In this episode Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep talks with Russell Wallack, Ecological Designer and Regenerative Business Consultant at Terra Genesis International. Russell describes his path from The Conway School (where he originally met Erik), how his focus evolved from social justice broadly to food justice specifically, and how a fortunate meeting with Ethan Soloviev led him to career opportunities.
They discuss the meaning of regeneration, the difference between good and bad carbon farming and the importance of watershed thinking, asking the question “What is the agriculture that heals the water cycle?” Erik and Russell geek out over what they’ve learned from Michal Kravcik’s work with Rain for Climate.
The conversation turned to agroforestry, work Russell is doing with the University of Massachusetts on this, and the opportunity to find tree crops to replace traditional grain staples in our diet. They explore the differences between American vs. Chinese Chestnuts, and J Russell Smith’s classic book “Tree Crops (1929): A PERMANENT AGRICULTURE“.
Other references include:
- Rain for Climate online class
- All About Chestnuts- FB page
- Kiss the Ground’s work with to find a role for California almonds to help heal the landscape
- TK Design Lab
- Regen Network
- Terra Genesis International- Bioregional Agroforestry Suitability Analysis (BARSA)
- BARSA Case Study: EXPLORING A BIOREGIONAL APPROACH TO AGROFORESTRY– Connecticut River Valley Watershed
- Propagate Ventures (agroforestry)
- UMass Carbon Farming Initiative- FB page
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