#306: Regenerative Agriculture, Death and Rebirth with Kate Kavanaugh
Aug 28, 2023
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Kate Kavanaugh, a regenerative agriculture expert, shares the importance of restoring our connection to nature, animals, and food. She discusses embracing death, creating meaningful connections with our food, and the significance of regenerative farming. A fascinating episode for anyone interested in sustainability and belonging.
Our disconnection from the process of producing food has led to a longing for deeper connectivity, both with our food and with a sense of place and community.
By avoiding death and our own mortality, we miss out on fully embracing life and the rich experiences it offers. Cultivating a deeper connection with nature and acknowledging the presence of death in our lives can restore a sense of aliveness and provide profound opportunities for growth and transformation.
Taking an active role in becoming stewards of the land and our food can be a transformative experience. By recognizing our interconnectedness with nature and understanding our role in the ecosystem, we can start by nurturing our own internal communities.
Deep dives
The Intimacy of Food and Connection to Community
One of the most intimate acts we engage in is consuming food, as the elements of food become a part of our bodies and contribute to our existence. There is a deep sense of connection between our bodies and the food we eat, rivaling the intimacy experienced in sex or pregnancy. This connection to food creates tightly held tribalism and beliefs around our food choices. Our disconnection from the process of producing food has led to a longing for deeper connectivity, both with our food and with a sense of place and community. The convenience-driven mindset and focus on productivity have furthered this disconnection, pushing us away from the farming space and into an impersonal relationship with our food.
The Disconnect from Nature and Death
Our modern culture has fueled a disconnection from nature and death, obscuring our understanding and acceptance of the natural cycles of life. Death, an essential part of the cycle of life, has become feared and separated from our daily experiences. This disconnection has led to a loss of community and a lack of knowledge about our own mortality. By avoiding death and our own mortality, we miss out on fully embracing life and the rich experiences it offers. Cultivating a deeper connection with nature and acknowledging the presence of death in our lives can restore a sense of aliveness and provide profound opportunities for growth and transformation.
Becoming Stewards of the Land and Our Food
Taking an active role in becoming stewards of the land and our food can be a transformative experience. By recognizing our interconnectedness with nature and understanding our role in the ecosystem, we can start by nurturing our own internal communities. This begins with considering the diverse microbiome within us and seeking ways to support its health and vitality. Simply going outside and feeling the soil in our hands can serve as a reminder of our belonging within the web of life. Building relationships with local farmers and ranchers can further deepen our connection to the food we consume and the ecosystems that support its growth. This active engagement and restoration of our relationships with food, nature, and ourselves can lead to profound personal and communal transformation.
Embracing the Paradox of Joy and Grief
In our journey towards reconnecting with nature, death, and our food, we must embrace the paradox of joy and grief. This recognition that our experiences as humans encompass both elements can help us fully appreciate the cycles of life. Through witnessing and honoring the deaths we experience within our own lives and relationships, we can gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of life and death. The aliveness and connection we seek can be found in our willingness to be transformed through our relationships with food, nature, and each other. By embracing both the joys and the griefs that come with these connections, we open ourselves up to a more enriched and vibrant human experience.
Restoring Our Sense of Agency and Choice
Restoring a sense of agency and choice in our relationship with food and nature can have far-reaching impacts on our lives and communities. Recognizing that we are not separate from nature, but integral parts of it, empowers us to make conscious choices that align with our values and support the health of the planet and ourselves. This might involve making simple changes like growing our own food, sourcing from local farms, or supporting regenerative agriculture. By reclaiming our role as active participants in the web of life, we can contribute to the restoration and revitalization of our ecosystems, our physical and emotional well-being, and our collective sense of belonging.
Themes: Food, Farming, Community, Nature, Agriculture, Healing, Regenerative Farming, Death, Belonging, Health, Purpose, Grief, Sustainability
Summary:
Today I welcome Kate Kavanaugh to the show! She started her journey in regenerative agriculture 15 years ago looking at how meat could be a byproduct of conservation. Now, Kate is the host of the Mind, Body, and Soil podcast where she is devoted to digging in deep with guests, finding the threads of what it means to be humans woven into this earth. In her spare time, Kate raises goats, pigs, cows, and poultry on a small farm in upstate New York.
In this episode, Kate teaches us about the importance of regenerative agriculture and how it helps us regain connectivity to nature, microbiome, animals, soil, and so much more. She shares about the importance of restoring our relationship with our food and animals, how death is all around us and we must embrace instead of avoid it, and how we can create more meaningful connections with the food we eat, the land we walk on, and the farmers and ranchers in our community. A fascinating episode you won’t want to miss!
Discover:
Kate’s journey from being a vegetarian to butchery and embracing regenerative agriculture
The importance of death in the cycle of life and how it’s ingrained in every aspect of our lives
How to restore our connection to nature, animals, food, and community
00:00 Intro
00:42 Finding connectivity with our food
02:11 From farms to supermarkets
06:18 The problem with processed foods
14:59 Restoring our nutritional relationship with nature
17:40 Getting into regenerative agriculture
20:06 Touch some soil
26:02 “We are feeding more than ourselves…”
29:47 About having a farm
35:11 From stewarding to consuming an animal
39:08 Death is an integral part of the cycle of life
48:07 How to restore our relationship with nature, food, and community
Links:
Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh - https://www.instagram.com/kate_kavanaugh
Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-body-and-soil/id1615122217
Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1LozvGYEduMrJGDjRhUJu9?si=5b7f73b264424c45
Twitter: @katekavanavgh - https://twitter.com/katekavanavgh
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katekavanaughmbs
Website: groundworkcollective.com
Farm Finder - Near Home: http://nearhome.groundworkcollective.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@katekavanaugh
Sponsors:
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