In Practice

be resilient and the importance of diversity for creating resilient systems.

One definition of resilience is the capacity of a system to absorb change while still maintaining its basic structure or function. I believe what we have seen in the last 9 months is just how broken so many of our systems were. Living life on a razor’s edge is something many people had been experiencing long before this pandemic emerged to whisk back the curtain of denial and illusion.

So now we must focus on creating and recreating social, economic, and natural resource management systems that will actually serve all our communities in ways that are just, equitable, and regenerative. To do so, requires compassion and understanding of this complex web of life. It will require more of us than we have yet had to give. It will seem difficult because this time of great change will feel uncomfortable, requiring us all to question our assumptions and biases about people (including ourselves), agricultural practices, markets, and so much more.

I believe that the only way we can succeed in creating these just, equitable, and regenerative systems is to embrace what has been the knowledge of all our ancestors if we go back far

Mimicking Nature

enough in time. It was in our indigenous roots from which we all sprung whether we are Incan, Roman, Hohokam, Celt. Puebloan, Aborigine, Persian, Inuit, Chinese, or some combination of the hundreds of civilizations who have called Earth home. It is the knowledge that our actions must stem from the belief that “I am because we are. We are because I am.” Community must serve individuals and individuals must serve the community—including our natural community of plants, animals, birds, and organisms, who in turn serve us.

It is so important we engage in gatherings like the REGENERATE Conference where we have the opportunities to connect and learn new ideas with people we may not ordinarily speak with or listen to. It is only in working to create “civil discourse” across the various lines we have drawn around ourselves and our communities that we can discover the mutual challenges we face, the common values we hold, and the potential answers to creating a world of diversity, opportunity, resilience, and hope.

Wayne KnightHMI’s New Executive Director!

See page 18.

HMI educates people in regenerative agriculture for healthy land and thriving communities.

Staff

Wayne Knight Executive Director

Ann Adams Education Director

Kathy Harris Program Director

Carrie Stearns Director of Communications & Outreach

Stephanie Von Ancken Program Manager

Oris Salazar Program Assistant

Board Of Directors

Walter Lynn, Chair

Jim Shelton, Vice-Chair

Delane Atcitty

Gerardo Bezanilla

Jonathan Cobb

Ariel Greenwood

Colin Nott

Daniel Nuckols

Breanna Owen

Brad Schmidt

Kelly Sidoryk

Brian Wehlburg

HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT® IN PRACTICE

(ISSN: 1098-8157) is published six times a year by: Holistic Management International 2425 San Pedro Dr. NE, Ste A Albuquerque, NM 87110 505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email: hmi@holisticmanagement.org.; website: www.holisticmanagement.org

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Let’s Regenerate Iberia!

BY ANA DIGÓN

The drive up to the farm is a treat in itself. Against a backdrop of stunning mountains called Sierra de Gredos, “Sandaraca” is located in Toledo, 200 km (124 miles) southwest from Madrid. It is a privately-owned 200-Ha (494-acre) property with dehesa rangeland surrounded by other dehesas. And, the difference between Sandaraca and its neighboring land is astoundingly visible thanks to the Holistic Management of this farm, on which there are 140 pure-bred horses followed by a herd of 40 tame bulls for meat.

An Ancient Agroforestry System

A dehesa is a multifunctional, agrosylvopastoral system (a type of agroforestry) and cultural landscape of southern and central Spain and southern Portugal. Its name comes from the Latin ‘defensa’ (fence), referring to land that was fenced and usually destined for pasture. Spanning huge areas of prairies dotted with ancient, slow-growth trees, it is said to be the largest and oldest anthropogenic system in the world that still remains, with official figures varying from 20 to 40,000 km2 (2–4 million hectares or 5–10 million acres).

Dehesas used to be managed in what was a profoundly regenerative way by nomadic shepherds who would travel with their huge herds of sheep, seeking the southernmost prairies in the cooler months of the year, and then escaping the scorching summer to find fresh pastures further north and up the mountains. Dehesas were and still are used to raise cattle of very rustic nature (including the Spanish fighting bull) and the Iberian pig, from which our famous Spanish cured ham is obtained.

The most appreciated type of ham is obtained from Iberian black pigs who roam beneath the main tree species found in this landscape: oaks like holm (Quercus ilex), whose acorns feed the pigs (and the sheep when grass is scarce), and cork (Quercus suber), which is harvested by peeling off the tree barks every nine years. These landscapes, when managed as the ancients did, used to provide not only an additional variety of foods such as wild game, mushrooms and honey, but also essential firewood for folks and wildlife habitat for all sorts of species, right up to imperial eagles.

Nowadays, highways and other constructions have irreparably sliced up the landscape, and only a few brave shepherds carry on with this ancient pastoralism called transhumance. As climate chaos looms on the horizon, more and more people yearn for a life away from the cities. And, there are concerted efforts being made to resuscitate and dignify this noble profession.

The conventional rangeland management that has been practiced over the last decades has all but exhausted this ancient food basket. Overgrazing and feed-based farming have taken over, and the consequences are disastrous: what used to be highly productive prairies are now in very real danger of desertification. Still, they retain their rough beauty, and some of the wild nature has so much potential.

Our dear friends and mentors, Darren Doherty and Joel Salatin, who over a decade ago started introducing Regenerative Agriculture into Spain and Portugal (or Iberia as we like to call it), fell in love with this amazing landscape and were both truly fascinated by it when they started visiting us. Interestingly, the dehesa humaninduced ecosystem is also present in Southeastern Australia. That, plus the fact that Iberia is still the main food-producing country that supplies Europe, as well as the one most threatened by the desert that is traveling North at an alarming pace, attracted Darren 12 years ago. We believe that this area is like an acupuncture point for the healing of the planet. If it can be done here, it will prove a massive point and it will, hopefully, spread fast to other regions.

Regenerating Human Landscapes

Darren Doherty began “preparing the soil” by training the first agents of regenerative change in Iberia between 2007 and 2011, and then gave way to the “mature plants” that would go into further detail about how to manage these lands effectively. HMI Certified Educator Kirk

Gadzia and his wife, Tamara, visited us for month-long tours over three years to slowly but surely teach Holistic Management and advise the pioneering regenerative farmers. Joel Salatin has since flown in thrice to inject Iberia with his passion and vision.

Spurred on by these masters, and to the cry of “Let’s Regenerate Iberia!,” by 2013 a team of seven enthusiastic and capable folk and delicious food and drink met along the way, and the potential for healing these soils have all added to attracting these wise, generous masters. As Kirk Gadzia concluded after his third training tour: “The impact here of regenerative practices is so quickly visible... Iberian soils want to heal!”

The combined knowledge and experience of these and other international experts, shared over no less than 26 national training tours between 2011 and 2018, added to hundreds of local events, farm visits and gatherings, have “composted” the minds, hearts and hands of a growing generation of farmers, foodies and other agents of local change.

For the last three years in particular, the Association of Regenerative Agriculture has been supporting and promoting pioneering regenerative local farmers who are adapting the acquired knowledge to their specific realities. The Association helps spread the vision and practice across Iberian lands and beyond with an open-code philosophy, fostering human connections amongst practitioners and supporters, and lobbying all levels of government.

One highlight was last October 2019, when we held our 3rd National Regenerative Grazing Gathering at the Basque Shepherding School with funding from the Basque Government and the European Union. Twelve regenerative cattle farmers shared their experiences, successes, struggles, warts and all, with a crowd of almost 100 farmers and technicians! For four intense days we shared knowledge and food, ignited folks co-funded the national Association of Regenerative Agriculture, to help train, support and promote an emerging movement. Since then, we have had the honor of receiving other experts in regenerative cattle management, such as 90-year-old Professor Pinheiro Machado and his team from Brazil, top experts in Voisin Rational Grazing. No doubt the beauty and variety of Iberian landscapes, the good connections and passion, and came out ever-more convinced that “this is the animal husbandry of the future” and that, finally, we can say IT WORKS in Iberia, North to South, East to West, with sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, goats, chickens and more!

The Land Speaks

On the morning of March 7th 2018, Sierra de Gredos stood out on the horizon majestically, capped with sparkling snow against the clear blue sky, as I approached Sandaraca. This dehesa in Toledo is dedicated to the breeding and dressage of a wealthy foreign family’s thoroughbred horses, and for the last few years had been run by José Luis García de Castro, a highly-skilled horse vet who greeted me at the door beaming his huge smile. “You’ve come at the perfect time!” he exclaimed. “Let’s go see the first growth of the Spring.” And off we went, carrying his second-born child in a sling and armed with a long knife—a trick I learnt from Professor Pinheiro, who calls his large machete his “high-tech soiltesting equipment”, a mischievous statement which always gets a laugh from those clustering around him to learn how he analyzes the state of the soil.

José Luis was inquisitively skeptical at first about holistic grazing. Through his own process of trial and error, while receiving more in-depth training, thanks to a generous grant by HMI, he is now one of our key trainers, advisors and speakers. He excitedly and carefully explained his management to me as we walked. “We now move our cattle around 900 paddocks, with 17 lots of animals who stay no longer than three days in a paddock. We run the horses with highest nutritional demands in first, and we finish off the paddocks with the herd of tame bulls in two lots. This has added a product to the farm: high-quality grass-fed beef, which we sell at a very reasonable price, because we want it to be accessible, not an elite product.” José Luis was also experimenting with pastured broilers in a corner of the property, but today we would be focusing on the impact of larger herbivores.

As we strolled through the paddocks, varied vegetation greeted us in lush shades of Green, while across the perimeter fence, the neighbor’s dehesa looked gray and frayed, without any new growth to be seen. The neighbor’s rambling cattle require a huge expense in hay, especially in the previous year, when there had been a prolonged drought.

“That is when I really noticed that things were different here with our Holistic Management of native and sown prairies,” says José Luis. “At the end of the drought, I’d had to buy hay for only two months of the year. The neighbor had to buy hay for seven months that same year. Imagine, at a time when hay is scarce everywhere around, how much money that is. We are talking about six-figure savings!” of these horses have fallen by 95% since we started grass-feeding them. (Only the ones at the end of their pregnancy or who are lactating get some feed.) And we have not had to operate on a single colic, when before we averaged four operations a year.” “Is it much more work, then?” I inquire. “Our average saving in food is equivalent to about 3.5 times the cost of the labor,” he says.

On a normal, drought-free year, Sandaraca used to buy hay on average for 95 days of the year. Since José Luis began to manage the farm holistically, that went down to 35 days the first year, 16 days the second year and 25 days the third year, at the time of the drought.

The financial benefits are evident, and the dehesa here is looking splendidly alive. In fact, a PhD student who took data about the wildlife present on a selection of different dehesa farms including Sandaraca, found that this farm had an impressive surge in wild species of birds, insects and other animals. In fact, it is off the charts. Evidently, Holistic Management is not only benefiting humans, cattle and grasslands.

A Blessing in Disguise

The winter just before my visit, however, had finally seen good rains, and now these pastures were starting to burst with life. “This neighbor’s farm is three times larger and has the same amount of animal units,” says José Luis. “That means his carrying capacity is three times lower. We now need 1.67 Ha (4 acres) per animal unit on this farm, which is much better than anyone else around here”. When I asked what do the neighbors say about it, José Luis replied. “Oh, they say it’s because my bosses are rich!”

We stop and take a random soil sample with our “high-tech equipment”, and another from the neighbor’s side of the fence. The difference is simply astounding. Sandaraca has rich black earth that is building upwards and also penetrating the underlying clay stratum, compared to a thin, mossy layer of struggling soil cover on the neighbor’s land. José Luis says,“The horses were here last November. That is not manure—it is healthy soil! It’s happening! We can do it!!”

“The best thing about it all for me”, says José Luis, “is that the digestive pathologies

Six months after my eyeopening, doubt-dispelling, heart-warming visit to this farm, and after five years of Holistic Management at Sandaraca, a change in the directing board meant they wanted to go back to “letting the animals roam freely.” It was difficult news to bear for this passionate farm manager and for those of us following the experience. José Luis, totally convinced now that going back to conventional management is not what would benefit the soil, nor the animals, followed his principles, left the farm and launched his own venture in April 2019: Poultree, serving high-quality broilers that are pastured amongst a rented field of beautiful young walnut trees. During his years in Sandaraca he had experimented on a small plot with different forms of chicken coops, developed connections with the closest abattoir, tried various ways of getting the meat safely to his customers via special mail, so he felt ready now to throw himself in at the deep end.

Over the last year, in setting up his new farming venture, José Luis has had to deal with all the difficulties that a small-to-medium-scale producer has to face in Spain, made even more complicated for a regenerative enterprise. It is difficult for Spanish administrations at any level to even understand the concepts we are wanting to put into practice. They differ too much from the norm, and since Spain is a highly bureaucratic country that has multiple levels of legislation, you are in the hands of government technicians who, in many cases, depend on their own personal interpretation of what the convoluted wording of those laws actually allows or forbids. officials tend to be very cautious and prefer not to risk thinking outside the box. The demands placed on small farmers regarding farm and food-processing installations are therefore as stringent and “sterile” as those that large industries have to comply with—making it excruciatingly complicated and expensive for small producers to put them in place.

We are starting to see interest and shifts in the perception of some officials and institutions, and this is another of the areas where the Association of Regenerative Agriculture serves to inform and change perspectives. We, of course, use all the argumentations that right now tick the boxes for officials and politicians, as they are the key words that are emerging in the present mosaic of interconnected crises: global issues such as adaptation and mitigation of climate change, stopping desertification, increasing carbon capture. We also focus on more local issues such as offering employment opportunities, particularly for the young (in a country with a 15% unemployment rate, that dramatically shoots up to 35% amongst the under-25s), stabilizing and increasing rural population (in the face of phenomenon called España vaciada or “emptied Spain”, by which literally entire rural areas are losing their population. We also talk about increasing resilience to drought (in a scenario where some figures speak of 75% of the country now being desertic, pre-desertic or heading that way). Lastly, we focus on improving food sovereignty (given that some areas import up to 95% of their food, while a lot of what the land actually produces is cheap exports for other more wealthy European countries).

However, as pioneering farmers like José Luis and others develop their experiences, they come up against all sorts of obstacles. It is not an easy ride at all. On the contrary, it is fraught with difficulties, and this is something we now explain clearly to folks. It is important that they be aware that they will need hard work, strength, ingenuity, courage, commitment and an aligned family and team around them who are on board and prepared to be called crazy by all and sundry!

Another challenge involves the sale of their products. Selling directly to the customers is the best, most profitable, socially and

Caption Needed

The Iberian Challenge

The good news I always give in my talks is that we now know we can do it! We can feed the people with healthy, affordable food that heals the land and increases sovereignty and local economies. And we can now, 12 years after Regenerative Agriculture was first mentioned here, clearly say that we know it is possible to do it here, in Iberia.

One big difficulty are the laws, that are now are so distant from the reality of farmers, and particularly of innovative farmers. For example, it is legislatively almost impossible to develop a Polyface-style farm in Spain right now. If you are breeding animals for human consumption, your official status is a “feedlot”—no matter what your method of fattening them up is! EU regulations do not allow you to have more than a single species on a land unit where there is a “feedlot.” Therefore, you cannot have chickens following cattle, nor rabbits following sheep, nor any sort of multispecies combination for meat. This has made regenerative farmers either give up for now on having multiple species on the same farm, or using only one of them as “meat for sale”, or chopping up the farm into different administrative plots, or coming up with other ingenious ways of getting around these stifling regulations.

One reason laws are so restrictive is because Spain enjoys a top-quality free public health service which works very well indeed. So if there is an illness or outbreak caused by a food item, the State will deal with the problem, answer for it and foot the bill. Added to strict EU health and safety regulations, this means environmentally-friendly way. It involves the tasks of setting up systems for marketing and for fast customer services, managing orders and then delivering them, a step in turn made difficult by the legislative demands when it comes to the transport of food items, particularly meat.

A group of the first regenerative cattle farmers set up a joint online platform to sell grass-fed meat from all around Spain, under the brand-name DeYerba. This wonderful example of cooperation and resource pooling means that customers can easily choose amongst products, read up on the producers and the benefits of grass-fed meat, and order meats that are available at different times of year in the various regions of the country. The Association of Regenerative Agriculture supports this and other initiatives that are arising and being explored, to help reach the increasing demand with a supply of products that are distinct and should be marketed and sold that way.

A year after the launch of Poultree, and with a new baby on the way, José Luis’s broiler business is starting to pay him a small salary. His financial planning, alongside his grazing planning, which he constantly revises and finetunes, guide him. Following his experience so far, and with his vet-farmer-inventor thinking cap on, he also designed his own large-scale mobile chicken coop. He now has four of these on the land which are moved daily by him and his one