PLENTY Spring 2020 Plenty Spring 2020-WEB | Page 37

If Heaven Were a Place on Earth
B y R yan K ali v reten o s
I
f heaven were a place on earth, what might we ex-
perience? 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 contribut-
ing 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 min-
ing 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 nourish-
ing 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
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 regen-
erative agriculture with a
deep appreciation for the
technology that is the soil.
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 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.
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