before that day, the only coconut i had eaten was from the supermarket in my new jersey hometown, probably shipped in from across the globe, and covered in powdered sugar. though all the imported, processed food and plastic bags i was used to seemed wasteful and inefficient, i never felt like i could do anything about it and didn’t know what different food systems could look like. however, sitting there with gordon jr., this coconut was soft and not too sweet, and it was nice to be able to look directly above me and see exactly where it came from.

i visited oceania for the first time when i was 13. at the time my mother was directing a nonprofit organization operating in the pacific island country of vanuatu, and during one summer she was able to bring me along during a work trip. while she worked, i spent a week living with a local farming family on the remote, volcanic island of tanna.

stepping off the plane in tanna for the first time, and out of the single-room wooden airport, the color i saw more than any other was green. the rainforest covered every part of the island, and what was immediately remarkable was that the houses, farms and markets were not built against the forest or in giant man-made clearings. multi-lane roads did not cut through the trees, and large buildings did not stand in empty lots where nature used to be.

the gordan family grew all their own food and lived in houses they built from the plants and trees around them. the houses were small and not obstructive to the forest. food crops were grown within the rainforest alongside other endemic plants. people lived and built and farmed with the ecosystem and inside it.

the gordan family was large and included grandparents and great grandparents. their days were spent tending to their pigs and chickens, and preparing foods like ‘laplap,’ a local dish made of ground breadfruit, bananas, taros, and other root vegetables. whereas a home cooked meal in my house had at most some basil from our small garden in the backyard, this family could stand up and point to exactly where each of their foods came from.

the mother, mariline gordan, who introduced herself as my new “tanna mama,” was delightful and would prepare meals all from freshly caught fish or fresh eggs from her hens.

i didn’t see any supermarkets in tanna, but instead a huge local market with people selling the crops they grew on-island and the fish they caught themselves. there were no plastic or paper bags, instead there were baskets made from woven leaves.

i was generously shown around the island throughout the week. on my last day in tanna, i was sitting on the bench outside the grass bungalow, looking at the view of the rainforest and the mountains, when the father of the family, rex, sat next to me and said, “when people come and stay with us here, it really is like they are part of our family.”

i wasn’t sure what to say. “thank you,” i finally said, but it meant more to me than those words were able to express.

the second time i visited oceania was as a rutgers undergraduate student. i had the honor of accompanying rutgers food systems scientists to micronesia, when i was 17. we visited the islands of kosrae and pohnpei, in the federated states of micronesia.

kosrae is a small island, and their local food system is not as intact as that of tanna. centuries of colonialism and disease brought by foreigners had a negative impact on the local community, which is now dependent on imported food. i had the privilege of meeting with a local family who has had a significant impact on restoring and rejuvenating local food production. 

robert and nora sigrah have brought more than 70 greenhouses to the island providing them for free to any farmer on kosrae who needs them. as these islands are some of the wettest places on earth, the greenhouses are vital for shielding crops from seasonal downpours. “for about six months it was raining between 20 and 30 inches a month,” said nora sigrah.

“clearly the greenhouses are needed to protect the crops, not only from overwatering, but also from being damaged by torrential downpour,” she said.

in addition to providing free greenhouses, robert sigrah also promotes local farming by providing free cuttings of his green tangerine trees to anyone on the island who wants them. “since we start propagating from branches, it would take only three to five years to start bearing fruits, as opposed to if we started from seeds,” said robert sigrah. green tangerines are signature to the island of kosrae. “if every household, every family has tangerines,” sigrah said, “then everybody will be happy.”

on an island where practically everyone knows each other by name, it is not the work of the large organizations, but the actions of local individuals that make all the difference.

in pohnpei, micronesia, many people practice subsistence agroforestry in their main island’s tropical rainforest. they also raise their own pigs and chickens, but primarily for family consumption.

according to mark kostka, a local farmer of pohnpei, traditional chief, and manager of the green climate fund food security project for farming families in the federated states of micronesia, those who live in the town of kolonia are almost 100% dependent on imported food. the local food system is not developed enough for people harvesting in the forest to regularly sell their foods at a public market. pohnpei state senator jason walter said that the pohnpei state government is eager to find the best ways to support sustainable, local food production so that their residents are not dependent on imported foods.

in pohnpei, i met manuj r. nair, ph.d., the director and chief scientist of aquaculture research at the college of micronesia. nair works hard to promote local food security by studying the viability of aquaculture, or ocean farming, in the island’s waters. specifically, the farming of sea cucumbers.

i spent a day with nair and his crew, helping them measure and weigh the growing sea cucumbers from their farm. the team of five local men dove into the water where the sea cucumbers were being grown and lifted the bags of cucumbers up from the bottom of their cages. 

the process is surprisingly simple, involving only a few plastic pipes and some cages to protect them. sea cucumbers are filter feeders, meaning they do not require additional feed, and simply filter out the algae, bacteria, etc., already present in the water and convert that into protein. this actually cleans the water while they grow. sea cucumbers are eaten by some of the locals in pohnpei and can also support the local economy through export to chinese markets where they are sold for their medicinal value.

growing up in new jersey, i observed these things:

1. land is bought and sold. people move to different cities or states and leave their communities and families when they do so, especially if they get a better job somewhere else.
2. food comes from the store. it does not matter what the weather or climate is like, or where the supply trucks ultimately come from. as long as the store is open, food is available.
3. families usually spread apart as time goes on, and extended families rarely get together more than a few times a year.

none of these are true in tanna, kosrae, or pohnpei, and not until i saw the culture and food systems for myself did i realize how crucial community, local food production, and connection to one’s land are to the strength and resilience of a society. when one has an obligation to their community and their family, they adapt to problems rather than simply moving away from them. 

when faced with global problems such as climate change or food insecurity, it can feel daunting to be only one person in a world of disconnected people. in micronesia, i learned how people work together as communities in which each individual makes a difference. though the world may be huge, it is made up of millions of small communities, who are made up of individuals like you.

according to bridgers, he felt motivated to pick up agricultural work after witnessing several grocery stores close in the area. he wanted to provide his neighbors with what those store closures took away from them: nutritious fresh food.

today, bridgers works as a farm manager just yards away from his childhood neighborhood for an urban farm created by dc greens called the well at oxon run.

“i’m truly grateful to have the opportunity to come back home, come back to my community and be a steward of this space,” bridgers said.

dc greens is a non-profit that focuses on elevating health equity by increasing the accessibility of healthy foods. one of the ways they have pushed towards this goal is through the establishment of the well — a community farm focused on giving away healthy foods at no cost, teaching residents how to grow their own produce, and connecting the community to nature.

in 2018, dc greens lost their k street urban farm to the establishment of a pepco electrical station. in response to the loss, the organization began planning for a bigger, multi-use community farm called the well. three environmental non-profits — dc greens, the green scheme, and friends of oxon run park — began fundraising for the space. 

with the help of local donors and d.c.’s department of energy and environment, the well opened for its first growing season in june of 2022. the well harvested 4,000 pounds of fresh food in 2023 and reopened for its third growing season in march 2024.  

the project was in response to ward 8’s growing food insecurity issue. d.c.’s southernmost district offers only one full-service grocery store for its nearly 90,000 residents — down from three in 2016. lack of access to fresh food can contribute to health issues such as diabetes. in ward 8, residents are four times more likely to have the disease.

this scenario is often described as being a “food desert,” however staff at the well reject this term, instead calling it, “food apartheid.” 

“a desert is naturally occurring,” bridgers said. “this is more systemic, structural and man-made. food apartheid speaks to the intentional segregation of access of resources to a group of people.” 

the term “food apartheid” was first coined by political activist karen washington. washington noted the term “food desert” ignores the systemic racism which affects a community’s ability to access a healthier variety of foods.

many in ward 8 face compounding issues in attaining fresh foods from the lone giant food grocery store on alabama avenue se because of financial and transportation concerns. 

david outlaw, a resident of ward 8 regularly shops at the sole grocery store. outlaw said he had never heard of the well but thought it was similar to martha’s table, another program he participates in.

for residents like outlaw who have never heard of the well, its location is easily accessible as the farm sits at the intersection of the bellevue, congress heights, and washington highlands neighborhoods. 

bridgers compares the well to a “lighthouse” as its location attracts residents towards each other. 

“we use food as an entry point to connect with community members,” bridgers said. 

melanie guerrero works as the program coordinator for the well. guerrero knew she wanted to both work outside and within the community. she jumped around working with different farmer’s markets before landing a home at the communal farm.

“i knew i wanted to be around people who wanted to be outside,” guerrero said, chuckling. 

guerrero explained that the farm engages in regenerative agriculture to grow its foods. this means the urban space uses no pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or machinery to upkeep the space. 

the farm boasts about not ordering anything from suppliers like amazon or home depot. instead, farm manager bridgers creates natural fertilizers and insecticides from organic material already at the farm.

beyond growing food, the farm hosts events like yoga, painting parties and environmental education classes to engage residents with their community. guerrero added that the well is more than an opportunity to learn about agriculture and access food.

“i would really describe this space as a healing opportunity inside and out,” guerrero said. “it’s an opportunity to learn about how food is grown and access fresh food, but then also do something for yourself spiritually, mentally, physically.”

charles rominiyi supervises operations at the well. he shared that community members expressed a desire for a safe, multi-use, natural space comparable to a public library or recreational center. 

“the well is an answer, or a response, to a community need,” rominiyi said. “everyone knows the statistics about grocery stores in ward 8. you see how that barrier disrupts the everyday lives of people living in this community.”

before rominiyi got involved in the well, he found his love for community engagement when he was an americorps volunteer for metro teenaids — a nonprofit in washington, d.c. focusing on youth aids and hiv prevention. after that, he maintained school gardens for the dc office of the state superintendent of education. 

when he saw that he could combine his interest in gardening and love for community engagement, he too hopped on the well bandwagon. 

“the well is a beautiful concept,” rominiyi said. “i feel most alive when i’m doing community work.”

bridgers, rominiyi and guerrero have all dedicated their time to community building at the well. they find exceptional meaning in their work and feel “blessed” to be a part of it. 

one of bridger’s favorite parts of the job is handing out homegrown pumpkins to families at the well’s fall festival.

“being able to shift people’s mindsets about their interactions and processes with food is a pleasant thing,” bridgers said. 

guerrero mentioned that picking just one of her favorite instances is like going through a “cabinet of memories.” she mentioned a grandmother who routinely brings her two grandchildren. 

“her two granddaughters run to come and hug me,” guerrero shared. “those moments are really special. that i get hugs from community members is important,” guerrero said.

guerrero added she thought she would never find a job like her’s at the well. in college, she had a professor who told her she was going to have to “swallow” the fact she would have to work in an office cubicle.

“i’m just proving him wrong!” guerrero exclaimed. “my office is a farm!”

at the well, rominiyi formed a life-long connection with absalom jordan, the chair of friends of oxon run park. when they first met, jordan physically embraced rominiyi and gave him “wisdom” that he explained would last long beyond his days at the farm. 

“he always comes and calls me a brother and wishes me well,” rominiyi shared of jordan.

even though rominiyi believes the well has done a lot of work, he knows there is more to do. rominiyi said there must be stronger efforts to decrease food apartheid in ward 8 by opening more full-service grocery stores and other resources like the well.

“we feel good about what we’re accomplishing,” rominiyi said. “but ultimately we know that this work doesn’t stop.”

in february 2024, i travelled to the ford rouge electric vehicle center in dearborn, michigan with a group of student storytellers. as an artist, my initial inquiry wasn’t solely focused on transforming the subject of ford motor company’s electric vehicles and the company’s commitment to sustainability into art; rather, it centered on my personal connection with it.

as i toured ford’s large complex, my brain was filled with information about electric batteries and carbon emissions, as well as multiple new terminologies i had learned when discussing ford’s relations to sustainability.

yet, within all those conversations about ford’s history of technological innovation, something was still missing for me: an inspiration, a personal connection to ford’s sustainability efforts, a familiar name. later in the day, i had recognized this name as we later walked down the halls of the henry ford museum and saw a single poster on the wall that read:

“george washington carver and henry ford both believed agriculture and industry could work together to shape a better future. in 1939, carver visited the soybean laboratory in greenfield village to see henry ford’s innovative soy fibers designed for use in cars. see modern sustainable manufacturing ideas in action today at the ford rouge factory tour.”

as a current student of tuskegee university, carver’s name struck me like lightning. carver taught agriculture at tuskegee for 47 years and made transformative contributions to agricultural science during that time.

henry ford visited the tuskegee institute multiple times, where he helped dedicate the carver museum, learned from, and developed a friendship with carver himself.

carver’s impact on the ford motor company was primarily through his research and innovations in agriculture, particularly regarding soybeans and peanuts. carver’s work led to the development of new uses for these crops, including the creation of alternative materials such as plastics, lubricants, and fuels. 

henry ford recognized the potential of carver’s research and collaborated with him to explore the possibilities of using agricultural products in the automotive industry. ford was particularly interested in finding alternatives to traditional materials like metal and rubber, which were in short supply and expensive. 

carver’s work indirectly influenced the ford motor company by providing innovative solutions to material shortages and promoting the use of agricultural products in the industry.

this art piece was created to pay homage to the significant impact of george washington carver on environmental sustainability as well as to highlight the friendship between him and henry ford. the images in this multimedia piece are from the tuskegee university archive that documented the relationship between carver and ford.

masa is taking their practices back to the age before industrial farming, when saving a harvest’s seeds, sharing, and trading them in the community was normal. but as populations grew and farms scaled up, the industry transitioned to genetically modified seeds, bio-engineered to withstand blights, resist toxic pesticides that otherwise would kill the plant, and maximize the yield and nutritional value. as the industry focused on crops designed for mass production, nearly 90% of crop varieties in agriculture were lost according to the food and agriculture organization of the united nations.

genetically modified seeds are often not adapted to specific climates, but they are many farmers’ most reliable source for production. this precipitous drop in crop diversity has created an uncertain and fragile future for agriculture, one that masa is hoping to provide an answer to.

“in 1929, 1930, before the first hybrid, everyone would be doing exactly what we do. we’d be like, ‘oh yeah, we save a part of the crop for seeds’,” said laura allard, the seed house and operations manager at masa. before production agriculture was the norm, farmers would trade and share seeds from that year’s successful crops, fortifying a network of seeds adapted to grow in their local environment. 

the seed exchange

today, farmers can simply log into an online store and with a few clicks, add seed varieties from all over the world to their virtual shopping cart. for a commercial grower who’s focused on one crop, like corn or soybeans, these genetically engineered seeds help strengthen the chances of a fruitful harvest. but many of these seeds are patented by companies like bayer and syngenta, making it illegal for farmers to save the seeds to plant next season and forcing farmers to repurchase new seeds at the start of every season.

this leads to a dangerous homogeneity among available seeds that fails to take advantage of the resiliency inherent to a diverse population. seeds are like little nuggets filled with data, and by selecting for certain traits farmers can help a crop adapt to their environment overtime. “whatever that season was like, whether it’s maritime or dry, windy, whatever happens, those seeds have the knowledge of that in the face of inevitable extreme weather or climate changes,” allard said.

masa’s founder rich pecoraro has been breeding and adapting seeds for over 40 years. when he founded the non-profit in 2019, he donated his entire collection, which now holds more than 1,000 different crop varieties. these seeds’ genetics hold decades of knowledge, and are slowly adapting to colorado’s unique growing conditions.

sprouting a vision

during springtime on masa’s 24 acres of land, greenhouses are beginning to overflow with the seedlings of hundreds of different plant varieties. leafy stems of ‘billy buttons’ craspedia wait patiently to sprout yellow globelike flowers, and soon the squat stalks of ‘green zebra’ tomato plants will blossom and don yellow and green striped fruits like ornaments. 

each plant sprouts from a seed, and nearly each seed has been touched by one of masa’s farmhands. the work is meticulous and time consuming, from harvesting seeds the size of pencil tips to the hours spent misting carpets of green seedlings that cover greenhouse benches end to end. 

for masa, these seeds are sprouting more than just stems, they’re contributing to a  sustainable vision. “we never pictured just being on this project, six or seven of us, working as hard as we can to get the next crop of seeds,” allard said. while research and breeding are central to masa’s mission to build a bio regionally adapted seed bank, the ultimate goal is to educate. 

if they don’t teach the importance of seed preservation, then this knowledge will only exist within the confines of the farm, allard explained. one of masa’s next big steps is to launch their thousand petaled seed cooperative. masa would share seeds with community members, from novices to commercial farmers, for them to grow, adapt, and learn about seed preservation. 

“we have to free ourselves to be able to find time or bandwidth — capacity is our word — to launch a mini ag campus for people to learn how to grow seeds, to be inspired to do it,” allard said. 

seed farming at scale

masa is a piece of a global movement to return to seed farming and build a more climate resilient agricultural system. university of colorado boulder professor nolan kane points out that masa is unique in its scale. “it’s not a huge place,” kane said, but in terms of the number of varieties they’re growing successfully, it’s special. “it’s not just cultivating something familiar. it’s doing that but also trying to generate something new.”

while industrial agriculture places constraints on seed sharing and negatively impacts biodiversity, there is still a place for it, according to kane. “it certainly has provided very stable, high nutrition food for a huge population reliably,” he said. at the same time, there’s value in agriculture that focuses less on monoculture, and more on a genetically diverse community of plants. 

biodiversity in farming can lead to a more robust ecosystem. if one crop variety is affected by blight, or can’t successfully adapt to a changing climate, it’s failure won’t decimate an entire food system. applying ideologies from masa and other seed sharing organizations can create a new approach to large scale farming, kane said. 

for kane, it comes down to “thinking about how to improve agriculture by both adding in alternatives in different ways to predominant agriculture, but also, how can we improve the way that we do large scale agriculture? those are both things that i think you can learn a lot from here by just seeing how they do things.”

hip hop artist ietef vita, known as dj cavem, expresses his love for environmental justice through his unique approach to music, which he calls, “eco hip-hop.”

originally from denver, colorado, vita has expressed concerns about the tendency for hip-hop culture to shy away from issues that relate to health and the environment. in response, vita heavily incorporates advocacy for environmental sustainability in his lyrics.

this eco hip-hop-loving rapper has also been a part of several community initiatives including growhaus, a nonprofit education center for improving the community’s access to nutrition, a youth workshop that oversees 190 community gardens, and has worked with organizations that host health and wellness camps during the summer.

vita, who holds a ph.d. in urban ecology from the denver institute of urban studies, has performed his music on stage with nationally recognized artists such as public enemy, wyclef jean, 2 chainz, and questlove, not to mention that he was invited by first lady michelle obama to perform at the white house to publicize her let’s move plan. 

through his eco hip-hop, vita has been spreading awareness within his community to promote and support urban gardening. according to vita, the denver community is experiencing a lack of fresh food choices as processed foods dominate grocery store shelves in communities of color. vita is inspired by urban gardening and he believes that it can promote better eating habits, as well as erase trauma in the black community.

“giant clams give the reef life,” says delphia selch, “but today we hardly can see them on our reef.” giant clams play a critical role in coastal marine ecosystems and local food production all around the world, especially in the federated states of micronesia (fsm), a north pacific country of over 600 islands.

for the last 17 years, martin selch and his wife delphia have been growing endangered species of clams on the island of kosrae, the smallest of fsm’s four states with a population of under 7,000. these clams not only contribute to repopulating the reefs, but also provide sustainable and local food security.

“giant clams have become threatened all around the world,” says martin selch. climate change and sediment runoff has caused many of the local giant clam species to become endangered or extinct. however, martin and delphia have dedicated their lives to cultivating six varieties of clams including tridacna gigas, the world’s largest mollusk species, that previously had disappeared from kosrae’s waters.

in this short documentary, discover the importance of giant clams, their contribution to food security and the marine environment, and meet the people dedicated to keeping them around forever.

through indigenous ways of knowing, and self-knowledge of who we are as stewards of newe sogobia (mother earth), the original people of what is known as the ‘americas,’ have made efficient use of resources through the management of agricultural practices, fire regimes, land use, etc. since time immemorial. having understood this from an early age, i spent my youth attending ceremonies that helped me connect to the natural world through cultural teachings. my name is bahnwahntze. i am newe (shoshone), and i grew up on the south fork indian reservation in northeastern nevada. my upbringing involved spending summers in northern california, both in urban areas and on the round valley reservation near covelo, ca. growing up, my parents, raised on reservations, taught me that nature and people worked together as one. while living in the urban setting i was being exposed to an ideology that my peers around me weren’t. this helped me to understand and appreciate the symbiotic relations that give us life. i began integrating my understanding into the western science teaching i was receiving. 

my interest in technology began at an early age. as a traditional powwow dancer, i was used to hearing loud music, so at home i began learning how to connect additional speakers to my stereo and also how the amps affected the output of the speakers. i would also practice my dance steps by watching videos of other dancers. to watch the videos, i had to switch connections from cable television to a dvd player. soon my family began to notice my interest in technology and would have me help them with their technological difficulties. after i graduated high school, instead of going into a stem academic program, i went into a technical program at d-q university, a tribal university that offered a technical certificate in cable networking. in the program, i learned how to properly install cable networks for television including fiber optics for the internet. having proven myself successful in installing cable networks, i felt stunted in my personal expression. trapped in a cycle of work and little rest, ignoring my instinct to be on the land, i was forced to listen to that instinct when i was injured at work. my story truly begins once i allowed myself to reeducate and start a new career. 

going into academics having already been in a career for several years, i had no idea what i wanted to do or what kind of research was happening. my mentality at that point was just to get into a program where i could learn office skills, as my injury left me with sedentary work restrictions. i had always liked plants, so i started looking into agriculture programs. what caught my attention was an agricultural business and education program at a local community college.

this program was designed to transfer me into an agricultural science program at a 4-year institution, but i had only wanted to get my 2-year degree so i could begin working right away. fortunately, i was able to get into a research internship during my first semester. while the experience was a great introduction to research, it was the connections i made through the internship that allowed me to progress as a researcher.

soon after i was invited to another fellowship where i presented my first inquisition poster. it was during these sessions i began to notice research that was being done within tribal communities. my perspective on experimentations that had occurred on tribal lands and within tribal communities had mostly been negative; due to the history of the government performing malicious acts on indigenous people and their lands in the name of science. during the conference, i began to learn about different organizations that promoted indigenous scientists. this led to a path where i am currently in my academic career. not only did this program focus on traditional ecological knowledge, but it broke me free from the negative connotations of research within indigenous communities. after this incredible experience, i decided to apply to graduate school so that i could contribute to the science benefiting indigenous communities.

i was introduced to agrivoltaics (av) through my recent internship which took me to the navajo nation. i had been seeking out an internship that would allow me to work within a tribal nation as none of my previous internships had allowed me to. i was unfamiliar with the topic, but i was interested in the program that was presented to me. i learned that av is an emerging innovative agricultural system that places photovoltaic (pv) panels within existing agricultural areas and vice versa. it is an integrated agricultural and energy production system that enhances water conservation and is the very definition of what is known as a food, energy, and water nexus.

during this program, i had the opportunity to work at an agricultural experiment station. i worked closely with the research director who made me aware of opportunities with a new graduate program they were offering. my mentor at the time had wanted to place sheep under the pv panels but i expressed my interest in traditional agriculture practices like intercropping to begin the project. so began my journey into av systems and the three sisters garden system.  

being able to make contributions back to society in a way that promotes indigenous knowledge is one thing, having a project that allows me to go directly into tribal communities and promote localized community growth is another. on the navajo nation, it is fairly well known that a significant number of households are not connected to any kind of grid. understanding that av contributes to built environment as off-grid av systems will greatly benefit remote communities and give them opportunities to power additional agricultural infrastructure such as greenhouses.

when discussing av and how it contributes to built environment with my research director, kevin lombard, ph. d., professor of horticulture at the new mexico state university (nmsu) agricultural science center at farmington; stated that “there is increased interest in urban built environments and having greenhouses closer to consumers.” he then went into how the greenhouses are essentially closed systems and mentioned, “combining that with solar panels to artificial lighting or supplemental lighting makes a lot of sense”. not only will av systems make energy available to agricultural equipment, but they will also have the opportunity to make beneficial use of the land under the pv panels. giving community members the knowledge of how to manage the space under the panels will allow them to grow different crops.

one thing the pandemic exposed was our need for food sovereignty and increased localization of resources. part of my graduate research project is to use the energy produced to support an off-grid greenhouse; this encourages me to continue to push the topic of incorporating indigenous agricultural practices that will contribute to the sustainable component of a controlled environment system. israel joukhdar, a senior research scientist at nmsu college of agricultural, consumer, and environmental sciences, stated “that’s the great thing about building for the future, it’s not that we have to totally transform and tear down all our buildings and do all this stuff, but doing very small things can make a huge change […] a small change goes a long way”. av systems create microenvironments under the pv panels because of the shade that is created. through the microenvironments, we are combating climate change and preventing the degradation of land through smaller built environment systems. 

with the integration of western science into indigenous knowledge as a way to enhance thousands of years of research with the modern infrastructure of today, av shows promise as a component in the efforts to mitigate climate change. the understanding of symbiotic relationships is essential to assisting in rebuilding the environment and increasing the nexus between food, energy, and water to conserve and restore resources. adapting to both forms of scientific knowledge is leading research and i am thankful my culture and upbringing have allowed me to assist in the science that will benefit the work being done. awh’ho

my film is about piñon picking and the importance of the piñon pine to the diné (navajo) people and other tribal communities across the southwest. in the video, five stories are shared that cover cultural significance, utility, and familial ties to piñon picking. additionally, it discusses the impact climate change is having on the piñon pine and how hotter climates will only cause more trees to die off. thus, we ask how we can help protect piñon pine trees today and into the future. 

based on research from colorado state university, an acre of corn needs to use 600,000 gallons of water to produce 200 bushels of corn. today farmers are fighting climate change by adapting their techniques and crops to prepare for the seemingly adverse weather conditions of the future. 

with modern technology the world of agriculture has never been more advanced. on oct. 5 and 6, 2023, student correspondents for planet forward were invited to see two different approaches to the constant efforts to create sustainable crops through selective breeding. 

creating “smart corn”

for pharmaceutical and biotechnology company bayer, that means precision breeding by identifying genetics within each corn seed they plant at their 7-acre facility located in marana, arizona. bayer’s efforts are highly advanced, but not completely new. it is an entirely different approach than that of tek (traditional ecological knowledge), which has been used to adapt crops by indigenous farmers for generations. 

at bayer’s facility, every seed has a purpose. it is tracked to see how the seed acts in different environments, with decisions aided by artificial intelligence to design the best seeds with traits such as drought resistance or shorter stalks. 

with the latest advancements, the seeds produced in the greenhouse will be used to create the best, most wind-resistant feed corn for the commercial industry. for these seeds, planting them densely helps, and their shorter stature means that the crops are sturdier in high winds. these seeds will primarily be used as feed corn for livestock and for ethanol production, according to brett sowers, bayer marana’s site enablement lead.

where bayer is focused on maximizing yields, other agricultural stakeholders in arizona have slightly different priorities when it comes to sustainable agriculture.

the san xavier co-op farm located on the tohono o’odham nation grows traditional crops while supporting traditional values and the community economically. in accordance with principles of tek, the farm uses no chemical pesticides or fertilizers and focuses on respecting all aspects of the seed growth process. 

tek equates to the ever evolving knowledge gained by indigenous and local people from the previous generations of farming. it provides a method that can create sustainable crops by means of adaptations and changes found within each generation of crop. with these crops, the farmers select desirable traits and use those seeds to build their future harvests. 

while bayer’s methods are highly technical, there are other, more simple methods that could potentially yield an equally efficient crop. in fact, these methods have been around for many generationsgenerations — thousands of years. with tek, farmers from the past and present have been able to successfully breed their crops to survive harsh conditions as well. 

when asked if bayer works or aids local farmers, especially indigenous farmers, the specialists we met with in the research and development department couldn’t answer. they assured us that it wasn’t that they didn’t care, rather that this kind of outreach wasn’t any of their personal areas of expertise. during the discussion, holly mclaughlin, who works as a sustainability specialist, stepped in and insisted that it wasn’t because the desire wasn’t there. 

“it’s not that there’s not a desire, it’s just that the focus has been on understanding how to get the infrastructure, that is the precision breeding marana greenhouse, automated,” mclaughlin said. “on the traditional ecological piece, though, i will say that those conversations are most definitely had, we just don’t have exposure to them in the field, at this time, when that’s really the community we should be serving.”

learning from tek

michael kotutwa johnson, an extension specialist with the university of arizona, and hopi farmer challenges the western mindset regarding climate change. according to johnson, indigenous generational knowledge has been used by his people to grow corn for generations. 

johnson’s grandparents didn’t starve during the great depression. they simply grew their own food. johnson said he can grow corn and save it for up to 40 years at a time. the methods haven’t changed for him, he uses the same seeds to grow corn that his family has been using for generations. 

“i lost about a third of my crop to heat stress. but the crops that i did manage to save i’ll plant next year, because we’re drying it, so those plants adapt over time… no irrigation. we’ll get six to 10 inches of annual rainfall a year. that’s important to know, because cornell university said i need 33 inches or more. i thought that was crazy,” johnson said. 

what this and johnson highlighted throughout the presentation and panel demonstrated that indigenous generational knowledge can still be used today to help with modern problems in agriculture. through selective breeding, these crops can be more resistant while also needing less water. 

the true key that johnson talked about was biodiversity, which is what will save his next harvest next year because his seeds are more resistant than the previous generations. with biodiversity we can adapt to the changing world climate. 

indigenous belief systems and practices which have been in place for centuries as an answer to food scarcity and adversity can still be used today because the world continues to change. 

“when we’re talking gdp,  we’re labeled as first or third world countries, low income countries, developing nations, global, north and south. what is wrong with that pitch? it does not give us a chance to show us how resilient we are,” johnson said.  

to change and adapt for climate change, framing and mindset are among the most important things to keep remembering. what matters is the biodiversity found within the various regions of the world, and using those things to fuel our developments in sustainable agriculture. 

using less water and being drought tolerant are features that many farmers wish their crops could boast. with the knowledge everyone finds, if they shared it with each other and lifted everyone up with them, getting to a sustainable world would happen a lot faster. but these efforts to make indigenous methods known, along with changing the narrative of being victims, will make indigenous agricultural knowledge become recognized and potentially used on a larger scale. 

this is a story about the intersection of science and indigenous communities. focusing on the potomac river watershed, this film highlights inequalities in environmental management. the patawomeck tribe of virginia, the original people of the potomac river, discuss environmental injustices facing their community. filmmaker and ph. d. student, veronica malabanan lucchese, uses social network analysis, or the scientific study of relationships, to identify the most and least influential managers. tying together research and personal histories, “managing the potomac: featuring the patawomeck tribe of virginia” shows the need for more inclusive management.

it’s a story about how excluded communities, research, and government can work together for a more sustainable future. this film was supported by the integrated application network at the university of maryland center for environmental science, the coast card project, the environmental justice journalism initiative, the noaa-lmrcsc fellowship, the belmont forum, and the national science foundation.