Healing Ground Chapter 3 - Sorrel

    Chapter 3 of Healing Grounds offers a compelling look at how traditional farming practices – particularly those rooted in Mesoamerican cultures – challenge the dominant narratives of industrial agriculture. One of the central stories in this chapter is that of Aidee Guzman, a Chicana soil ecologist whose work reveals the ecological value of polyculture farming systems. Her reflections on her family’s farm in Mexico highlight a method of agriculture that is both highly biodiverse and deeply relational – practices that stand in contrast to the more extractive and commodified systems common in the United States.

    Guzman’s description of her family’s tropical polyculture farm offers a different model of food production, one that integrates various plant species in a single space. This stands in contrast to the large-scale monocultures typically seen in U.S. industrial farming. Guzman’s research into arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in Central Valley soils supports the idea that above-ground plant diversity plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy underground ecosystems. These fungi help crops absorb nutrients, showing that biodiversity supports not just ecological resilience but also productivity.

    Carlisle’s discussion also touches on the historical roots of agricultural systems in the U.S. and the way colonial settlers imposed European methods without adapting to the local environment or acknowledging Indigenous expertise. This tendency to overlook local knowledge systems has had lasting impacts, both environmentally and socially. Many traditional practices, like those used in Mesoamerica, have not only been overlooked but actively displaced. Yet these practices often offer more sustainable, community-oriented approaches to land stewardship.

    A small but telling detail in the chapter is the note that the Nahuatl language doesn’t have a term for a monoculture cornfield – instead, the word used describes a field with many kinds of plants growing together. Language, in this case, reflects a worldview that sees agriculture as inherently interconnected. As regenerative agriculture becomes a more prominent conversation in climate and food policy circles, recognizing and respecting these cultural frameworks is essential. Without them, solutions risk becoming technical fixes rather than holistic changes rooted in justice and equity.