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Introduction: The relationship between humanity and nature is intricately linked to agriculture, yet often overlooked in discussions of ecological conservation. The crisis we face today is not merely one of environmental degradation, but also a deeper issue rooted in how we farm and use the land. Agricultural practices have a direct and tangible impact on our ecosystems. If we want to reverse the damage, we need to rethink not just how we farm, but how we engage with the land in our daily lives.

The Ecological Crisis as a Crisis of Agriculture

The Disconnect Between Conservation and Daily Living

Conservation efforts have traditionally divided the world into two categories: the untouched wilderness and the land used for production. While there has been a strong movement to protect pristine landscapes, the reality of everyday land use—especially in agriculture—has been largely neglected. As pollution and environmental damage rise, the gap between the land we cherish and the land we use grows wider.

A significant issue with modern conservationists is the mentality of “vacation-oriented” conservation. Many people fight to preserve the wilderness but overlook how their everyday activities, such as farming or personal habits, contribute to environmental harm. For instance, someone might fight against deforestation but not think twice about the ecological impact of the food they eat or how they engage with their own land.

Tip for Readers: Take a moment to reflect on your own lifestyle—how you live, what you consume, and how it connects to the environment. Conservation starts with everyday choices, not just grand movements.

The Terrarium View of Nature

David Budbill, a writer from Vermont, coined the term “Terrarium View of Nature” to describe the way some environmentalists interact with the land. He noticed that many people view nature as something to be observed from afar—like an exhibit under glass—without engaging in a direct, living relationship with it. For example, newcomers to rural areas buy land but refuse to use it, thinking they are “preserving” it. However, by leaving the land untouched, they fail to manage it properly, allowing it to grow wild and unmanageable.

This approach isolates people from the land, making it another commodity rather than something to live with and care for. Similarly, the rise of private land ownership and the trend of posting “No Trespassing” signs contribute to this disconnection, further alienating people from the land they live on.

Actionable Tip: Instead of viewing land as something to be protected from a distance, engage with it. Learn about sustainable farming or gardening practices, and how to coexist with your environment. Balance preservation with active stewardship.

The Importance of Wilderness Conservation

Wilderness conservation is crucial—it reminds us of our roots in nature and serves as a standard against which we can measure human impact. The wilderness gives us a glimpse into the world before human interference and teaches us humility by showing the power of nature to thrive without human influence.

However, while conserving wilderness is important, it should not overshadow the land we need to use. Most of the earth’s surface is used for agriculture, and this land deserves just as much attention as the untouched areas. The true challenge is figuring out how to use the land kindly and sustainably.

Tip for Readers: Support conservation efforts, but also think about how the land around you—whether urban or rural—can be managed sustainably.

The Shift from Agriculture to Industry

Modern agriculture has become industrialized, prioritizing efficiency over care. Farms are now large-scale operations, focused on producing as much as possible with as little labor as possible. This shift has been fueled by corporations, government agencies, and academic specialists, all pushing for more production at the cost of soil health, biodiversity, and the well-being of farming communities.

As a result, farmers have become divided into two groups: those who can afford large-scale operations with big machinery, and those who cannot. This division has led to the erosion of small-scale farming, further contributing to environmental and cultural degradation.

Actionable Tip: Support local farmers and sustainable agriculture. Buying from local markets helps to sustain smaller, eco-friendly farms that prioritize the health of the land and the community.

The Ecological Crisis as a Crisis of Agriculture

The Household’s Role in Sustainable Agriculture

Historically, the relationship between farms and households was collaborative. Farms produced food not just for themselves but also for nearby households. These households often grew their own gardens, raised small animals, and had a direct relationship with the food they consumed.

Today, households have become purely consumers, relying entirely on processed food from supermarkets. This disconnect between production and consumption has contributed to the ecological crisis by promoting unsustainable farming practices.

Actionable Tip: Try growing your own food, even if it’s just a small garden. Engage with where your food comes from, and make choices that support sustainability. Even urban dwellers can join community gardens or practice balcony gardening.

Conclusion:

The ecological crisis is closely linked to the way we farm and use the land. Conservation isn’t just about protecting wilderness—it’s about how we engage with the land every day. We need to bridge the gap between the land we preserve and the land we use by adopting sustainable agricultural practices that promote “kindly use.”

Summary for Instagram Reels and Infographics:

  • Conservation efforts often ignore the everyday use of land, especially in agriculture.
  • People tend to view nature as something to observe, not engage with.
  • Wilderness conservation is vital but should be balanced with sustainable land use.
  • Modern agriculture has shifted towards industrialization, damaging the environment and farming communities.
  • Households once played a key role in food production but are now disconnected from it.
  • Actionable steps: Support local farms, grow your own food, and engage with sustainable agriculture

This passage from The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry critiques the industrialization and commercialization of American agriculture, particularly during the tenure of Earl Butz, former Secretary of Agriculture. Berry contrasts the increasing focus on agribusiness efficiency and productivity with the neglect of ecological and social consequences. Key points include:

  1. Marginal Lands: Berry laments that smaller, steeper, or less mechanized lands, which could be cultivated productively through sustainable practices, are often abandoned due to the economic priorities of large-scale agriculture. These lands, if given proper attention, could play a crucial role in light of population growth. Yet, they are overlooked because they don’t fit into the large-scale agricultural model.
  2. Agricultural Policy Shift: Berry is critical of government policies that favor large-scale operations over small farms, which results in the consolidation of farmland into the hands of fewer, often non-farming owners. He describes how these policies force smaller farmers to either expand (which many cannot afford) or exit farming altogether.
  3. “Agripower” and “Agridollars”: Berry is critical of the idea of “agripower” promoted by agricultural officials, which emphasizes agricultural exports and business success over environmental stewardship and small-scale farming. He argues that these officials equate agricultural success with the ability to generate “agridollars” and purchase consumer goods, ignoring the long-term consequences of soil degradation, erosion, and loss of biodiversity.
  4. Full Production and Its Consequences: The policy of “full production,” which means maximizing output without regard for environmental constraints, has led to practices like plowing steep slopes and removing windbreaks and waterways. These practices, Berry argues, contribute to the degradation of the land and undermine the long-term sustainability of agriculture.
  5. Specialization and Economy of Size: Berry critiques the shift towards large-scale monoculture and specialization in farming, which he views as dangerous and unsustainable. The abandonment of agricultural diversity, he argues, leads to ecological instability, as it neglects traditional practices like crop rotation and mixed farming, which help maintain soil health and biodiversity.

Ultimately, Berry sees modern agricultural policy as being driven by short-term economic interests rather than long-term environmental or social well-being. This leads to the exploitation of land and the displacement of small farmers, with significant ecological and cultural consequences.
In this passage, Wendell Berry explores the deepening crisis in American agriculture, critiquing its dependence on external inputs like petroleum and its estrangement from the ideals of self-sufficiency and sustainable land stewardship. Berry is especially concerned with how the shift toward “agribusiness” has led to a breakdown in the relationship between producers (farmers) and consumers, resulting in waste, environmental degradation, and cultural decline. Key themes include:

  1. Abandonment of Economic Independence: Berry contrasts the traditional ideal of a self-sufficient farm—productive beyond its needs, independent of external inputs—with modern agriculture, which is highly dependent on purchased inputs like petroleum. He criticizes this shift as a failure of agricultural policy to maintain the farm as an economically independent, sustainable system. This reliance on non-agricultural, often foreign sources of energy (like oil) contradicts the idea that farming should be directly tied to the land and nature.
  2. Petroleum Dependency: The dependence on petroleum in modern farming practices is a central concern. Berry highlights the absurdity of needing petroleum as much as food, given that the very food production process is now inextricably linked to oil. This reliance, Berry argues, undermines the self-sufficiency of farms and exposes the fragility of a system that treats petroleum and food as interchangeable powers (“agripower” vs. “petropower”). He notes that this relationship turns food into a weapon, as it becomes entangled in global politics and resource competition.
  3. Estrangement of Consumer and Producer: Berry sees a growing gap between consumers and farmers, who were once collaborators in the process of food production. As agriculture industrializes, consumers become more disconnected from the realities of farming, often ignorant of the environmental and human costs of their food. Producers, in turn, lose their role as stewards of the land and focus solely on maximizing production, contributing to a system that wastes soil, water, fuel, and human energy.
  4. Waste and Consumer Complicity: Berry is critical of how both producers and consumers are complicit in the wasteful practices of modern agriculture. Farmers waste natural resources like topsoil and water, while consumers contribute to waste through unnecessary processing, packaging, and the disposal of valuable organic material. He suggests that many conservationists, despite their efforts to preserve nature, may unknowingly contribute to the waste of land and resources through their consumption habits.
  5. Agricultural Crisis as Cultural Crisis: Berry concludes that the problems in agriculture are not just economic or technical but cultural. The “thoughtless” way in which modern society consumes food, with little regard for the land it comes from, reflects a deeper cultural disconnect. This crisis, he argues, cannot be solved by policy changes or technological innovations alone; it requires a fundamental reevaluation of the relationship between people, land, and food.

Ultimately, Berry calls for a return to an agriculture that is rooted in self-sufficiency, ecological awareness, and cultural responsibility—a system where both producers and consumers are actively engaged in the stewardship of the land.

n this excerpt from The Unsettling of America, Wendell Berry critiques the historical trajectory of American colonization and its continuing effects on both the environment and culture. He presents two contrasting tendencies that have defined American development: the restless, expansionist drive that has led to exploitation and displacement, and a more rooted, sustainable approach that values place and tradition, exemplified by Native American relationships to the land.

The Ecological Crisis as a Crisis of Agriculture

Key Themes:

  1. Restlessness and Expansion: Berry starts by addressing the European settlers’ lack of intention or rootedness in the American land. From Columbus’ accidental discovery of the continent to the 19th-century gold rush, American history, according to Berry, has been characterized by a restless search for wealth and new frontiers. This continual quest for “El Dorado” has fueled displacement, exploitation, and a fragmented society where people are constantly on the move, physically and economically, without a deep connection to place.
  2. The Contrast Between Indigenous and Settler Relations to Land: Indigenous peoples, Berry argues, had a fundamentally different relationship with the land. For them, the land was a homeland, imbued with tradition, memory, and a sense of permanence. In contrast, the settlers, motivated by profit and expansion, saw the land as something to exploit rather than something to live with sustainably. This marked a significant cultural revolution, the consequences of which continue to reverberate.
  3. Dispossession and Exploitation: Berry points out that those who attempted to settle and build sustainable agricultural communities—people who wanted to “stay put”—were often dispossessed or exploited by those driven by economic motives. The pattern of conquest and exploitation, which began with the colonization of Native lands, extended to settlers themselves, as small farmers and rural communities were continually uprooted and undermined by larger economic forces. He draws a parallel between the dispossession of Native Americans and the exploitation of small farmers and local tradesmen in later generations, suggesting that the victims of this system eventually become “redskins” themselves—designated for exploitation by a relentless economic system.
  4. The Illusion of Success: Berry critiques the idea of “success” as it is defined in modern capitalist society, where the only escape from being victimized by exploitation is to join the ranks of the exploiters. However, this success is ultimately illusory, as even those who succeed become entangled in a system that is exploitative and harmful to both people and the environment. No one, not even the wealthy and powerful, can fully escape the consequences of environmental degradation, pollution, and the disconnection from the land.
  5. The Ongoing Revolution: Berry describes the revolution brought about by European colonization as ongoing, now extending to the entire economy. The economy that once transformed Native American cultures through trade and industrial goods continues to erode local, self-sustaining economies and communities today. Berry points out that most people are now dependent on commercial goods for basic necessities like food, water, clothing, and shelter, a condition that mirrors the dependency imposed on Native Americans through the fur trade.
  6. Commercial Conquest vs. Military Defeat: Berry argues that the true conquest of Native Americans, and later small farmers and craftsmen, was not through military defeat but through economic dependency. Indigenous people became “redskins” not because they lost in battle, but because they were drawn into a system that made them dependent on industrial goods. Similarly, modern consumers have been stripped of their independence and self-sufficiency by a commercial system that forces them to rely on mass-produced goods.

Conclusion:

Berry’s argument is that the ongoing crisis in American agriculture and culture is rooted in this history of exploitation and displacement. The drive to conquer, expand, and exploit has undermined local, sustainable ways of living, leaving both individuals and communities vulnerable to the forces of commercialization and industrialization. He sees this as a cultural revolution that continues to degrade the environment and erode the independence of individuals and communities. The solution, for Berry, lies in reclaiming a sense of place and rootedness, resisting the lure of economic mobility and expansion in favor of a more sustainable, intentional relationship with the land.

The Ecological Crisis as a Crisis of Agriculture

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