#56 Chris Smaje - Being a Good Keystone Species

<p>On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we spoke to author and farmer <a target="_blank" href="https://chrissmaje.com/">Chris Smaje</a> about his new book <em>Saying No to a Farm-Free Future</em><em> </em>which was written in response to George Monbiot’s book <em>Regenesis.</em> We talk about the dangers of the ecomodernist worldview, about how the narrative of progress inhibits practical solutions, and we discuss at length the importance of moving towards agrarian localism as a lifeway in order to weather the coming storms. We talk about the precariousness of urbanization, and how moving toward a more rural, local society offers resiliency. We talk about the issue of decoupling humans from nature, and how it’s imperative that we re-couple humans with nature in order to create a sustainable society. We talk about the problems with precision fermentation, as well as transitioning to a carbon-free society under the high-energy lifestyles we have today. We discuss at length what it means to become a good keystone species, and how doing so simultaneously heals our spiritual and cultural ills while also healing the environment. We discuss all of these topics in relation to Maren’s essay, <em>The Quantitative Cosmology</em>.</p><p>Check out Chris’ <a target="_blank" href="https://chrissmaje.com/blog/">blog</a> and be sure to order his books, <em>Saying No to a Farm-Free Future: The Case for an Ecological Food System and Against Manufactured Foods</em> and <em>A Small Farm Future: Making the Case for a Society Built Around Local Economies, Self-Provisioning, Agricultural Diversity and a Shared Earth</em><em>. </em>Also, follow Chris on <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/csmaje">Twitter</a>.</p><p>If you want to support the project, please consider upgrading your subscription from free to paid on <a target="_blank" href="https://deathinthegarden.substack.com/">Substack</a> or join our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.patreon.com/deathinthegarden">Patreon</a>. To support us in another way, consider buy