"To be a successful farmer one must first
know the nature of the soil."
Xenophon of Athens, (431BC – 354BC). Greek historian, philosopher, and student of Socrates.
“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.”
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869 – 1948)
Indian lawyer and leader.
“The health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible.”
Sir Albert Howard
(1873 – 1947)
English botanist and organic farming pioneer.
“Out of the long list of nature’s gifts to man, none is perhaps so utterly essential to human life as soil.”
Hugh Hammond Bennett
(1881 – 1960). Soil scientist and conservation pioneer.
“A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1882 – 1945)
32nd President of the United States of America.
“Essentially, all life depends upon the soil…there can be no life without soil and no soil without life: they have evolved together.”
Dr. Charles Kellogg
(1902 – 1980) Soil Scientist.
“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all....... without proper care for it we can have no life”
Wendell Berry
Novelist, poet, environmental activist and farmer.
“Ultimately, the only wealth that can sustain any community, economy or nation is derived from the photosynthetic process – green plants growing on regenerating soil.”
Allan Savory, Zimbabwean biologist, ecologist, farmer and founder of Holistic Management.
“The world is a fine place and worth fighting for."
Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) Famous American novelist.
“We can improve soil health much faster than we used to think. It’s just a matter of following the principles of nature.”
Gabe Brown
Pioneer of the soil-health movement in the United States of America.
“How dare you treat your soil like dirt!"
Joel Salatin, American ecological farmer, author and international lecturer on land healing and local food systems. Operates Polyface Farm.
“Our collective future depends on ecologically sound agricultural practices. Enhancing above and below ground diversity is the key to the restoration of resilient, profitable, environmentally friendly farming.”
Rhonda Daly, Co-founder YLAD Living Soils NSW. Australian owned company which supplies sustainable biological, organic and humus compost fertility products and programs.
“...there is an intimate relationship between what is within the contours of a plant,
and the soil surrounding the plant.”
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) Austrian scientist, philosopher, educator, and social reformer.
“Man will try to save his herd rather then their range."
Carl Sauer (1889 to 1975) Professor of American geography and an authority on agriculture and native crops.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and statesman. President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
“You, as a food buyer, have the distinct priviledge of proactively participating in shaping
the world your children will inherit.”
“Since our break with nature came with agriculture, it seems fitting that the healing of culture begin with agriculture, fitting that agriculture take the lead.”
Charles Massy. Grazier, scientist, author of 'Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture, A New Earth'.
“How we manage our soil micro-herd is the key to regeneration.”
Nicole Masters (from 'For the Love of Soil' 2019). New Zealand soil scientist.
“It's not the soil itself, it's the soil life, that is the most important element.”
Geoff Lawton. Australian Permaculture Consultant.
“To be truly regenerative, a famer needs to understand that they are a part of the ecosystem,
not apart from it."
Terry McCosker, OAM. Co-founder of RCS, introduced GrazingforProfit™ Schools into Australia.
“Ecological literacy means the ability to read a landscape: to appraise the state of its health and how it is functioning, and thus know how to address any issues.”
Charles Massy. Fifth generation farmer, scientist, pioneer in regenerative agriculture and author of 'Call of the Reed Warbler'.
“Capable ecological literacy requires the more demanding capacity to observe nature with insight, a merger of landscape and mindscape.”
David Orr. Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College in Ohio, USA.
“Regenerative agriculture implies more than just sustaining something but rather an active rebuilding or regeneration of existing systems towards full health. It also implies an open-ended process of ongoing improvement and positive transformation.”
Charles Massy. Fifth generation farmer, scientist, pioneer in regenerative agriculture and author of 'Call of the Reed Warbler'.
“A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches to the sky. It tells us that in order to aspire we need to be grounded and that no matter how high we go, it is from our roots that we draw sustenance.”
Wangari Maathai (1940 - 2011) Kenyan environmental scientist and conservationist. The first black African woman to earn a doctorate, and to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Awarded in 2004 for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.