Joel Salatin: Sacrifice and Sacredness of Food

By Karen Rybold-Chin, originally published by ontheearthproduction

July 12, 2016

Society
We caught up with Joel Salatin, PolyFace Farms, at the Mother Earth News Fair. We asked Joel to talk about our current agricultural system.
 
"The way we elevate the sacrifice of one being, whether it’s a carrot, fungus, rabbit or chicken, that allows something else to live,
is to elevate it to a place of sacredness."  We need to respect and honor the life that was lived.
 
"Our industrial food system in taking a mechanistic view towards life, takes the sacred cycle of, Life, Death, Decomposition, Regeneration and disparages that cycle."  
 
Salatin goes on to explain that a culture that views biological life as a mechanical and inanimate structure to be manipulated, will ultimately view it’s own citizens and cultures the same way. 
Joel views the food system from a different paradigm, instead of growing food to be bigger, fatter, cheaper which will ultimately create ecological devastation.  Joel talks about creating a respectful place for all players.
 

"Earth should not be viewed as a reluctant partner to be forced but as a lover who wants our caress." 

Karen Rybold-Chin

Tags: building resilient food systems, industrial agriculture

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