CHAPTER 1

TIMES HAVE [NOT] CHANGED

New Farming Techniques

Once there was a Master Gardener who taught his aspiring farmers about scattering seed. The story opens with an anecdote by the Master Gardener:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

The Master Gardener stayed with his farmers, training them to scatter seed and care for plants. Then he departed, leaving his farmers to carry on his work. The farmers scattered seed and saw crops multiply. This continued for generations. Some generations were more successful than others, but all of them knew that scattering seed was integral to growing crops. It was their job.

Eventually, a new generation of farmers encountered a newfound difficulty with scattering seed. Perhaps it was harder than in previous generations, or maybe it just felt that way. For all their effort sowing, reaping was minimal. These farmers began to rethink the business of scattering seed. It seemed to them that the soil was resistant to their seed. Some areas had become hardpacked while other areas were so nutrient depleted that few arable plots existed. The farmers could almost sense hostility when they scattered seed, which made them feel uncomfortable. The seed scatterers began discussing their struggles as they considered how to respond.

“The seed is to blame,” offered one farmer. “It may have worked well in the past, but it does not work well with today’s constraints.”

A few nodded in assent. They had, after all, used the same seed for generations. Could its germination rates have been reduced?

“I think the problem lies with the soil,” countered another farmer. “Generations before us did not work the ground right, and we are suffering the consequences.”

The notion that the farmers bore no responsibility for the current predicament found significant agreement. Whether the fault lay with seed or soil, the problem must have developed over time. The solution, they knew, was up to them. Was it time to change their methods?

With a decreased trust in the effectiveness of the seed, these soil-focused farmers shifted their focus to include working the soil more and scattering seed less. Improving the soil became their topic of discussion; after all, they were fully aware of the problem of erosion. In time, planting seed and growing plants became lesser priorities. Instead, they championed whatever cause focused on soil readiness.

Scattering seed diminished, and fewer plants grew. The soil-focused farmers blamed the lack of growth on the pH level, amount of clay in the ground, and moisture retention levels. They did not, however, associate these lower germination rates with a decrease in sowing seed.

A different discovery caught the eye of the seed-focused farmers: while their own crops failed to grow abundantly, weeds produced a bumper crop. These farmers shifted their focus to the weeds, looking for clues from the unintended crop—clues that might assist their own farming methods. Observation quickly turned to admiration.

“This weed sprouted here on its own,” remarked an impressed farmer, “with no help at all.”

“I think weed seeds are being scattered by the wind,” explained another.

“And then the weeds grow up quickly and healthy,” another farmer noticed. “Maybe they grow and spread better because they scatter seed on their own.”

These farmers became convinced that scattering seed was less important than ever before. Perhaps learning to enjoy weeds would save them a great deal of heartache while keeping the soil intact.

Scattering had all but disappeared, and few crops grew. Weeds were plentiful, and so was the farmers’ knowledge of the soil’s needs. This kept the farmers busy, and they saw some measure of favor from advocates in the weed community. The farmers celebrated th