A US scientist says ethical, abundant food systems that lasted successfully for thousands of years can be reintroduced again.
Dr Lyla June Johnston is a human ecologist, public speaker, poet, musician and community organiser, and a keynote speaker at the upcoming 11th World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024, being hosted by Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
The Congress will be held at the Sir Owen G Glenn Building, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, from September 3 to 5.
From her home in Gallup, New Mexico, Johnston said she’s excited to attend the event, being held in collaboration with Design for Nature and the World Green Infrastructure Network. The international event promotes the exchange of knowledge, discussing nature-based solutions in urban environments.
She says history has many examples of successful food systems, and the sharing of this knowledge between various peoples, making her look to the future with optimism.
“My main message will be to share about a dozen examples of humanity creating successful, highly productive and deeply ethical food systems that lasted thousands of years. Each of these examples shows how humanity has not harmed the earth, but has been a great asset to it. And if we’ve done it before, by god, we can do it again.”
Johnston has spoken about the American chestnut tree, now nearly extinct. Evidence demonstrates they were planted by humans and ‘cared for by Indigenous peoples, like a vast orchard’. Spaced far apart, the trees enjoyed ample access to sunlight, water and nutrients to keep healthy.
Indigenous peoples would burn around chestnuts to wipe out competing vegetation and put ash into the soil for fertiliser. The result produced nutrient-dense meadows that would sprout and attract deer, bison and other undulates.
Johnston has presented soil core samples containing almost 10,000 years of fossilised pollen information, demonstrating that Indigenous people managed a biodiverse food forest of black walnut, hickory nut, chestnut and other edible species for 3,000 years.
“We need to fall in love with humanity again. We’re not pests, we’re not a stain on the fabric of creation, we actually belong here, especially when we’re guided by the right practical and ethical compass. We can create beauty for ourselves and other species.”
Johnston’s multi-genre presentations have inspired personal, collective, and ecological healing worldwide. At Stanford, she blends her study of human ecology, graduate work in indigenous pedagogy, and traditional worldview to craft insightful perspectives, solutions, and music.
Her doctoral research showed how pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped Turtle Island (the Americas) to create abundant food systems, empowering humanity to connect with the natural world. She also acknowledges the University of Alaska Fairbanks as a crucial pathway to her journey and career.
Jim Cornall is editor of Future Food Today and publisher at Ayr Coastal Media. He is an award-winning writer, editor, photographer, broadcaster, designer and author. Contact Jim here.
