Audio & Video
Playlist
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Press
NYTimes
Magic in the Dirt
In the midst of the first harvest of 2020, the NYTimes visited Spirit Farm along with 2 other farms to discuss community, healing, and the environment. In the interview, James Skeet discusses the importance of living together in a holistic way. The article mentions when James discusses the soil and the compost and the microbes, Mr. Skeet’s voice sounds like a smile — especially when he talks about the “chemistry of these little bugs who make magic in the dirt.” This became the title for this interactive, beautiful piece exploring the human element of farming.
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New Humanitarian
‘Soil justice’: How US Indigenous communities are using their land to overcome racial neglect
Anthony J. Wallace takes a deep dive into understanding the inequality we face, especially in light of the high COVID-19 death rate on the Navajo Nation, a rate higher than any other state in the country. Much of these outcomes are due to disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. In the article he writes, “Spirit Farm is one of many nonprofits and advocacy groups combating food insecurity and health concerns by promoting locally grown produce – part of a larger project to rejuvenate and proliferate the ancient environmental knowledge that fueled agricultural communities in North America for centuries. And now, mainstream American culture and government institutions are starting to recognize Indigenous knowledge as an asset in the face of mounting environmental challenges, reversing a long trend of suppressing it.” Click here to read more.
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The Link
What’s Your Relationship Status with Soil?
Helen Hollyman wrote an outstanding article for The Link. She discusses what she learned while visiting James and Joyce at Spirit Farm: “The duo founded Spirit Farm in 2014 as a way to reclaim indigenous farming and spiritual practices while blending modern techniques to establish resiliency. Among the farm’s many purposes, it aims to inspire indigenous communities to grow their own food—one part of health disparities that are tied to historical racial injustice. The farm and the work, wisdom, and efforts of James, Joyce, the Spirit Farm workers, and the community that interacts with Spirit Farm are reestablishing the relationship between nature’s natural systems and people in a holistic way that has existed for thousands of years before us.” Click here to read the full article.
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NM Healthy Soil Working Group
New report examines the socio-economic benefits of soil health for New Mexico farms and ranches
This report from the NM Healthy Soil Working Group details their work to learn more about New Mexico farmers and their reasons for pursuing soil health. Drawing from 12 individual accounts representing a diverse cross-section of the state, Building Soil Health in New Mexico charts millennia-old traditions and new strategies, analyses soil health benefits, and samples on-farm measurements used to track progress. On the link above, you can read the full story of Spirit Farm and our practices, starting on page 14.
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Mold Magazine
Countering Green Capitalism with Ancestral Technologies: James and Joyce Skeet of Spirit Farm on Integrating Indigenous Wisdom into Systems Thinking
Among the farm’s many efforts, the Skeets hope to inspire other indigenous communities around Spirit Farm to grow their own food sources—one component of health disparities that are tied to historical racial injustice. But the path to reentering a relationship with nature’s systems hasn’t been an easy road. Continue reading here.
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