Rest in the Peace of Wild Things, Mr. Berry

“In that classic work, published in 1977, Berry methodically and artfully argues that a disconnection from land and the dismantling of small farm economies by agribusiness in this country is the root cause of our environmental degradation, food insecurity, and loss of community and spiritual fulfillment. I devoured it, reading late into the night despite our early mornings on the farm. Berry’s discussion about nurturers versus exploiters, fidelity to nature, and being “in place and free” spoke to the discontent I’d experienced in my own life and reflected back in harsh light my own obvious disconnection from the land. Had my life been built around exploitation and consumption? Could I buck societal trends and learn to live my life as a nurturer? Would working my way back to the land make me happy?

Writing almost thirty years earlier, Berry had painted the picture of what I thought I wanted my life to be, and his writing helped me validate my own still-forming beliefs—the importance of sustainable food systems, a value on human culture and ecology, the possibility of a deep and serene connection with nature. No matter where we live or what we do for a living, “our bodies live by farming,” he writes. I was convinced that farming was good, useful work.”