhabit as a whole, we could be doing better. 7KHVHWRSLFVDUHVRQXDQFHGDQGFRPSOH[,FRXOGQ¶WHYHQEHJLQWRGR them, and the folks impacted by them, the justice they deserve with just my own experience. What I can attempt with my experience, though, is to highlight how one very large beast of a system ripples into all the aforementioned topics — and that beast is big agriculture in this country. The Ills of Conventional Farming <RX PD\ QRW NQRZ WKLV EXW WKHUH DUH VR PDQ\ FDVFDGLQJ H̆ HFWV that our current farming system has on our planet. Whether it be the nutrition, quality or accessibility of the food we put into our bodies, the pollution of our land and watersheds, the decline or endanger- ment of very necessary species like honeybees and other pollinators,
RQDODUJHVFDOH%XWZKHQDPRQRFXOWXUHWKDWLVWKHFXOWLYDWLRQRID single crop in a given area, occupies the majority of our farmland, we see higher risk and vulnerability to plant disease, and a lack of species GLYHUVLW\ SDUWLFXODUO\ LQ WKH VRLO :H VHH HURVLRQ DQG UXQR̆ DW KLJK rates, and we see barren desert land only capable of growing species in a chemically- and fossil fuel-dependent system. Eventually we see the land incapable of growing anything at all, even with chemical aid. 0DQ\SHRSOHZLOODUJXHZHZRXOGQ¶WEHDEOHWRIHHGRXUVHOYHVVXI - ¿FLHQWO\LIZHGLGQ¶WIDUPWKLVZD\ EXWWKHWUXWKLVZHUHDOO\RQO\VHH WKHVHFURSVVKRZXSLQXOWUDSURFHVVHGIRRGVYLDKLJKO\LQÀDPPDWRU\ and oxidative corn and soybean oil, as ethanol in our gasoline, or feed IRU&$)2V FRQFHQWUDWHGDQLPDOIHHGLQJRSHUDWLRQ WKDWIXHOPXFKRI WKHIDVWIRRGLQGXVWU\7KHDUJXPHQWWKDWZHFRXOGQ¶WIHHGRXUQDWLRQ without conventional industrial farming personally feels like a myth DQGDODPHH[FXVH:HGRQ¶W need ultra-processed foods or fast food. ,QIDFWWKHVHYHU\LQGXVWULHVFRQWULEXWHWRPRUHLQÀDPPDWLRQLQWKH body, which leads to more sickness, more dependency on pharmaceu- WLFDOGUXJVDQGOHVVLQGLYLGXDOIUHHGRPDVDVLGHH̆ HFW $VDUHVXOWRIWKHFRUQDQGVR\EHKHPRWKDQGFKHDSSUHVHQFHLQWKH
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PATHWAYS—Fall 22—13
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