Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
specialism as part of a whole. In particular, I conclude that we need to pay more
attention to soil biology.
Second, we need to perceive problems and derive solutions at the whole-farm
level. When I visit a farm to teach about improvements in soil management, I need
first to discuss with the farmer his overall approach to farming and, preferably, walk
over several fields to get the “feel”—or spirit—of the place. Only then do I get him
to open up soil pits so that I can make meaningful suggestions for improvements in
front of other farmers. I believe that we also need to include the principles of organic
farming in thinking up research field trials—especially the need to include rota-
tional cropping—and to put them in context with the ultimate usage of the product.
This was neglected in much early work on no-tillage, often leading to negative con-
clusions on its suitability, particularly in Northwestern Europe (Soane et al. 2012).
We can also learn that perhaps the ultimate standard of agricultural performance
is not speed, efficiency, and productivity, but the health of the ecosystem, the farm,
the soil, and the human community (Berry 2009).
11.6 ENGAGING THE SPIRIT
The definition of sustainable agriculture by Berry (2009) is a way of farming that
can be continued indefinitely. He states that this occurs only “because it conforms to
the terms imposed on it by the nature of places and the nature of people.” People and
place define spirituality. Spiritual aspects include ideas of truth, wisdom, and love.
When the spiritual connection is good, then we learn to recognize the “gut” instinct
and when to go with it. If our response is to “feel good,” then Walsh (1999) believes
that this is how you tell yourself that your last thought was truth, your last word was
wisdom, and your last action was love.
There are many ways of personally engaging the spirit, such as simple meditation,
to increase self-awareness and give a sense of peace and purpose, and prayer, which
increases ideas of compassion, expressing gratitude, and increasing hope. There are
plenty of other methods of allowing the soul (the spirit within you) to express itself,
for example, writing poetry, making music, talking till dawn, singing in the rain,
and so forth.
For soil scientists, engaging the spirit is possible just by spending time in field,
moor, and forest, among the soils, absorbing their spirit and making the connections.
Farmers meditate on the soil and the land by default because they are in the land-
scape for such long periods that they absorb its spirit. I suggest you try persuading
a farmer to let you work the soil or harvest root crops for a day—anything where
you have direct soil contact—and your attitude to the soil will change. Engaging the
spirit is also possible when down a soil pit, even in awful weather, when the focus is
fully on the essence of what the soil has to reveal through us. Here, words that sound
good in a warm lecture theater accompanied by nice, carefully selected PowerPoint
images sound less convincing as the rainwater runs round your mouth or off your
hand full of soil and onto boots heavy with subsoil.
Full-focus knowledge exchange is facilitated by the spirit of the soil. This is not
easy, though. It demands letting go of your preconceptions, your protected interests,
and your anxieties, but the rewards are tangible. They include the sudden spark of
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