Didi Pershouse on how regenerative approaches improve the health of soil, water, climate and people

Didi Pershouse, from Thetford Center, Vermont, teaches courses in regenerative approaches at the Land and Leadership initiative. Her books Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function and Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money, and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities connect the dots between the health of people and the health of soils, watersheds, and other living systems. In this conversation, we talk about her path from being a practitioner of ecological, or sustainable medicine to traveling across North America doing water infiltration tests, hanging out with cows, and meeting ranchers that have shifted from conventional ways of doing agriculture to holistic regenerative approaches. We also discuss Didi's observation that many farmers and ranchers who shift to regenerative management for practical reasons, end up having a response that Didi calls “falling in love with the world”. Photo: Abigail Feldman Editing: Magdalena Lindroos