ABSTRACT
The term “industrial agriculture” for intensive production with high inputs of fertilizer, pesticides, energy, and water is used widely for conventional agriculture. There has been an increasing controversy between those who favor industrial agriculture and those who prefer alternative and more holistic methods such as organic farming (Beus and Dunlap 1990). However, as inputs run scarce, industrial agriculture is looking to adopt more holistic practices. Both types of agriculture are informed mainly by soil and agronomic science, which can be seen as being based on “logical positivism.” This is the idea that only “positive” or evidence-based conclusions about reality are valid. Inclusion of notions of underlying “being” or “soul” or “vision” or “spirit’’ that imply human capacities that transcend mere logic within science is metaphysical; however, the metaphysics is generally treated as “nonsense” within science (McIntosh 2008a). Yet the concept of systems working together such that the overall effect differs from and is greater than the sum of the parts is gaining ground in ideas such as Gaia (Lovelock 1979) and theories of complexity and self-organization (Capra 1997). Capra realized the importance to science and to humanity of systems
11.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 257 11.2 Spirituality and Deep Ecology ..................................................................... 259 11.3 Soil as a Metaphor of Human Behavior ........................................................ 261 11.4 Connection to the Soil .................................................................................. 263 11.5 Spirituality and Agriculture ..........................................................................266 11.6 Engaging the Spirit .......................................................................................268
