Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
For those like Watson who hold the land and its meaning dear—and who would benefit from an influx of cash without having to sell off acreage, livestock or equipment—agricultural conservation easements can be an effective strategy. As with other farms throughout the country, this tool enabled Long Acre to survive.
The conclusion is frighteningly simple: either we create financial instruments to buy farms that are accessible to young people who choose to farm, or global capital buys the farms that are freed up on the market.
However, while organic food is sometimes hard to find and more expensive, it is a relatively simple step that many of us can incorporate into our daily lives, providing a crucial opportunity to help mitigate climate change.
The main argument for pulses is not from the consumption perspective. Their main feat is that they and other leguminous plants have a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria.
I want to tell a different but connected story about Bangladesh, urbanisation and the environment. One that seeks to elevate the kind of conversations I have had with Bangladeshi people in years of travelling to and working in Bangladesh.
Iowa’s environmental crisis has policy leaders and farmers challenging corporate agriculture.
So to wrap up a rather rambling accounting for this holiday, eat what you feel represents your ties to your people and your traditions. In none of these stories is there any requirement to eat green bean casserole… The goal is being grateful together whatever is on the table before us.
By harnessing the collective power of cities, rural communities and European policymakers, we can build a food system that benefits everyone.
What happens when you leave your ordinary life behind and put your attention on the vast mysterious being that surrounds our homelands in a time of disruption and loss?
Erin’s work with Fertile Ground, and Carrie’s with Black Family Land Trust, are part of the multidimensional aspect of regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture renews both urban and rural communities, and it nourishes both human bodies and the planet.
From 1999-2024, Dark Mountain’s Mark Watson taught and demonstrated the art of holding a dialogue with (mostly) wild plants. Part-manual, part-memoir, this small book is a distillation of his hands-on practice, ‘hanging out’ with twelve flowers and a tree over a year: from a conversation with burdock in a community garden, to lying alongside sea kale on the Suffolk shore, to foraging for mallow leaf fritters and flower teas.
Anyway, as I’ve often said here, I don’t think renewal is going to come from the centre. So while I genuinely mourn the misery to come for people who, unlike me, are going to be in the frontline, I guess I’m finding it hard to get invested in the politics of the centre.
