By Ryan Kalivretenos
If heaven were a place on earth, what might we experience? Take an imaginary journey with me for a moment, and before you close your eyes, hold an intention of true harmony between all peoples and all of nature. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? For us at Common Root Farm, we see, hear, and feel that a path towards true harmony can begin with local regenerative food systems.
The modern agricultural approach to growing food is primarily based on creating optimal efficiency through monocrop cultivation within select geographic locations. This relies on significant energy costs to transport food, fertilizers, pesticides, and often the use of underpaid and forced labor, while contributing to the destruction of natural ecosystems that have reigned on earth since the dawn of time. Unfortunately we don’t generally ponder these things when we eat a delicious avocado, salad, or steak. There is no fault or blame to cast here—what other path could we have
followed to feed a rapidly growing world?
Luckily, we are now in a position to forge a new path forward that favorably accounts for energy costs, human life, and nature. While we cannot quickly change the agricultural systems we rely on, or the needs and desires of our society, we can choose to vote for where we place our energy or money on a daily basis. We can pause, reflect, and make decisions that can take a small step towards greater harmony. We can remember that nature is efficient, that the soil beneath our feet has supported an infinite array of life in perfect harmony for millennia, and that we humans can work with the soil and our local communities to usher in a new era of peace, community, friendship, and true health.
If you take a seat on the earth and listen to the soil, what do you hear? Silence. Despite this silence there are literally billions of bacteria and other organisms hard at work consuming decaying matter and mining minerals from the stratum of compounds found in healthy soil. There are more organisms in a single cup of healthy soil than in the entire human population. Not all soil is healthy, and much of it is unhealthy due to modern practices, but most soil can be remediated and brought back to a state of life and abundance. Most soil can be balanced, productive, and nourishing to a wide array of life, passing along essential nutrients and energy not found in the vast majority of the food consumed in this country or planet. It is my belief that the vast majority of humans are truly malnourished leading to a society that is becoming increasingly dependent on pharmaceutical drugs to mask the symptoms of an unhealthy body. This is all reversible if we simply pause, take a moment to observe and listen, and move forward with a clearer sense of what life can look like.
“I was taught at a young age to always return a borrowed item in better condition than I received it and to feel appreciation for all things in my life. So it is natural that I now find myself a farmer interested in and practicing regenerative agriculture with a deep appreciation for the technology that is the soil.”
I was taught at a young age to always return a borrowed item in better condition than I received it and to feel appreciation for all things in my life. So, it is natural that I now find myself a farmer interested in and practicing regenerative agriculture with a deep appreciation for the technology that is the soil. I find myself motivated to return this borrowed earth, and society, in better condition than I received it. I feel a passion to encourage and teach those around me to live in harmony and adopt principles that will help create a more balanced way of living for everyone.
Talk is cheap, so where can we begin to take productive action? For me, it started with listening to myself, listening to the work of brilliant soil and plant scientists such as Elaine Ingham and John Kempf, and cultivating the awareness and peace necessary to listen to the cues of nature and life.
In today’s world a lot of smart people are working with the idea of sustainability as a course of action—which is fine. Our more indigenous human family present today and in the past lived by this principle. We have mostly forgotten its ways, and luckily we are now remembering. But is sustainability the best approach for redefining the way we live? I would say that it is not. Someone once asked me if I would prefer to be in a sustainable relationship or a regenerative, healing, relationship. Instantly I answered that a regenerative relationship feels much better. Healing is difficult work, but as you reach new plateaus, it becomes apparent that the journey is worth the work. So I say, let us abandon thoughts of mere sustainability and strive for a regenerative approach to fixing the issues left for us to fix… and let us start with our food system.
I cannot tell you where to begin—you must discover that for yourself. However, I can recommend meditation, engaging with your local community, and if you are lucky enough, supporting your local regenerative farmer. For your local farmer is a brave soul, standing on the firm support of a living soil, bracing against the wind of easy cheap food, and living with a knowing that if we humans want to survive another century on this earth we all must return to the land and redefine our relationship with each other and the food we consume.
So I ask you again, if heaven were a place on Earth, what would it look like? Join your local CSA and perhaps you will catch a glimpse of what our future can hold for us all.
Ryan Kalivretenos is a first generation regenerative farmer currently living and farming in Montgomery County. He draws on his experiences from life, meditation, and study to guide the many decisions that arise during the growing season. Ryan believes that agriculture is a primary force in the development of a society and that we should be intentional in our practices so they reflect the change in which we see.
