By Jonina Turzi
Have you ever heard of Regenerative Agriculture? It’s a way of approaching farming through four principles:
1. Progressively improve whole agroecosystems (soil, water, and biodiversity)
2. Create context-specific designs and make holistic decisions that express the essence of each farm
3. Ensure and develop just and reciprocal relationships amongst all stakeholders
4. Continually grow and evolve individuals, farms, and communities to express their innate potential
(c/o Terra Genesis International)
So good, right? And so important! Because clearly industrial farming that extracts and exploits life and earth is not sustainable, and the regenerative agriculture community is essential for aiming to improve and revolutionize our food systems and protect the planet for future generations.
The critical info missing though, is that animals are not ours to own or exploit. The movement to remind us of this is only going to grow stronger through human and Animal Liberation justice work. Regenerative Agriculture proponents currently still theorize the need for human supremacy through the systematic enslavement, exploitation, and slaughter of certain animals to manage soil, water, and biodiversity, which is not a just, “holistic,” or “reciprocal” ecosystem.
But what these two movements could achieve if they came together is everything! Truly nonviolent guiding principles for ethical food production! Lately people call it Veganic Farming.
Veganic farmers grow food utilizing holistic regeneration techniques too, just without exploiting animals. Practices like cover crops (green manure) and composting restore balance and sustain deeply farmable soil. While “closed-loop” permaculture systems are the ultimate ideal, there’s also plant-based soil enhancements that can be added to boost resource efficient agriculture without subjugating or killing anyone.
Thank you to all the farmers out there growing food AND liberating animals! May we all know and support such farmers and together protect the planet, and respect the rights of all sentient beings in our societies.
Jonina Turzi is a cofounder and resident of Lancaster Farm Sanctuary, a nonprofit farm animal sanctutuary in Lancaster, PA along with her partner Sarah Salluzzo. She is a district leader for HSUS, and a doctor of physical therapy and yoga educator. She owns a private physical therapy practice in Lancaster City, where she provides osteopathic interventions for chronic and complex pain including visceral and craniosacral therapies. She owns West End Yoga, a yoga studio, and Yoga Sanctuary School, a continuing education service for yogis and wellness practitioners focused on nonviolence and service to all sentient beings. www.lancasterfarmsanctuary.org / www.joninaturzi.com
