All living things are based on soil. In ancient times, humans believed it was the mother of all life, the placenta of the planet. In this her fifth article, Sarada Eastham delves into the soil’s subsistence and elder wisdom.
“To forget how to dig the earth and tend soil is to forget ourselves.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“If we plan and act early enough, and use our creativity and cooperation to unleash the genius within our local communities, then we can build a future that could be far more.” – Rob Hopkins
As mentioned in my last entry, in addition to my work with the ashram’s food flow, I am completing my final project for my master’s in community and regional planning, looking specifically at planning for post-carbon food systems. (more…)
This summer, Lightwaves is posting a monthly theme week on sustainability, featuring the reflections of inspired yogis who are integrating spiritual practice and critical thought into their work at a global and or local sphere.
We begin this second thematic week with Sarada Eastham, a Canadian intern in India, devoted to international development and drawing awareness to social, environmental, and agricultural injustice. (more…)
The last few days have been a whirlwind of sights and colors. Settling into Navdanya has been like a dream: misty mornings followed by scorching afternoons, followed by star filled evenings, one after the other. The sounds of Hindi are becoming more familiar to my ears and I have learned the names of most of the community members here.
Navdanya is a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 16 states in India. They have helped 54 community seed banks across the country, training over 500,000 farmers in seed sovereignty, food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture over the past two decades. They are actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge, for the protection of biological and cultural diversity.
