Subtle Agroecologies

Front matter

a eee y ADVANCES IN AGROECOLOGY DT” Sac i

Subtle

Agroecologies

Chapter 2 From the Mainstreaming of Western Science to the Co-Evolution Bertus Haverkort

Chapter 3 Conversations with Nature Spirits: The Political Ecology of Power and Progress 1n Rural Zimbabwe... cca cca sac cca caise aci ca dana i i e n ci i 39

Georgina McAllister and Mike Zeddy Chikukwa

Joseph Milne

Chapter 5 Humans Are Humus: Using Eco-Psychology to Highlight the Language

Travis Cox

Isis Brook

Jack Tuszyński

Anneloes Smitsman and Jude Currivan vii viii

SECTION 2 The Intersection of Wave-Based Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Science and Agriculture

Electromagnetic Fields Mitigate Adverse Effects of Environmental Stresses:1n Plants sein seo cae ta aan mada aaa aaa eta da bi a a a pag stă 101

Angel De Souza-Torres

Practical Uses of the Method of Epigenetic Regulation of Protein Synthesis in the Agricultural Field... ce ceeace sees co ia acido ocina ca eee 111

Victor Prévost, Michel Duhamel, Pedro Ferrandiz, and Joél Sternheimer

Astronomical Rhythms in Biodynamic Agriculture: A Brazilian Case Study on the Yield and Quality of Daucus carota L. under Biodynamic Management... nenea en 123

Pedro Jovchelevich

Ed Moerman

Homeopathy Applied to Agriculture: Theoretical and Practical Considerations with Examples from Brazil... eee nenea ne 145

Pedro Boff, Rovier Verdi, and Leonardo Felipe Faedo

Effect of Low-Power Laser Biotechnology Pretreatment on Shooting and

Sergio Rodriguez Rodriguez, Eduardo Ortega Delgado, Juan José Silva Pupo, Alexander Alvarez Fonseca, Medardo Angel Ulloa Enriquez, and Luis Enrique Arias Basulto

Fluorescence Excitation Spectroscopy (FES) to Evaluate the Farming System’s Impact on Food Quality ....ooonconncnnoconccocnnnnnnononennonannnnononononnrnocrononono conca neon 167

Jenifer Wohlers, Peter Stolz, Gudrun Mende, and Jiirgen Strube (in Memoriam)

Picturing Vitality, the Crystallisation Fingerprint Method... nenea 179 Paul Doesburg

Contents ix

SECTION 3 In Search of More Embodied Methodologies

Chapter 17 Calibrating the Body: Embodied Research Strategies for Attuning to Subtle Information... sccccaiscaccesec oct cae raioane da n ge ai d ia ital d da dna 191 Eline Kieft

Miche Fabre Lewin and Flora Gathorne-Hardy

Chapter 19 The Systemic Constellations Method Applied to Agriculture... nenea 219

Melissa Roussopoulos

Chapter 20 Engaging in the Goethean Method: An Approach for Understanding (he: a O ed a 229

Isis Brook

Chapter 21 Intuitive Farming: Heart-Based Decisions for Harmony 11: Agricultural Ecosystems emca sacii cacao codes age ri cti 239

Saskia G. von Diest

Chapter 22 An Investigation of Sustainable Yogic Agriculture as a Mind—Matter Farting Approach AA să dal ad ca a vadă a i oaia cata a Da oc a boat 247

Janus Bojesen Jensen

SECTION 4 Voices from the Field

Chapter 23 The Etheric Realms as a Foundation for Exploring the Use of

Radionics with the Biodynamic Preparations cena nana 259 Hugh Lovel Chapter 24 The Subtle Life of the Bee and Its Importance for Humanity 00... ee nenea 269

Sabrina Menestrina

Chapter 25 Exploring a Dynamic Role for Water in Agriculture... nenea nea 279

Simon Charter

Chapter 26 Land Whispering: Practical Applications of Consciousness and Subtle Energy Awareness in Agriculture oo... cece nenea en enaeenaenaenaennenaena 293

Patrick MacManaway x Contents

Chapter 27 Rediscovering Ancient Pathways for Regenerative Agriculture... 305 Charles Massy Chapter 28 Experiences with the Metaphysics of Nature... nenea enma eee en en 315

Michael J. Roads

List of Tables

TABLE 1.1 TABLE 9.1

TABLE 13.1 TABLE 14.1

TABLE 20.1 TABLE 22.1 TABLE 22.2

Some Subtle Agroecological Practices (with corresponding chapter numbers I Brackets honeri css inde Goan e iai ul alia ie at aa vu d Ea xxvii

Examples of Effects of Electromagnetic Fields of Plants Sown under Abiotic

Stress Condition Smene cea dat 0 ue aa e cd că a 5 eae ada natala iati 102 Examples of Effects of Electromagnetic Fields of Plants Sown under Biotic

Stress: CONGO, da ias 106 Evaluation Methods Used for Each of the Four Cases ...oooocccccnnnncnnccinnonannnccnnnanananos 113

Deviations from the Trend Curve (%) of Fresh Mass of Roots (FMR) and Leaves (FML) and Dry Mass of Roots (DMR) of Carrots, According to the

Different Lunar Rhythms, in 2005 and 2006... nenea nana na 128 Reduction and Oxidation in Relation to Plant Growth... nenea nene 134 Range of Currents and Potential between Ground and Stem Base in Different

Types of Trees or Plante). inci ra cae ca avea iapa a poti dai 135 Materia Medica tor Some Farm Crops ....mce neam nana nana nana o 150

Mean Values of Foliar Bud Length (cm) and Root Aerenchyma Area (in um?)

in Mulberry Seedlings, Acorazonada Variety, Treated with Laser for

10 Seconds and Evaluated under Flood (F) and Non-Flooded Stress (NF) in

the Substrate, and the Control (No Laser Treatment and No Excess Moisture) .... 160

Mean Values of Foliar Shoot Length (cm) and Root Aerenchyma Area

(in um?) in Sugarcane Seedlings, Variety C90-469, Treated with Laser for

10 Seconds and Evaluated under Flood (F) and Non-Flooded Stress (NF) in

the Substrate, and the Control (No Laser Treatment and No Excess Moisture).... 161

The Four Stage Goethean Approach and Related Human Faculties and Elements.. 236 Affirmations Used by SYA Farmers at Specific Farming Events... eee 249

Trial of Bread Wheat over One Season, Comparing (a) SYA, (b) Organic and (c) Non-Organic Methods of Agriculture... eee nene nenea na 251 xi

List of Figures

FIGURE 2.3 FIGURE 2.4 FIGURE 2.5 FIGURE 2.6 FIGURE 2.7

FIGURE 2.9 FIGURE 2.10 FIGURE 10.1

The conceptual frameworks of (a) industrial, (b) agroecological and (RA boa noa ded stea E aaa ua 12

Creating an enabling environment for endogenous development.

(Source: Haverkort et:al., 2003: 250) sec: acea ca iaca ec cata aid a i dea 28 Ritual in a rice field in Sri Lanka. (Photo credit: author’s own.) ceea nea 28 Agnihotra ceremony, India. (Photo credit: author's own... nene 29

Ceremony to seek ancestral support in Zimbabwe. (Photo credit: author’s own.)...30

Consultation with the ancestors prior to adopting a new technology, Ghana. (Photo credit: author S own.) ceea nn iik asi itia 31

Group of farmers burying cow horns, Staffordshire, UK. (Photo credit: Alysoun Barrett Bolton ita tepepan 31

Scenario 1: marginalisation: suppression, substitution and selective inclusion. ...34

(a) Evolution of Esca-related mortality rate before and after genodic use. (b) Esca-related mortality rate before and after genodic use... 115

Evolution of the Esca mortality rate compared to the average historical

(a—e) Comparison of the evolution of Esca with and without genodic Mc cp a i oda tt at e ti il da aa da ai 117

Number of mildew blotches on grapes, on each plot of five vines, as a function of the distance from the broadcasting device... nenea eee 118

(a) Change in percentage of second-grade endives as a function of duration

Virus expression as a function of distance from the delivery device (where compliant signifies healthy). sisremare 119

Fresh mass of roots and leaves (kg, Y-axis) for the different dates of sowing (X-axis) 102000... ccoo aaa aceea aa catia aiii 127

The per cent deviation from the trend line of the fresh root and leaf mass and dry mass of roots (Y-axis) for the different sowing dates (X-axis) A ag a aaa a a aa uae apăsa ada Di aa Did er eat dada 127

The per cent deviation from the trend line of the fresh mass of roots and leaves and dry mass of roots (Y-axis) for the different sowing dates (X-axis) MO, AQ OG: ai aaa 0 at ana E anl E udă Dual aie dă ata d 128

Phase angle: alternating current (red line) lags 90° behind alternating voltage: (blueline). wind ira pă ata pati 133 xiii xiv

List of Figures

Resistance—capacitance (RC) circuits according to the revised model: (a,c) diagrams of barley plants with five root tips, (b,d) electrical equivalent networks of the root systems showing the location of the RC components, (a,b) RC circuits for a completely submerged root system and (c,d) RC circuits for a partly submerged root system. The sub-circuit that largely determines the capacitance is ringed to emphasise its importance.

Correlation between gram dry root weight per plant (X-axis) and phase

ANB Le O EEIE PREDEA RN NE OP ON N a PR A Rea Da Eee RIN EREI

Simple LCR meter (a) and voltmeter (b) used for measurements of cucumber plants in pots. (c) The grounding probe and (d) a crocodile

Levels of coherence/similarities to help select what needs to be healed.

(Adapted from Manzalini and Galeazzi, 2019)... nenea nenea

Percentage of vegetative bud breaks in mulberry, variety Acorazonada, produced by the effect of two laser treatments (10 and 20 seconds) plus the control (graph a), assessed at 15 and 30 days from the initiation of treatments (graph b), and the combination of the two (graph c). Different letters indicate significant differences at p < 0.05 using Tukey’s test...

Percentage of vegetative bud break in sugarcane, variety C90-469, produced by the effect of two laser treatments (10 and 20 seconds) plus the control (graph a), assessed at 15 and 30 days from the initiation of treatments (graph b), and the combination of the two (graph c). Different

Histological cross section. (a) Mulberry root, Acorazonada variety, with laser application for 10 seconds in conditions of excess water; (b) mulberry root, Acorazonada variety, with no application of laser rays in conditions

of excess water; (c) sugarcane root, variety C90-469, with laser application for 10 seconds in conditions of excess water; and (d) sugarcane root, variety

Schematic overview of the FES measuring apparatus with 90° position between excitation illumination and emission detection by photomultipliers.

The time sequence between excitation and emission is regulated by shutters. ...

Schematic illustration of the excitation and measuring interval and a characteristic declining curve of the delayed emission. Mwl indicates

Differences between the wheat samples collected over 6 (02 and K2) and 8 years (D2 and M), on the basis of mean values per year and farming system (standardised by year of harvest). Whiskers indicate standard error of the mean. D2=biodynamic; O2=organic; K2=conventional

(manure + mineral); M= mineral fertilisation only...

R40yellow/blue of whole apples and their seeds at different maturation stages. Whiskers indicate standard error of the mean. An increasing divergence of the induced emission of whole apples and their kernels during maturation was observed, these being indicated on the figure by the crossing Or The LMS. suc sanii zecea aaa caiete taiat ae aaa ata ace deasa

. 136

„137

„159

„159

. 169

. 170

„171

List of Figures

FIGURE 18.1 FIGURE 18.2 FIGURE 18.3

XV

R40yellow/blue of whole apples from different growing conditions

Fluorescence excitation spectrum of different kinds of samples: emission of leaves (dried crushed nettle leaves), of seeds (whole wheat kernels) and of citric acid. (Derived from Strube and Stolz, 2001)... 172

Emission intensity (R40yellow) of fermented whole cocoa beans from a cultivation trial. Whiskers indicate standard error of the mean... 173

Differences between conventional and organic farming in cocoa beans in

Product-specific crystallisation patterns of barley (left), tomato (middle) and white Cabbage (right) -scenes tea aa ai vaca neta reo 181

Crystallisation patterns of the effect of milk processing: raw unprocessed

Crystallisation patterns of different ripening stages of vine tomatoes: unripe, little structure and condensed patterns (left); ripe, structure and

Crystallisation patterns of fresh (left) and aged carrot juice (right, after 7 Clays: OF storage at; diia cies nieces 183

Enlarged details of crystallisation patterns of a wheat aging series. Left: fresh extract; middle: extract stored for 3 days at 4°C; and right: extract Stored for 12 days: at 42°C caia dota dase aaa dala la iat dea ea 184

Crystallisation patterns of 12-day-aged wheat extract originating from

a long-term DOC field study (FiBL, CH). Photos bottom: whole images;

and top: enlarged details. Biodynamic wheat (left), organic wheat

(middle) and conventional wheat (right). (Images: J. Fritz, Uni Bonn,

Germany) socrii sia ua dădea oda a 03 Cat outs ota sa duc aaa ea 185

FieldTable prepared for participant diners. (Image credit: Eva van Niekerk.) ...208

Participants walking up the farm track to the entrance of the field. (Image credit: Eva van Niekerk.).. many ceeace cana aa socata ta nai ateu aaa nasi 208

Being in silence to encounter the genius loci, the grazing cattle and the table of food. (Image credit: Eva van Niekerk.) «0.00... eeeeeeceeseeeereeeneeeeneeeaees 209

Reading FieldTable menu of dishes from the season’s bounty.

A plate of locally and naturally grown “bare awakening food” composed of: poached asparagus; brochettes of biltong, pickled beetroot and horseradish

paste; marinated kohlrabi; broad beans with freshly made mayonnaise;

oregano; grilled red spring onions; raw whole carrot and boiled egg in shell. (Image credit: Eva van Niekerk Jeice desirte aroei aeara EPa E OEE aoi 210 xvi

List of Figures

FIGURE 18.9 A young farmer sharing his passions and aspirations for change.

FIGURE 24.1 FIGURE 25.1 FIGURE 25.2

(Image credit: Eva ‘van Nie€Kerk:) enescu aa sapat these da aia 211

Breaking bread as a gesture of companionship. (Image credit: Eva vân Niekerk + casca caiac casta tea at ia 212

Soil Shrine making visible examples of natural methods for increasing soil fertility through composting foodwaste and growing clover as a nitrogen-

fixing plant. The sprigs of rosemary call us into remembrance. (Image

credit: Eva van Niekerk.) ince azot poeta taca cica a pat d cl Sa dea 213

Leftover food emptied into a bokashi bin. This Japanese fermentation method prepares foodwaste to become a natural fertiliser for soil regeneration. (Image credit: Eva van Niekerk.) 00.0... eeeeeseseseeseeeeeseeeeeeeneeeeenees 213

At the end of the meal, participants write about their experiences of FieldTable and reflect on how their hunger has been satisfied.

(Image:credit: Eva van Niekerk,). „sas. eck. dese cps oala ata d vesev oa aa Ba et d 214 FieldTable was set up and completed in a day. (Image credit: Touchstones.)... 214 FieldTable manifests in 2016 as a convivial, local and agroecological

narrative to counter the 1976 Union Carbide advert promising synthetic

and genetically modified solutions to world hunger. (Image credit:

Eva vam NICK CLK) sn is cca di dla 215

Bar chart showing yield (kg/ha) of wheat grain and stover from SYA,

The author in a field of maize undersown with soybeans with radionically applied biodynamic preparations and no other fertility inputs, in metre

Field Broadcaster (left) and radionic instrument with cards (right).

(Photo:credit: author's: OWN) sia castan accea iaa 265 Spiral vortex geometry. (After Edwards, 2006.) nenea nana 281

Spiral vortex. (Photo courtesy of Institute of Flow Science, Wilkens et al., 2005.) cose sovseenese e 2600 dă va Da trăia obăaluutll och tecinesse totes teeee sive ceaed eels cates vests bile 282

Spiral vortex in free water, viewed from above. (Photo credit: SIMON: Charter.) seus cet aces cada A aia dia e 283

Ring vortex, smoke in air. (Photo credit: stock image from pinterest.com.) ....283

Ring vortex viewed from the side, made using marker dye in water, pushed

in a slow pulse from the tube below. (Photo credit: by kind permission

Andreas Wilkens, Institute of Flow Sciences, Herrischried, Germany, WwW.stroemunesinstitut.de.) sissie sectia pata ase moca en so a oale e apa 284

Water falling into a pool by Leonardo da Vinci, circa 1511. Original drawing held in the Royal Library Windsor (no 12660). (Reproduction courtesy Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020.) ....284

List of Figures xvii

FIGURE 25.7 Collapsing ring vortex in water, seen end-on, as it slowly encounters a perpendicular glass wall. Top left shows the almost undisturbed toroidal ring, which changes through the forms to the bottom right where the form is beginning to disperse. (Photo credit: by kind permission of the Institute of Flow Science. Wilkens et al., 2005)... nenea nneee eee 285 FIGURE 25.8 Rhythmic pattern of alternating vortices (also known as the

Karman vortex street). (Photo credit: Simon Charter... nenea 286 FIGURE 25.9 ‘Malmo’ Flowform Design by John Wilkes, Nigel Wells and

Nick Weidmann. (Photo credit: Imke Naudascher.)....ooconooccnnoccccooonncononcnononononos 288 FIGURE 25.10 ‘Vortex’ Flowform Design, by John Wilkes, Nick Weidmann and

FIGURE 26.1 Brussels sprouts eaten by dragon in Scotland... nenea nene 296 FIGURE 26.2 Cancerous burls on spruce trees in Vermont. „mean ne 297 FIGURE 26:3) Diy creek before ias la 298

List of Boxes

Two Examples of Farming Practice Based on Indigenous Ontologies... 13 Different Worldviews, Ways of Learning and Ways of Knowing... 24 Explanation of the Usefulness of Different Electrical Parameters

XIX

It was Alice Oven of Taylor & Francis who made this book happen, through her proactive commissioning. The concept itself had already been brewing for a few years, and many people are integral to its development, including Michael Roads for awaking so many people to the metaphysics of nature, Hugh Lovel and Henk Kieft for their impetus on quantum agriculture, several colleagues and friends for enjoyable conceptual explorations, and all the inspiring practitioners from around the world. The international lockdown of 2020 provided the spaciousness for the book’s completion.

A big thank you to all the contributors to this book; your courage and trust is appreciated. Also to Nick Parrott who stepped in to support the editing process; even so the first editor is responsible for the concept and directive content of the book.

Finally, thank you to Michel Pimbert, Director of the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience at Coventry University, who has charmingly created a safe space in academia from which this offering emerges.

Editors

Julia Wright has a background in international research and development, seeking to integrate ecological (organic and permaculture) thinking into conventional agricultural systems and organisations, including in humanitarian settings. After studying at Trinity St David (University of Wales), Silsoe College (Cranfield University) and Wye College (London University), she worked for some years in South America before undertaking a PhD at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, on the coping strategies of the Cuban farming sector during the country’s period of food and fuel shortages in the 1990s, resulting in the Earthscan publication Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in an Era of Oil Scarcity: Lessons from Cuba (2009). Returning to the UK in 2003 to lead the International Programme of the organic NGO Garden Organic (formerly the Henry Doubleday Research Association), in 2011 she was involved in establishing the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience at Coventry University, where she has since been developing a research programme in the applied discipline of Subtle Agroecologies.

Dr Nicholas Parrott has been a freelance English-language editor since 2002, providing support to non-native English-speaking academics and NGOs for the publishing of books, articles, reports and doctoral theses on sustainability, agroecology and rural development. Prior to this, he was a research associate at the universities of Aberystwyth and Cardiff, and a European Parliamentary candidate for the UK Green Party. He has lived and worked in Wageningen, the Netherlands, and Brussels, Belgium, and is now based in Hendaye, south-west France. One of his most important works is The Real Green Revolution: Organic and Agroecological Farming in the South (Parrot and Marsden, 2002), which has been translated into multiple languages. His company has clients from around 20 different countries (www.TextualHealing.eu).

xxiii

Contributors

Alexander Alvarez Fonseca

Center for Research, Services and Environmental Technologies

Research Agricultural Institute ‘Jorge Dimitrov’

Bayamo, Cuba

Luis Enrique Arias Basulto Department of Agricultural Production Faculty of Agricultural Science

Plant Biotechnology Study Center University of Granma

Bayamo, Cuba

Pedro Boff

Laboratory of Homeopathy and Plant Health of Lages Experimental Station

Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Agency of Santa Catarina State (EPAGRI), Brazil

and

Interdisciplinary Post-graduate School

Lages, SC, Brazil

Janus Bojesen Jensen

Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience Coventry University

Isis Brook

Crossfields Learning Crossfields Institute Stroud, United Kingdom

Simon Charter Ebb and Flow Ltd Nailsworth United Kingdom

Mike Zeddy Chikukwa

Chikukwa Ecological Land Use Community Trust (CELUCT)

Chimanimani, Zimbabwe

Travis Cox Naropa University Boulder, Colorado, USA

Jude Currivan WholeWorld-View

Saskia G. von Diest

Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology

Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch, South Africa

Paul Doesburg

Society for Cancer Research Hiscia Research Institute Arlesheim, Switzerland

Michel Duhamel Genodics SAS Paris, France

Miche Fabre Lewin

Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience Coventry University

Leonardo Felipe Faedo

Agroveterinary Science Centre

Santa Catarina State University

Lages, SC, Brazil

and

Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience Coventry University

Pedro Ferrandiz Genodics SAS Paris, France

Flora Gathorne-Hardy

Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience

Bertus Haverkort the Netherlands xxvi

Pedro Jovchelevich

Brazilian Association of Biodynamic Agriculture

Brazil

Eline Kieft

Clover Trail

Winchester Institute for Contemplative Education and Practice (WICEP),

Winchester, United Kingdom

and

Centre for Agroecology & Water Resilience (CAWR)

Hugh Lovel USA

Patrick MacManaway United Kingdom

Charles Massy

Fenner School of Environment and Society

Australian National University

Canberra, Australia

Georgina McAllister

Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience

Gudrun Mende Forschungsinstitut KWALIS gGmbH Dipperz, Germany

Sabrina Menestrina Anthroposophical Veterinary Medicine, Medical Section, the Goetheanum

Dornach, Switzerland

Joseph Milne University of Kent Canterbury, United Kingdom

Contributors

Ed Moerman

R&D Agronomic Development Koppert Biological Systems

Berkel en Rodenrijs, the Netherlands

Eduardo Ortega Delgado Faculty of Biology

Laboratory of Plant Physiology University of Havana

Havana, Cuba

Victor Prévost Genodics SAS Paris, France

Michael J. Roads Australia

Sergio Rodriguez Rodriguez Faculty of Agricultural Science Plant Biotechnology Study Center University of Granma

Bayamo, Cuba

Melissa Roussopoulos Independent Researcher Forgotten Connections United Kingdom

Juan José Silva Pupo

Faculty of Agricultural Science Plant Biotechnology Study Center University of Granma

Bayamo, Cuba

Anneloes Smitsman EARTH wise Centre

Joél Sternheimer

Réseau Associatif de Chercheurs Indépendants (RAChI)

Université Européenne de la Recherche

Paris, France

Angel De Souza-Torres

Faculty of Technical Sciences Department of Physics and Mathematics Granma University

Granma, Cuba

Contributors

Peter Stolz Forschungsinstitut KWALIS gGmbH Dipperz, Germany

Jack Tuszyński Department of Oncology University of Alberta Edmonton, Canada and

Department of Physics University of Alberta Edmonton, Canada and

DIMEAS

Politecnico di Torino Torino, Italy xxvii

Medardo Ángel Ulloa Enríquez Technical University of Cotopaxi Latacunga, Ecuador

Rovier Verdi

Agroveterinary Science Centre

Santa Catarina State University

Lages, SC, Brazil

and

Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience Coventry University

Jenifer Wohlers Forschungsinstitut KWALIS gGmbH Dipperz, Germany

Introduction to the Book Julia Wright

If you talk to animals, they will talk with you and you will know each other.

If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know you will fear.

What one fears one destroys.”

THE NATURE OF THE INVISIBLE: RECONCILING SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY

This book examines the principles and practices of farming and food systems from the perspective that half of life is not visible to us. Everything that we know (and do not know) about the physical world has an invisible, subtle counterpart that has been scarcely considered in the farming practices or research of modernist cultures. Subtle Agroecologies is not a farming system in itself, but superimposes a non-material dimension upon existing, materially based agroecological farming systems.

By visible, we are talking about that which is physical and material, things that can be observed and measured. Seeing the world chiefly as matter, and also as operating according to mechanical laws, is characteristic of the Newtonian — Cartesian philosophical paradigm of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe. Yet even during this period, philosophers and scientists were continuing to hold, explore and debate a range of other theories and beliefs of a non-material nature. Newton himself, for example, held deep theological interests covering alchemy, spirituality and lost Biblical works (Chambers, 2018), and historian John Brooke provides a fascinating account of how the development of the secular-material perspective held by modernist societies today was more a factor of politics and power than of being arrived at through scientific study (Brooke, 1991).

So what do we mean by invisible or non-material? It is that which we cannot see or initially perceive with our five basic senses, a dimension that may be described in secular terms as involving vibrational energy, consciousness, ether, sentience/intelligence and/or electromagnetic or sound waves/frequencies. Research advances continue to open up a broader and deeper understanding of this dimension, including through the disciplines of quantum mechanics, consciousness and phenomenological studies, bioelectromagnetics, chronobiology, sonochemistry, neuroscience and transpersonal psychology. Meanwhile, our lives are increasingly facilitated by the technological applications of such advances.

Independent of scientific advances is the belief in, and experience of, invisible realms and phenomena, ranging from the non-allopathic, energy-based medical systems and the practices of mindfulness and martial arts, to the innate societal recognition of human intuition and premonition. The majority of the world’s cultures continue to regard the invisible dimension as a matter of course, and may perceive it as a spirit realm and/or involving subtle forces or entities (Berkes, 1999; Peat, 2005). Even in Western Europe where such a worldview appears not to be the norm and where such beliefs - and corresponding behaviours and practices - are commonly adopted from other cultures, relevant indigenous, place-based traditions are being reclaimed and revived, some having been forced to go underground during certain periods in history (see, e.g., Arlow and Adam, 2011; Marrable, 2019; Timmons, 2006; Uzzell, 2019).

* ‘My Heart Soars’ from The Best of Chief Dan George, copyright 2004 by Hancock House Publishers Ltd., ISBN 978-088839-544-3, used with permissions — www.hancockhouse.com.

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XXX Introduction to the Book

Following this, the concept of Subtle Agroecologies holds two ontological perspectives that diverge from the secular-materialistic worldview. One is the basic existence of an invisible dimension to nature. The second concerns the nature of this dimension, as potentially involving not only light- and sound wave-based and magnetic field-based phenomena — some of which we now have the technology to capture and measure — but also more ethereal aspects of consciousness and/or spirit. The term spirit is variously interpreted, and here it is defined as a vital principle or animating force within all living things which is inextricably linked to consciousness (Smith, 2020). Also known as panpsychism — the view that everything has a mind — soul (Bruntrup and Jaskolla, 2017) — this definition of spirit holds resonance across indigenous cultures. Returning to Brooke’s historical review of the relationship between science and spirituality, any conflicts between the two have, he reminds us, been overplayed and are simply a relatively recent development of Western Europe, instigated by political, social and economic factors (Brooke, 1991). This book takes an open minded approach to explore these concepts in the field of agriculture.

INTRODUCING THIS BOOK: THE CHALLENGES OF TRANSDISCIPLINARY AND ONTOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Agriculture as a philosophy is eminently positioned to explore a range of existential questions relating to who we are, why we are here and the nature of reality, all grounded in the practicalities of farming. In his examination of mankind’s sense of the sacred, Gregory Bateson argues that our spiritual sense arises from the recognition that we are part of nature and part of a creative wholeness and that it is only through this recognition that we may avoid ecological disaster (Bateson, 1987). Deep interaction with nature through the practice of farming provides the opportunity for this recognition to arise, and at the same time farming holds some of the keys to averting such disaster. For example, evidence from the organic farming sector shows that one does not have to hold sympathetic beliefs in order to start implementing more ecologically based farming practices, yet such practice may cause one’s beliefs to change (Hall and Mogyorody, 2001).

This book could have taken many philosophical directions and it is beyond the physical scope of one volume to comprehensively cover such a vast subject. Instead, the book makes a solid contribution through the presentation of a collection of curated essays or chapters, to serve as both a foundation stone and inspiration for subsequent research on the invisible dimension of agriculture. Each contributor to the book has written a stand-alone chapter, and contributing to this book does not mean that she or he ascribes to any or all of the other contributions, coming as they do from a range of different perspectives. The contributors span 12 countries across 5 continents, comprising Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, the USA and Zimbabwe. Care has been taken to include contributions not only from experienced researchers but also from early-career and doctoral scholars.

Sustainable farming requires the farmer to be a Jack- or Jill-of-all-trades, holding knowledge in many subject areas, and the main challenge of this book has been to manage this multi- and transdisciplinary nature and the resulting content. Transdisciplinarity in the research context works both between and across the disciplines, as well as beyond them (Pimbert, 2018). This book therefore encompasses academic and industry contributors from the natural and social sciences as well as the arts and humanities. In terms of going beyond the formal academy, the Agricultural Knowledge System serves as a useful epistemological framework to identify the agricultural knowledge sources as well as the knowledge processes, flows and interactions between all stakeholders involved — farmers and their households and communities, as well as researchers, advisors, enterprises, NGOs and so on (EIP-AGRI, 2018). Science takes just one seat around this table; it is the farmers and growers, and others in their communities, who are the real experts of, and decision-makers about, their own agroecosystems based on local agroclimatic and sociocultural conditions. This book suggests that farmers and others working close to the land are also the interlocutors with another source of knowledge: the hidden half of nature. Nature as a primary knowledge source has yet to be

Introduction to the Book XXXi included in Agricultural and Ecological Knowledge Systems frameworks. Yet sourcing knowledge and making sense of it, for the farmer, may involve not only standard reasoning, experiencing, sensory perceiving and communicating with other humans, but also, as we will see, conscious intention, intuition, direct knowing or communication with the other-than-human.

This transdisciplinary context, and the fact that many of the topics explored in this book have not yet been widely researched, has necessitated extending the range of book contributors beyond the formal research academy. The knowledge holders include skilled practitioners or practitioner-researchers who are quite literally operating in the field, and their non-academic contributions in this book provide very different ontological perspectives or lenses through which the concept of Subtle Agroecologies may be approached.

In this book, the challenges of multidisciplinarity and ontological diversity rested to a large extent with the contributors themselves. With such a broad potential readership, they were required to write as if for the layperson rather than for others in their particular discipline, and this necessitated setting aside discipline-specific terminology or an assumed prior knowledge of the subject. In some instances, the setting aside of ontologically-specific terminology was also required. Therefore, some of what is communicated in these pages may be simplified versions of what contributors would share amongst their own peer groups.