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Dedicated to interviewing leading edge experts, practitioners in their field, and people who are living examples of sustainability. Covers environmental subject matter that is not readily discussed in depth in mainstream media.
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Now displaying: April, 2019
Apr 25, 2019

So how does a human live on a planet or should I say a human being - live on a planet - because we are not really ‘being’ are we?

Growth has become the secular religion of our time.

What Stephen answered with is that the so called ‘dominant culture’ and materialism is now in an extremely problematic phase. That growth in its many ways has become the secular religion of our time.  This desire for consumerism is also consuming our future, yet ‘growth' - and even the ‘personal growth’ industry is exponentialising itself - as an idea that ‘inner growth and awareness can be sold as a commodity to people.

This preoccupation of ‘increase’ - which can be easily seen in the consumer culture, is becoming predominant.

Stephen who has worked in palliative care in what he called the 'death industry' he talks about - oncology, the study and treatment of tumours. He said they have a word that is a synonym for tumour and it is called - ‘a growth’ which is as a word widely used outside the industry too and it is called just ‘growth.’ He goes on to talk about what is this growth thing?  Well, in cancer it grows itself to death. This can be seen in how industrial man keeps on growing his business and the repercussions are being seen in all areas of the biosphere.

Tumors grow themselves to terminate the host

A growth or a tumour has no concerns about anything other than its continued unrestricted growth until finally - it terminates its host. Its mania is its demise. And the collateral damage is the person in question.

Respect for the Elder Generation

‘Respect your elders’ … in his days this is what Stephen said was a description of the way things were.

That elders were to be held in generic high regard. Not elevating them over the top, not inflating them to some kind of heroic status but just a sense that they have endured as long as they have - has conferred upon them some sort of - what he calls reliability - and that is the way it was - however it is not the way it is now.  And the change from then (only 75 to 100 years ago) - is now extreme. To the extent to respect your elders now is much more of a plea - that is his present day description of the way it is.

Stephen says that something very fundamental has happened to people’s willingness to hold older people in inalienable high esteem.

The other half of this equations is that he says: Respect your elders and they - behave and comport themselves - respectably.

Where is the respect of Elders today?

The young today are having difficulty in finding common ground with elders and are fundamentally challenging the term ‘respect your elders’ - if not dismissing this notion out of hand.

One reason is that youth are in a position where they are inheriting a world that is in considerable disrepair  - and when they look to their elders they say but this has been done on their elders ‘watch!' Listen to the interview.  

So the youth ask, how come we let this happen when we knew that there are going to be repercussions in the future and still the elders did nothing!  

This being the case - we can understand why the younger generation have difficulty in respecting ‘the elders.’

Respect what? Becomes their question.  See Stephen’s book ‘Come of Age.’ What happens when you do not hold older people in high regard? Plus how does this demean the culture fundamentally?

Stephen says that we today have inherited deeply troubling challenges and we can not 'wish them away' - we have to quietly and in a focused way deal with them … Listen ...

Wisdom

Wisdom - how does it come about?  Can you inherit wisdom? Stephen says it is not the case - Listen ...

Prejudices …and bigotry

He also ask the question what can you inherit? He then states - Prejudices …and bigotry - how do we pick these up? There is no labour in picking these up. There is no wisdom involved. How come these be so easily picked up?

There are many subjects that are covered in this interview. Stephen’s intellect and its acuity, shows that he is very adept at the spoken word.

Awake?

Awake what is it?  An elevated mindfulness or … a kind of achieved state?

He breaks down words like A-Wake and explains what they convey

Hope?

What is hope?  This was a big one and he deconstructs this word as well.

Tim here, I had a huge list of questions that I did not get around to asking many of these:  

Questions that I had lined up - in any order ...

The Great Mystery … Life, death and beyond. What does he perceive as ‘the great mystery?’

The tyranny of hope … Pandora’s Box was the only gift that did not escape     - We are in grim times. He did elaborate on hope.

Zen poet Thich Nhat Hanh was asked, “what do we most need to do to save our world?” His answer was this: “What we most need to do is to hear within us the sounds of the Earth crying.”

Did Stephen wish to add anything to this? We just did not have time ...

Psychology has become monotheism without God.  This is what Stephen had mentioned in a video. Could he explain?

Anima Mundi, the Latin word for World Soul. His thoughts on this?

We are Spiritual Beings having an earth existence?  Stephen did answer this, but not in a way that it was being asked. That as there are 7.7 billion humans on earth, were they not in someway on a spiritual journey? Or as many would say be inhabited by soul, or have a soul connection?  He did no concur or he may have misunderstood my question.  Listen

Many people today are generally perceived as so disconnected from any sense of the deeper self, or soul - having instead being so busy with the outside world with all its distractions and diversions - that they have omitted to cultivate any inner values, or ‘knowing thyself’ and deepening their inquiry into why they are here in human form. This translates to being in many ways, devoid of any spiritual context. Thus not peacefully knowing how to die - But dying by medication -  sliding into a worsening stage of coma and drugged out - lacking any focus or coherency - 'dying badly.' Stephen has written on ‘dying badly.’

We are death phobic and grief illiterate - these are from his previous statements and we just never had the time to follow this up.

Re-wilding our Planet and E.O Wilson’s idea of ½ of or planet being 'locked away' to regenerate without or with very little human interference. With no extraction of anything from these areas.  

https://eowilsonfoundation.org/e-o-wilson-on-saving-half-the-earth/

Lack of vernacular to express one’s feelings … that men in particular are generally unable to open themselves up to being more vulnerable in showing their feelings. This was a big one being, that men in general just seem to not have the ability to articulate and say how they feel.

Ecological connection - to a planet that is under siege. We did cover this, however not in the sense of that of an indigenous person, living immersed in nature. i.e have mystical experiences - as a result of fasting or a vision quest.

The denial and ability to hide from the responsibility to wake up to what is happening on earth.  The Anthropocene stage that of humans now have overtaken the earth’s natural systems to self balance or heal itself from the ecological damage that we are doing it to it/‘her.' We did cover this to a small degree.

That so many contemporary adults are reading non fiction, i.e Mills and Boon books - (plural) and are engaged in living vicariously through literature that is increasingly becoming more risqué and going into fantasy. That we are not acting responsibly, but in fact - deluding ourselves.

A Planetary Cry In - that if we all did it - it could 'shift the field.’  This was a blue sky - 'what if question' -the fact that humans, especially men do not cry, (very few) thus are emotionally blocked - that in a grief filled moment that when we realised what we have done to the world and our collective future and continue to do so - if we realised this, have you Stephen, any opinion on such a concept?

That today especially in education that women lead the men in their fields - schools girls academic qualifications are higher - since 1893 when women emancipated themselves for the first time on our planet, do you see woman as being pivotal in bring our civilisation to its senses?  

www.OrphanWisdom.com

Stephen is in NZ from April 30th 2019

Apr 18, 2019

John Aldworth, the author of his book ‘Forbidden History’ states that virtually his whole life has been devoted to journalism. In particular with British newspapers including the Daily Mail to the Dominion and Evening Post in Wellington, NZ. He has always been interested in story and then sharing them.

He states that in the 19th century European historians and some Maori historians talked about things in their past that is now, virtually ‘politically incorrect’ today. That in fact there apparently were different peoples living here prior to the Maori or the Polynesians that came to this country.

Not taught in the NZ Education System

That today this is not taught in our schools or our universities and John says that if true, that there were other people here, then they are a real and genuine part of our history.

His book Forbidden History seeks to show that for Maori that their descendants are here among us - they are living today and the story of at least two of them are written about in his book.

A descendent of another DNA strand?

He introduces on person who maintains she is a descendant of the Patupaiarehe - fair skinned and fair haired - some with reddish hair  that they have been here for around 2000 years right up until today. He says that there is a small tribe, (hapu) living near Taumaranui in the middle of the North Island. Her name is Monica Matamua an 85 year old woman and participated in a National Geographic Genome project and took a DNA test on her blood.

The main results showed 40% Mediterranean origin 12% European and only about 14%  Oceanic or Polynesian. Note That this only totals 66% of the DNA. That the other DNA is of Peruvian or South American origin.

He furthers this by saying she is descended from people who had intermarried with Maori people - and he adds to this that certain Maori are in part descendents from these people themselves. He says certainly some of them are.

John then states that sales of his book has been bought well be Maori people. Who many are delighted to know that they have a longer whakapapa - or lineage - bloodline.

The test show that Middle Eastern especially Persian DNA is in her lineage. That as there was turmoil in Persia, the narrative says that they left there with the desire to find a place to live in peace  … finally after many countries (so the story is conveyed) they ended up in Aotearoa just before the time of Christ.

Listen to the interview

Waitaha - who are they?

John then says that the Polynesian Waitaha nation arrived after that - according to recently deceased Paramount Chief George Connolly  AKA Hori Manuka Manuka Kapenga. The Upoko Ariki or Head Chief of the Waitaha people. Who’s lineage supposedly came from the Middle East as well, according to George, who said that his people landed in NZ around 580 AD.

Then John says that there are actually other people but deferred to speak about it saying that it get confusing (I agree says Tim).

He said upon their arrival they had the desire to live in peace and with the Patupaiarehe and the Waitaha - they between them lived in peace for 1300 years and John says if this is true - then we owe it to ourselves if this is the history fo this country - to find out as to how did the achieve this peace. Because it is exceptionally unique.

See the YouTube Video 'Skeletons in the Cupboard' by Peter Marsh  and Gabie Plumm … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z6PlYiQSTs

Poenamo is the actual name of the South Island actually means the Waters of Peace. This is where a good percentage of the Waitaha supposedly come from. Today the South Island is known as Te Wai Pounamu, the waters of greenstone.

The Arrival of the Warrior People

Then there was the arrival of warrior people … who took over the first inhabitants that were here and then engaged in inter-tribal warfare fighting among themselves.

John talks about a Moriori chief in Waikato that once were inhabiting an area from Raglan in the West to Tauranga in the East  - his name being Philipp Ranga - Waikato University Professor Tom Roa when asked agreed and said that there were people in that area before the Maori arrived.

In the original history of the Tainui tribe they have in their official record a story that having landed in the Waikato that they  drove out inhabitants and indigenous people that they found.

Listen about the Chief of the Moriori of the Chatham islands and what transpired right up until the time to the invasion of Maori who took a British sailing ship filled with warriors and went and took the lives of the population.

http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_1_1892/Volume_1%2C_No._3%2C_1892/The_occupation_of_the_Chatham_Islands_by_the_Maoris_in_1835%3A_Part_II_-_The_migration_of_Ngatiawa_to_Chatham_Island%2C_by_A._Shand%2C_p154-163/p1

John says that his book has gone into bat for them, because these previous people were never a party to the Treaty of  Waitangi. A treaty between the British Crown and certain Maori Tribes from around NZ. But not all.

J H Mitchell - in his book Takitimu which is about the canoe or waka of the Ngāti Kahungunu when they first came to the Hawkes Bay and Wairoa area they were received by people who were already here … but it is said that Ngāti Kahungunu eventually turned on these people

Other subjects covered:

The stone structures that have been locked away and made out of bounds in Waipoua forest -  a city that may have supported some thousands … Listen … and do a web search.

Hear about the late Noel Hilliam, the curator of the Dargaville Museum and what he found as shipwrecks along the West Coast and his profound statement about what may have been a large stone city in the Waipoua forest. That is now a ‘no go’ area by the Department of Conservation. That carbon dating takes it back to 2000 BC.

https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2016/01/mike-butler-disinterest-in-pre-maori.html

There are 105 embargoes in place across NZ preventing any forensic research on ancient archaeological sites that go back in time - no one is allowed in to these places - by Law.

Learn about the ancient Auckland, Queen St stump and adze that were found during an infrastructure excavation that were so deep in the earth, that it had to have been there far longer than the arrival of present Maori.

http://www.kilts.co.nz/stump.htm    

There is much more to this very interesting interview and in speaking with John Aldworth afterwards it gave me a sense that he is only looking for the truth on this matter of when was Aotearoa first settled.

http://www.ngatihotu.nz/2018/11/01/forbidden-history-by-john-dudley-aldworth/

http://forbiddenhistory.co.nz

Apr 11, 2019

She has dedicated a Facebook page called ‘Survival Movement NZ’ and invites everyone to come and participate.

This below is what Lisa leads with:

 

The world is in a dire state.

Climate change is lapping at our doors.

It is estimated that one fifth of the world’s population will become climate migrants, if they survive at all.

Global food security will be severely impacted. With food shortages, food prices spike.

There will be more floods, droughts, and forest fires.

Sea level rise will affect many places around the country and houses will become uninhabitable.

The world economy is unstable. At any time your local ATM could be shut and you could be unable to withdraw money. For how long you don’t know.

World trade could collapse as money markets fail.

If we don’t stop the widespread use of insecticides and herbicides the world will see an insect collapse in 100 years, which will cause the biosphere to collapse.. However our food supply will basically be destroyed at only a 75% loss.

How will we survive the next few decades if no changes are made to our lifestyles?

Lisa is asking us to get real and look at our uncertain future, and then do something about it.

What if?

Last year Lisa had no power for 4 days after a large storm hit Auckland and so experienced living with no electricity for that time. So she had to buy a BBQ, which she was able to drive and buy - so she was ok with cooking for those 4 days. She also had ready access to food and a generator to keep the freezer working.

But, what if a crisis was for a longer period? That it was city wide, provincial, or national? Fortunately Auckland has a gravity fed water reticulation system, from large storage facilities (with diesel generators as backup) - so water in most situations will get to everyone’s homes, as long as the economy is functioning.

If food in supermarkets runs out?

It is no good saying that you will be ok because you are off the grid or growing all your own food.

If there’s a major crisis there is the possibility of armed and desperate people coming in and taking all your vegetables from your garden and food from your house.  We need to have in place staple food and essentials in localised storage facilities that is readily accessible for the supermarkets in the city?

Lisa states that if NZ put in place a well thought out strategy and plan to deal what nature or the global financial system issues occur - then NZ is well placed to weather it out. The proviso being - that the political process is involved.

So what does one do to make us resilient and more self reliant?  We have to look at electricity, transport and food, especially food, and find efficient ways to get these items to people everywhere in the city and regions in the case of a major emergency or long term crisis .

Planning from both Central and Local Government.

This has to be planned for at both Local Government level and at Governmental levels. Lisa said contact both Local and Central Government and ask them what contingencies they have for this?  Local Governments are easier to contact and have influence as well as contacts in Central Government.

Electricity Needs

In 2017 - 82% of NZ electrical needs were from renewables

In 2007 Helen Clark when PM set a national target of 90% renewables by 2025. With wind energy to make up most of this increase. Which is exceptionally and good for our country. Making it exceptionally high by world standards.

Lisa mentioned if a category 5 storm hit Auckland we could be without power for several weeks as a huge number of lines would be down.

However she says the key to this is preparation and in Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania in the USA - they are factoring in their cities future to be more green and aware.

http://pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/sustainability-resilience

Auckland Council’s website is a page where you can leave suggestions for consideration  …. so she wants us all to support innovative ways to make Auckland (and New Zealand) resilient. However, there are some things that have to be done through Central Government as well.

https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/educationsustainability/Pages/sustainability-education-programmes.aspx

Creating Money within New Zealand

Lisa wants the Reserve Bank of NZ to create money, not private banking, as in the NZ Social Credit Party’s financial policy. As a small country we might be able to get away with it, and not have the overseas bankers turn the screws on us. But, she said that if there was a crisis - all the major countries would be crisis too. https://socialcredit.nz  Supporting local banks and co-operatives is also essential

So we need to be aware and prepare.

Oil Needs

Tim - NZ has the capacity to extract both oil and gas. We need to have enough to keep every truck and bus running on NZ roads and Lisa mentioned back in the 1970's, with the oil problems, that we in NZ had carless days.

We have 3 months of stored fuel in the country as an emergency measure, but Lisa mentions no food is currently stored. Most NZ wheat is now is grown in Australia and processed there too. As Dr Janice Priest mentioned a few weeks ago in a GreenplanetFM interview Australian wheat is a strain that is heavy in gluten, whereas NZ’s previous wheat had far less gluten.

All of our rice is grown overseas - and Lisa says it's a big Achilles heel, that needs to be seriously addressed. Many other staples have to be imported rather than being grown here.

She mentions a TV series in Britain many years ago where a virus caused mass deaths and what few survivors there were had to scavenge and eventually fight for food and she says hungry people will fight till the death - that it was a very dark story - so why not prepare for the future especially as climate change may have unparalleled effects.

Transition Towns

Tim mentions 'Transition Towns' is operating in a number of places in NZ.

http://www.transitiontowns.org.nz - Originally it was set up in response arising from climate change, resource depletion and an economy based on growth.

Lisa says they at one level are fantastic but asks if they have solutions for a crisis in a large city.

Farmers Markets

Tim mentions that in the meantime farmers markets are a way forward and you can network from there and build relationships and have also sales of items other than food.  

https://www.ourplanet.org/greenplanetfm/mark-spelding-thames-coromandel-localised-nz-communities-which-connect-and-prosper

https://www.ourplanet.org/greenplanetfm/jeff-griggs-transition-towns-mens-sheds-localised-food

Community Gardens across the Nation?

We hear that the Manukau Health Board are involved with 75 community gardens in their area and there are a further 25 community gardens happening in the Auckland City area. This too is a good start to enable community to come together and meet and cooperate and collaborate. There are many different ethnic groups as wells cultures involved, being a great melting pot.

http://www.dpt.org.nz

Living Economies - Is Very important

https://livingeconomies.nz

Tim mentions Living Economies - a NZ web site that can help anyone anywhere develop a system for your local community -  especially setting up a Time Bank as well as Financial Pools and creating Green dollars and they have all the connections for you - just go up to LivingEconomies.nz and you can download computer programs to set up a Time Bank for example. Learn about Local money (also known as local currencies or complementary currencies) which is an approach to trading using voluntary vouchers (like “green dollars”) or tokens (print or electronic) instead of legal tender (such as New Zealand Dollars).

Project Lyttelton have over 700 people with their time bank for example.

Project Lyttelton a very good role model  

We also learn that Project Lyttelton was very prepared for the devastating Earthquake that struck Christchurch in 2011 and they were pivotal in saving lives, because they had a telephone tree and so many people knew each other and being experienced in cooperation that the Civil Defence HQ recommend that all communities follow the way Project Lyttelton has gone about pulling the strings of community together.

Project Lyttelton received letters of thank you from the NZ Police, St Johns Ambulance, the Fire Brigade, the NZ Navy and especially Civil Defence, due to the fact they were able to mobilise rapidly and work tirelessly for the benefit of the community.

https://www.ourplanet.org/greenplanetfm/margaret-jefferies-project-lyttleton-sustainable-community-building-christchurch

Neighbourly - Lisa says this is important for us to either be aware of and or join.

https://www.neighbourly.co.nz/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8ZaZwPXP4QIVSyQrCh1j7wMjEAAYASAAEgKJ_fD_BwE

Get Through - is a New Zealand Government sponsored website giving pointers to prepare ourselves for emergencies and other contingencies with at least 3 days of water, 3 days with of food and other preparations, like First Aid kits, batteries for radios, etc . This is good preparation for storms or earthquakes.

http://getthru.govt.nz

We Need a Champion

It would be good to have a New Zealander of sufficient mana to champion the need for a secure long term future to both Local and Central Government. Please assist us in finding this champion.

Lisa also mentions what other future challenges there are.

Insect collapse - If we carry on the same agricultural and chemical practices scientists state that 100 years out we will be in a dire situation, so we need to stop using pesticides and herbicides. The drop in numbers of bees and Monarch butterflies is showing us we are taking down our future.

Note that there are no insects on your car windscreen or moths at night or when you do not draw the curtains or close the blinds. Why?

Get off insecticides Neonicotinoids is the number one culprit for the decline of bees.

https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/bee-protective-pollinators-and-pesticides/chemicals-implicated

Go organic but first transition via Biological and Regenerative agriculture.

Do a search in GreenplanetFM.com

Now that France has finally banned glyphosate and now Monsanto products. Can NZ follow?

Lisa mentions Auckland Council contractors are using glyphosate which is very problematic, but so are home owners and farmers. Glyphosate / Roundup is a disaster. It is contaminating our food and killing grasses and weeds where insect lavae live and birds feed, and is now found in our bodies owing to its prevalent use.

Sikkim in India goes organic.

The state of Sikkim gets a jump on NZ agriculture. Why can’t NZ follow?

https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/sikkim-becomes-world-s-first-organic-state-wins-oscar-for-best-policies-by-un-1369158-2018-10-16

Lisa also mentions possible economic collapse. Some people are keen to go self sufficient but how do old people and retirement villages survive such challenges. Not everyone is young enough or fit enough to grow their own food. What are the contingency plans for those who can’t do their own gardening, and if there is flood, fire or drought, growing our own food wouldn’t be much help anyway.

Tim mentions that all the parks and golf courses in cities can be dug up and put into gardens - realising that the golf course greens would be very chemically toxic. But, this could be doable in a prolonged emergency.

There were many other interesting subjects mentioned in this interview.

Lisa talks about strong visionary leadership that can direct what needs to be done to manage the future. She says we must prepare now and not wait until it is too late. She says a government Think Tank, or similar, is needed to study where this country is insecure.

New Zealand must be self sufficient in food, go local, and be prepared to cope not only with our own climate migrants, but with those from overseas.

Climate change will transform more than 143 million people into “climate migrants” escaping crop failure, water scarcity, and sea-level rise, a new World Bank report concludes. See here - https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/climate-migrants-report-world-bank-spd/

On Facebook - Survival Movement NZ - Lisa invites people to participate.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/470181836848018/

Apr 4, 2019

Nature is our teacher

Darren as a child was influenced very much by his grandfather who had a wide ranging understanding of farming in the rural sector of sun affected Australia, where water was a major priority as well as the need for trees and the protection they offered.

So this early education, became critical in his connection to nature and recognising what this hardy land produced. Especially his relationship to the Australian flora and fauna, and with the added factor that he was quite well read -  played a large part in his life when growing up.

He now sees his life learnings and that of the ‘Regrarian’ revolution as becoming the broad church of ‘regenerative agriculture’ - that focuses a wealth of attention on forestry (trees) and water. Added to this was that central Victoria, the region that he lived in happened to be the epicentre of organic farming.

Becoming Knowledgeable

During his calling, he has over the years given about 250 Regrarian courses around the world - in about 50 countries  - he calls himself as basically ‘a sink’ having been able to take in a huge amount of information as well as glean knowledge from the many people he has rubbed shoulders with. He says that this has been his intention as he feels that he has very good observational skills, which are very important - in that when we look at what a farmer is - they have to be very good at working the land, engaging in drainage, creating swales, tree visioning, fencing, crop rotation. Plus the need to observe the weather, wind direction, the movement of birds flying - aware of temperatures, barometric pressure, sniff the air, and feel the texture of the soil in one’s hands etc. It’s grokking every nuance of the natural world.

Internet a Critical Component of Rural Communication

Darren says that the internet now is becoming a very critical component in sharing not only ideas but connecting farmers over a huge distance and can constantly keep them in the loop as to very current happenings as they occur, especially sharing critical information be it drought resistant methods, or establishing innovative ways of feeding plants, including making compost or and humus in critical weather events and other untimely occurrences that may quickly appear.

He also says that the most successful pathways will be from farmer to farmer - sharing tips etc as opposed to going through a consultant or a Govt official - and the costs that are involved, can be heavily reduced.

He emoted that he and others in the movement are very excited that they can facilitate the rapid movement of information to assist farmers.  Especially producer to producer

Holistic Perspectives are Important.

Being involved in the ‘holistic land management movement’ and the methods of integrating with the ‘key line’ plan and design  - by the late PA Yoeman’s and by extension Allan Savory - has extended his observation and understanding of grazing cattle and ruminants.

He also talks about the holistic way of being able to self determine what you want out of your future and what to do with your land in relationship to the whole. He said you have to recognise where you are at, (and not at) how resourced you are internally and where your land is at. Is it broken in land, or is it ,say bush and scrub, with no fences, cattle races, drainage etc.

Restructuring One’s Life

He talks about debt and ratio that can lead to serfdom, if you are not aware as to how to handle this. Like, it’s about restructuring ones life.

These are practical matters that he sees and that farmers to be have to get a handle on - they need to be talked about and talked out.

10% of Australian farmers are now doing ecological agriculture but a good percentage are still waiting on the evidence as well as the market to change. This other 90% group find it difficult due to their debt to equity ratio as well as their inability to finance the transition - and if your soil is lifeless - this can be quite a challenge. Same for the availability of water.

In the US the biggest movement that has been identified is that there are 3 different strands of Regenerative Agriculture.

These are the Regrarians and Permaculture practices.

Then the Savory Institute https://www.savory.global with its holistic management system and then there is the cover cropping and soil knowledge - led by Gabe Brown - http://brownsranch.us.

The third still focuses on wheat, so the change is not as great as they can still use the tech that they uses - ie. harvesters and seed sowers etc.

For grazers the change too is not a big change - fencing being a important component - electric fence developed in 1936–1937 by New Zealand inventor Bill Gallagher.

But, for a cereal grower to go from non organic to organic that is a huge change and very challenging.

Darren emphasises that we have to be very honest with yourself around being self determined and have all the available information - to make all of your decisions from being very well informed. He does not want people to diss-enable themselves by making decisions that have not been fully understood and researched.  That the following generation on that land need to have the best possible start in this new land management system.

Keyline Method.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyline_design

There are 10 points of Regrarian agriculture of which two have been added to P. A. Yeomans

One to 8 as the scale of permanence. Yoemans work not really holistic, but definitely broke into new territory that excuse the pun. was groundbreaking.

Other Topics Covered.  

Greg & Rachel Hart in there Southern Hawkes Bay Farm - that they are brave going outside the box - and doing a deal with Air NZ to plant trees and sequester aircraft carbon dioxide.   

https://www.ourplanet.org/greenplanetfm/greg-hart-new-zealand-pioneer-of-the-family-farm-on-regenerative-agriculture-restoring-ecosystems

Darren maintains that NZ agriculture is very innovative by world standards.

European Farmers are Heavily Subsidised

Within the OECD - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  NZ farmers receive the least subsidies. Where as the EU farmers get 50% of their farm income from Government subsidies. This is why Darren is impressed with the resiliency of the kiwi farmer.

He also mentions that farming has entered a new phase of rural resettlement and it is happening globally.

Far more people are doing degrees and diplomas and as a result farming is increasing. With 7.7 billion people and 5 5 billion hectares of agricultural land = about 7,000 square meters for each person. However, one figure is going up and the is other going down, yet he says we need more people in the production of food, fibre and energy crops.

He mentions Harry Weir of KiwiTech International in Bulls, NZ as very capable - a genius in productivity - based around land, family, and society  sales@kiwitech.co.nz  

Nutrient dense foods Jairo Estrepo from Columbia and his use of Chromatography to give you a soil/element read out

http://www.ragmans.co.uk/learn_with_us/courses/regenerative_agriculture_and_chromatography_id_65/

Cost is about $1.00 a sample -  It gives you a read out about the minerals and living organism in the soil and can assess the mineral availability that comes from our food. Darren says this tech bridges both chemistry and biology and it’s an important tech to assist us.  That humans and their needs are more complex - and Darren talks to that. That new fertilisers are now being put together to address all sorts of soil conditions .

Darren talks with clients about honesty - it’s a big question - especially that we don’t use claims of others - unless you can verify by testing these claims yourself.

Key line plan - is a farm planning method that in Yoemans words - controls water which is to control a greater part of your agricultural destiny … listen

Even if you only get 8 inches of rainfall, Yoeman reckoned that you could survive on a farm - that’s a lot of acreage of water - what are you doing with it?

Dr Rattan Lal, who is known as the soil god from University of Ohio in the USA  - If we increase the soil carbon content by about one and half % in all of the world’s arable soils where we basically have the greatest influence - then that would draw down and sequester about 100 parts per million of Co2 which would bring us down to pre industrial levels - but have we the will?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTb63CDJ5sA

In finishing Darren said that humans must start behaving like perennial species - not annuals - and look further ahead in time.

That we also can take agriculture into more innovative areas by doing novel seed coatings and adding mycorrhiza fungi mixtures to soils etc - plus compost teas …

My final question to Darren, was that seeing he is constantly on the land, does he get a sense of our planet as a greater being - like indigenous peoples do? And he said that yes - there is a far greater presence than is acknowledged by the so called Western understanding of the world - or words to this affect - have a listen - his answer will delight you.

http://www.regrarians.org/about/darren-j-doherty-cv

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