Planting the Roots of Climate Equity Through Regenerative Agriculture

In Fall 2024, students in WWU’s ENVS 499D: Readings in Environmental Justice are reading about regenerative agriculture. This post reflects some of the group’s learning and discussion.

By Reign H., Caitlyn W., and Olivia M.

As our class read Healing Grounds: Climate justice and the deep roots of regenerative agriculture (Liz Carlisle) we looked at case studies that highlighted how regenerative farming practices are not only a sustainable solution to environmental challenges but also a critical pathway to social equity. By centering the voices of Indigenous and marginalized communities, the author Liz Carlisle uncovers the ways in which farming rooted in regeneration and future planning can heal both the land and the people who depend on it. As a class we thought through these ideas to look at their impacts and reflect on our own relationships with the land.

Should we scrap the idea of owning land? In the conclusion of the book Carlisle states, “We have to question the Euro-American idea that land should be owned in the first place (pg. 168)” We posed the question to our class as part of our discussion, “…what could be some alternatives to owned land? And how would this work on a larger scale?” Throughout the book there is a heavy emphasis on land ownership and the importance of it in long term land management practices related to regenerative agriculture. During the class discussion, land ownership was generally looked at through a negative lens as the conversation quickly surrounded the idea of colonialism. European settlers believed in managing land as a form of ownership but this idea did not include the very different style of Native American land management that was surrounding them. Land injustices have been going on for centuries and will take many more to undo. The conclusion discusses land trusts as a large-scale alternative to owned land, allowing long term subsidized ownership of property. This ownership is specifically targeted at farmers of color because those farmers who have been marginalized are going to be the ones to bring regenerative agricultural practices to the forefront.

In addition to land ownership alternatives, we posed a similar question to Carlisle herself, “(If) healing the climate means healing the land, and healing land means healing colonization (pg. 177),” how does trying to fix one impact the others? During group discussions, we heard responses relating to encouraging connection to the land in meaningful ways to break down barriers as well as responses on the other side of the spectrum explaining land body trauma and the need for space to heal. All of the responses, and in a way Healing Grounds itself, are addressing climate colonization.

So, what is climate colonization? Climate colonization is the idea of connecting climate change to acts of colonization, specifically recognizing past injustices that are still impacting communities today (Lewis, 2023). Today, we can see climate colonization through land and resource exploitation and the adverse effects of climate change in the Global South. The Global North, or the main contributors to climate change, are responsible for aiding the affected countries, yet as of 2023 had not succeeded in sending the full amount of aid deemed necessary (Lewis, 2023, para. 12). Along with not sending aid, these nations are responsible for sending dirty industry abroad to nations with less environmental and worker protections. Climate colonization reveals the inequalities in how responsibility and impacts of climate change and the social problems that come along with it are shared.

The connection between climate change and colonization is very complex. However, within Healing Grounds, Carlisle explains that regenerative agriculture can be a powerful solution. By challenging the current forms of land ownership through supporting land trusts and empowering marginalized communities, we can create a more equitable and sustainable future. Ultimately, the fight against climate change is connected with the fight for social justice, both need to address the root causes of these inequalities.