Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays from a Farmer Philosopher

by Fred Kirschenmann, Constance L. Falk (Editor)

Overview

For more than thirty years, Frederick Kirschenmann has explored the ethical and practical principles of sustainable agriculture. An accomplished theologian, philosopher, and third–generation farmer, Kirschenmann is a dynamic leading voice in the dialogue about the challenges of modern agriculture.



Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays from a Farmer Philosopher follows Kirschenmann's personal and professional evolution as a lifelong proponent of new agrarianism. Together with agricultural economist Constance L. Falk, Kirschenmann has compiled a collection of his essential writings on farming, philosophy, and sustainability. In this fascinating blend of personal history, philosophical discourse, spiritual ruminations, and practical advice, Kirschenmann shares candid, valuable insights about the agricultural challenges facing the modern world and the necessity of achieving ecologically sound and responsible stewardship of the land.



This rich book follows the development of Kirschenmann's long and distinguished career, from childhood lessons learned on the family farm to his inventive approaches for addressing contemporary agrarian issues. More than a mere retrospective, these these essays serve as an introduction to the life and wok of an extraordinary agricultural thinker.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781582437521
Publisher:	Catapult
Publication date:	08/30/2011
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Born on a North Dakota farm during the Great Depression and in the grips of the worst drought in U.S. history, Fred Kirschenmann has spent most of his life working to change how we farm, as well as our relationship to the land.

A longtime national and international leader in sustainable agriculture, Fred is Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and a professor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy. He also continues to manage his family’s 1,800-acre certified-organic farm in south-central North Dakota.

Fred holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Chicago. He has held numerous appointments, including the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board and the National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, operated by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

His book of essays, Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays from a Farmer Philosopher, traces the evolution of his ecological and farming philosophy over the past 30 years.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Editor's Introduction 1

Preface 8

Part 1 Working at Home: Lessons from Kirschenmann Family Farms

Theological Reflections while Castrating Calves 15

On Behalf of American Farmers 22

Pilgrimage to a Barnyard 27

Low-Input Farming in Practice: Putting a System Together and Making It Work 30

A Transcendent Vision 40

Expanding the Vision of Sustainable Agriculture 48

The Role of Independent Beef Producers in Rural Development 63

Foreword to Farming with the Wild: Enhancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranches 66

On Being an "Objective" Farmer 71

Being at Home 78

The Pleasure of Good Eating 92

Is Sustainability in Our Energy Future? 96

A Journey toward Sustainability 99

Part 2 Cracks in the Bridges: Inspecting the Industrial Food System

On Learning to Farm Ecologically on the Prairie 121

Can Organic Agriculture Feed the World? And Is That the Right Question? 141

Biotechnology on the Ground: What Kind of Future Can Farmers Expect, and What Kind Should They Create? 153

Questioning Biotechnology's Claims and Imagining Alternatives 161

Why American Agriculture Is Not Sustainable 178

What Constitutes Sound Science? 188

And Then What? Attending to the Context of Our Innovations 204

Food as Relationship 214

Is the USDA Accounting for the Costs to Farmers from Contamination Caused by Genetically Engineered Plants? 226

Placing the Pew Commission Report in Context 235

Redefining Sustainability: From "Greening" to Enhancing Capacity for Self-Renewal 238

Part 3 Envisioning an Alternative Food and Farming System

What's an Education For? 243

Resolving Conflicts in American Land-Use Values: How Organic Farming Can Help 248

What About the Next Twenty Years? Or "It's Turtles All the Way Down" 255

Rediscovering American Agriculture 262

Spirituality and Cooperatives 271

In Search of Objectivity, or How to Create a Credible Certification Program 279

On Becoming Lovers of the Soil 284

Challenges Facing Philosophy as We Enter the Twenty-first Century: Reshaping the Way the Human Species Feeds Itself 290

A Pig's Tale: Marketing Stories for New Value Chains 306

A Bright Future for "Farmers of the Middle" 317

Revitalizing Rural Communities: How Churches Can Help 322

Rethinking Food 336

Using What We Know to Make a Difference 342

Afterword 358

Notes 361

Selected Bibliography 387

Index 395