While reading the introduction to "Healing Grounds" by Liz Carlisle, it was clear that this subject matter is deeply important to her. Carlisle, a white woman, tells the story of black, hispanic, and indigenous farmers and how they are working toward restoring the land they possess, as well as the regenerative agriculture aspect behind all of it. I feel as though the title of this book really ties into what point Carlisle urges to get across. Carlisle does a great job at helping the reader understand the importance behind farmers belonging to a minority being able to connect with their roots and push for cultural aspects to their farming practices. Diversity and inclusion in vital within the community in order to feel a sense of belonging and community between those doing the work, and those reaping the benefits of it.
Speaking of those who are doing work, while reading chapter one of healing grounds, it was interesting to find out that buffalo are so vital to our ecosystem and community. I could never figure out the difference between buffalo and bison, come to find out they are just different names and mean the same thing, which makes me wonder why we ever strayed from the term that indigenous people coined for these animals, "buffalo". These buffalo are considered "carbon cowboys", meaning they help regenerate the soil using their grazing mechanisms., which proves to be very beneficial to farmers and has been a practice used by many for years upon years. It is interesting to hear that just the eating habits of these buffalo can provide such help to the farmers, as I always kind of assumed the farmers were annoyed that their grass was being eaten, lol! The more I think about it from this perspective, it makes sense that this technique is used by many.
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