SPCS Talks vol.9 | Indigenous Agriculture and Resilience

Michael Kotutwa Johnson cultivates various plants on his farm, and he constructed his home with sandstone using traditional techniques. (Photo credit: Michael Kotutwa Johnson)

In more and more areas, summer is becoming synonymous with drought—and with it, crop failure and hardship for those who live off the land. But for the past 3,000 years, the Hopi people have lived and farmed in the American Southwest, where annual rainfall averages just 20–25 cm (8–10 in). Their traditional practice of dryland farming has enabled them to sustain themselves for generations in a land that the untrained eye may consider barren. What can we learn from them?

Place is central to Hopi agriculture: rather than adapting the land to fit crops with fertilizers or irrigation, farmers change their planting methods and timing. The act of cultivation is rooted in values of contributing to the environment and the place you call home, while not taking more than you need. To Johnson, these place-based values are as important to modern farming as techniques and technology.

Regenerative agriculture and other movements have gained traction in recent years, with techniques such as no-till farming that conserve the health of the soil. In countries across the world, agriculturalists and researchers are searching for ways to make farming more sustainable both for the farmers and the environment, all while trying to adapt to a rapidly destabilizing climate.

In fields from agriculture to economics, it’s becoming clear that a shift in attitude as well as action is needed. Proponents of regenerative agriculture often draw on traditional practices from Indigenous agriculture, bringing old knowledge to bear on new problems. By bringing together time-tested techniques — and the beliefs that underpin them — with modern research methods, we can find new connections, make new opportunities, and create new value in communities across the globe.

While he often travels domestically and internationally to speak about his work, Johnson aso enjoys sharing his work with the local community and teaching children about agriculture. (Photo credit: Michael Kotutwa Johnson)

• Individuals and designers with an interest in connections between people and place.
• Agriculturalists, individualists, or researchers interested in food sovereignty, indigenous rights, and culture-based community organizing.
• Researchers, scientists, and thinkers concerned with regenerative agriculture and global agricultural practices from different cultures.
• People who are trying to get involved in regenerative agriculture, land-based circular economy practices, and investors and financial institutions interested in impact investing in community agriculture.

• This program will be conducted in English. (There are plans to provide either real-time interpretation or display automatic translation text, but please note that not all talks may be covered.)
• We reserve the right to change this program with no prior notice.