by Nancy McIntyre
The Association for Baha'i Studies has a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence. It also encourages the application of the Baha'i Writings, as well as their study. Through the professional interest groups, ABS offers a vehicle to put the Writings to use in our lives. Special interest seminars that met at the annual ABS Conference in Boston last August included agriculture, arts, built environment, business and economics, computer and communications, consultation, education, environment, marriage and family, race unity, study of religion, and women's and gender issues. The four-day conference program with the theme of Anarchy into Order offered plenary sessions on many of the practical problems facing our society. During evening programs, we heard from the Continental Board of Counselors about such things as the teaching of moral leadership, and from Dr. David Ruhe about the spiritual evolution ahead of us. The closing day included three keynote lectures on the destiny of America.
Many Baha'is say that they hesitate to join the ABS because they think of it as too intellectual; yet this arm of the Baha'i Faith has provided continuing encouragement and assistance to the Agriculture Seminar, a very practical group. Let us give our individual support to the ABS and its work, and appreciate its high standards of study and communication.
The Agriculture Seminar met at the annual meeting of the Association for Baha'i Studies, North America. As a special-interest section, the seminar had a full day of activities planned for the first day of the conference.
Starting the day was Cecil Cook, a long-time resident of South Africa who has worked on rural- development issues for many years in the United States and South Africa. Cecil presented Intensive Agriculture as the Basis for Regenerating Full Employment in Enclave Communities.
Completing the morning's program was a special invited guest, Trauger Groh, who has been involved in agricultural activities in New England for several decades. He has experienced many of the difficulties of contemporary agriculture, both in his own farming ventures and by intimate involvement in numerous agricultural projects in the larger community. In his presentation, Trauger related some of his ideas and experiences, which are detailed in his book, written with Stephen McFadden, Farms of Tomorrow. Trauger asserts that, because of the challenge of the times, new agricultural practices need to be invented; he argues in particular for community-supported farms and agricultural land-trusts.
The afternoon was devoted to a discussion of 'Abdu'l-Baha 's notion of the village storehouse in a session jointly sponsored by the Agriculture and Economic seminars. On the panel, John Bradley, Paul Carignan, and Carolyn Wade (Treasurer of the NSA of the United Kingdom) represented the Agriculture Seminar; and Barbara Rodey (Director of Mottahedeh Development Services) represented the Economic Seminar along with its current chairperson, Keith Jensen. Barbara, along with Jeff Ashe, director of the development corporation Working Capital and an invited guest, gave a presentation on experiences using a village bank as the focus for development projects. We look forward to continuing this discussion next year.
In the evening, a spirited general meeting was held for consultation on various issues confronting our seminar. One problem is our lack of time together; next year, we will attempt to have a day-and-a-half meeting (compared to one day in the past), and we are considering a mid-year meeting. A newsletter will be published twice during the upcoming year.
We discussed the status of the three on-going projects, and three new projects for the next year, which will be headed by Sandy Frazier in South Dakota, Cora Watters in Ohio, and Cecil Cook in South Africa. A first draft of the directory was passed out (to be revised before general release).
All in all, we had a chance to renew friendships and make new contacts. We are all so spread apart; the annual meeting is one of the few opportunities for person-to-person contact with the interesting folks that make up our group (networking is one of the key goals of the seminar). We were particularly encouraged by the addition of some new faces and by the participation of several youth.
First and foremost is the principle that to all the members of the body politic shall be given the greatest achievements of humanity. Each one shall have the utmost welfare and well- being. To solve this problem we must begin with the farmer; there will we lay a foundation for system and order because the peasant class and the agricultural class exceed other classes in the importance of their service. In every village there must be established a general storehouse which will have a number of revenues. (From Star of the West, December 1922, from an address by 'Abdu'l-Bah in Montreal, 1912.)
Baha 'i scholars and practitioners in the fields of health care, social sciences, and the arts are becoming recognized as pioneers and authorities in their fields. Baha'is involved in agriculture also are striving for such recognition, but their fewness of numbers and the lack of a cohesive organization have been a major hindrance to this development. Unfortunately, agriculture has been looked upon as a poor second cousin within the academic Baha'i community, and has garnered little interest by those Baha'i students preparing to go into their postsecondary studies. To many, the words farmer and agriculture suggest coveralls, dirt, and a piece of straw sticking out of the side of one's mouth; when, in fact and in practice, they refer to one of the most honourable and necessary pursuits, employing more people world-wide than any other profession. The growing of food and the protection of the systems in which we grow that food are the major concerns of agricultural professionals world-wide, resulting in many radical changes and developments.
Unfortunately, Baha'i representation at the level of change is limited, and those Baha'is involved at that level are few in number and, until quite recently, not joined together by an agricultural forum. Working alone or under the aegis of other non-Baha'i institutions, Baha'i agriculturists have made, and are continuing to make, singular contributions in the field of the agricultural sciences. As a world-wide Baha'i community, however, we have not focused our attention on food production.
Our future scholars are choosing disciplines other than agriculture because we have not had an organization devoted to agriculture, capable of disseminating information about agriculture to Baha'i youth world-wide. We cannot make an impact on world agriculture until and unless we have a greater Baha'i representation in the agricultural field, enabling us to carry Bah 'u'll h's message to the global agricultural community. To this end, we must mandate existing Baha'i institutions to focus on agriculture. Paul Mahboubi, a Masters candidate in agriculture at the University of Guelph, and who, as a Baha'i youth, selected agriculture six years ago, says, "a large portion of our population is engaged in the agricultural sector, particularly in developing countries. In our attempt, as a Baha'i community, to embrace these people in a divine social and economic order, we must develop means by which the Faith can find expression in the field of agriculture, thus offering both material and spiritual values." We must inform Baha'i youth of the great and unique potentials of agriculture before they reach their final year of secondary education. The Agriculture Seminar has developed a number of hands-on projects involving the education of youth in farming and agriculture. We must focus on those youth who plan to go on to post-secondary education, and this impetus must come from the local community level. Methos of offering agricultural experiences must be developed and implemented, and an awareness of the many facets and opportunities within agriculture must be fostered.
In nations torn apart by war and societal collapse, the first priority is survival. In many parts of the world, families spend 16-18 hours a day to secure only the necessities of life. As societies disintegrate, Baha'is must be able to offer these peoples Bah 'u'll h's spiritual gifts concurrent with the development of new agriculture concepts and methodology. I suggest that, with an international agriculture awareness program targeting Baha'i youth, we might increase the number of Baha'i scholars choosing agriculture or agriculture-related disciplines.
The Internet is a global network of computer networks connected to each other by a standard method. This standard connection method allows someone with an account on one of these networks to access and use many of the features of computers on the rest of the connected networks. Typically, there is no charge for using the internet, although costs may be associated with gaining access to it.
A major internet activity is information exchange. Using an email list, a Nebraska farmer could send a question about how to deal with a particular problem to thousands of people throughout the world, and receive answers in a few minutes or hours. Other internet features allow searching library catalogues and retrieving documents on particular topics, weather reports, discussions on almost any topic, and using specialized computer programs on distant computers. Many of the Baha'i Writings are stored on a computer at the World Center, and can be retrieved as text files over the internet.
...A mechanism of world intercommunication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvelous swiftness and perfect regularity. Shoghi Effendi World Order of Bah 'u'll h, p. 203
The most economical access is through a university that offers internet accounts to staff and/or students. These accounts are usually free and unlimited, with full access to all services and features available on the internet. Sometimes, auditing a course (not for credit) is sufficient to qualify for an account. Check with your local campus computing center about their policy. Also, many companies offer internet accounts to their employees. Such an account can be accessed from home via personal computer and phone modem; however, if a long- distance call is required, this is not an economical solution.
In larger cities (population more than 100,000), there are local commercial providers charging $100-$200/year or $10- 20/month for an internet account with full unlimited access. Again, local phone access is necessary for this to be economical. Check with local computer stores and clubs and technical bookstores for information about these providers. Several other companies, including AT&T and Microsoft, are about to get into this business.
In medium-sized cities (population 100,000-500,000), DELPHI, America OnLine, etc., may offer local phone access, but the price is higher. DELPHI charges about $25/ month for 20 hours (off-peak), plus about $1.50/ hour for additional hours for full internet access. Again, access by a local phone call is essential. For those without local phone access, either a long- distance call to your account or access via an 800 service is needed. The least- expensive 800 internet account that I know of in the U.S. and Canada is netIOWA; call 800-546-6587 for information. A free university account accessed by long distance nights and weekends would cost about the same.
In Europe, I believe the access situation is similar to North America, but I am not familiar with access providers. Again, universities are the best source of access, if available. Otherwise, check with a computer/networking store, computer club, or networking magazine for information about other access providers. In other countries, the situation is usually much more difficult. The Baha'i computer experts associated with the Bahai-tech email list are available to help get the NSAs and other Baha'i agencies online. Please feel free to contact me for further information on this topic. (See address under U.S. Regional Contacts, page 6.) I encourage all Baha'is who possibly can to consider obtaining at least email access to the internet.
Through a contact initiated by Kevin Locke and as a representative of the ABS Agriculture Seminar, I had the opportunity in November to visit with some of the Baha'is in North and South Dakota who are interested in agriculture. The trip began with an inspiring meeting at Hugh Dufner's home in Buxton, North Dakota, with Baha'is from North Dakota and Minnesota who decided to form a regional group of the seminar. Hugh, who farms 60 acres of organic root vegetables and researches vegetable production and marketing at NDSU, has offered to be a resource person to seminar members.
Sandy Frazier of South Dakota and Clitus Laurence of North Dakota, who are both Lakotas, want to restore American Indian knowledge and traditions about the growing and gathering of food. Going to the Cheyenne River Reservation and up through the Standing Rock Reservation back to North Dakota, I had the privilege of listening to Sandy and her mother, Ione Lee, and Clitus and his wife, Lavon, talk about their knowledge of native plants, and of the growing and drying of traditional foods and how this ties in with community. I also enjoyed meeting Ben Judd, an archaeologist with a knowledge of and access to traditional seeds, and his wife, Juanita. Several people working with the Habitat for Humanity Project at Eagle Butte showed a keen interest in what the Lakota Baha'is are doing.
The seminar is also interested in what these individuals are doing. One purpose of the seminar is to facilitate communication between Baha'is interested and/or working in agriculture and community development and provide a forum for sharing the diverse ways of applying the Baha'i Writings on agriculture.
It was a pleasure for me to see the varied landscapes in the Dakotas the long vistas of the Plains, the rich soil of the Red River Valley, and the wild beauty of the buttes in the arid western areas.
Eco-Ag Service is a regional (North Carolina and Virginia) project working in cooperation with the ABS Agriculture Seminar. The service links interested Baha'i youth with ecologically oriented farmers who need labor, and, in exchange, will impart their knowledge, skills, and techniques. The possibilities range from an occasional day or week of volunteer work to full-time multi-seasonal apprenticeships.
The first year of the project was encouraging. Joel Damen, l5, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, helped out at Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, a large second-generation farm well-known for it's organically raised livestock and poultry. Joel plans to return for a longer stay in l995.
Razi Bradley, 20, of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, worked at Sustenance Farm, an intensive 3-acre permaculture/biodynamic farm in North Carolina. This community-supported agriculture (CSA) is supported financially by the 40 families to whom it supplies produce from March through November.
Experiences such as these offer an abundance of teaching opportunities and challenges, while providing our youth with hands-on learning about food- production methods that require less capital investment, sustain natural resources, and promote community. The project can be replicated easily in other parts of the country; if you might be interested in starting a project, or being a volunteer/apprentice or host farmer, please contact:
Eco-Ag Service
339 Country Club Rd.
Mt. Airy, NC 27030
Tel: 910-789-3930 evening
703-745-29l8 daytime
Agriculture Seminar, is on the Steering Committee of the Association for Temperate Agroforestry. AFTA is distributing a white paper, Agroforestry for Sustainable Development: A National Strategy to Develop and Implement Agroforestry, that is available by request. The paper recommends short- and long-term actions, and seeks support for new or amended laws in the l995 Farm Bill. Following is an excerpt from this report:
Agroforestry, the intentional integration of agricultural and forestry- based land-use systems, provides multiple benefits that collectively contribute to agro-ecosystem sustainability. Agro-forestry addresses the nation's land stewardship needs by converting degraded lands, protecting sensitive lands, and diversifying farm production systems. As part of an ecologically based land management system, agroforestry practices can maintain ecosystem diversity and processes that contribute to long term sustainability and environmental quality.
The paper lists the four key principles of agroforestry as l) trees and/or shrubs combined with crops and/or livestock, 2) intensive land use, 3) increased biological interactions, and 4) optimized benefits. Agroforestry practices include windbreaks, tree/pasture systems, alley cropping, living snowfences, tree/specialty crop systems, riparian forest buffers, forest/specialty systems, fuelwood plantations, and wildlife habitat.
To order copies or for more information, contact
Deborah Hill,
Department of Forestry,
University of Kentucky,
Lexington, KY 40546-0073.
At its recent meeting held in Mississauga (Ontario), the International Committee of the Association for Baha'i Studies reviewed the work of the Special Interest Seminars. It noticed with great pleasure that the Baha'i Seminar on Agriculture had been very active, had demonstrated initiative, and had maintained a sustained level of activity over the past few years.
On behalf of the International Committee, I would like to commend you for the work which you are doing and assure you of the support of the Association for Baha'i Studies. Indeed, the work which you are carrying out is of extreme importance as it offers both Baha'is and non-Baha'is interested in this field a chance to bring about new concepts and new ideas towards the building of the World Order of Baha'u'llah.
It is the hope of the Association for Baha'i Studies that the time will soon come for Special Interest Seminars to assume a life of their own and to ultimately become professional associations under the umbrella of the Association for Baha'i Studies. Such associations would become invaluable resources for the Institutions and for the Baha'i community as a whole.
With best wishes in your field of endeavor, loving Baha'i greetings,
Pierre-Yves Mocquais, Ph.D
ABS Agriculture Seminar Committee
In the fall of 1991, the Association for Baha'i Studies appointed a committee to reorganize the Agriculture Seminar and to plan the special-interest meeting that was part of the ABS Annual Conference in Montreal in l993. Since then, the seminar has grown to more than 300 members, the work of the group has expanded, and the committee has undergone some changes. Paul Carignan of Quebec and Billy Rogers of North Carolina are co- chairs. Billy remains the chair of seminar activities, and Paul is responsible for the seminar's l995 meeting at the annual ABS Conference in San Francisco. He will be assisted by Mary Anne Mathias of Ontario.
Shireen Parsons of Virginia is the committee's new corresponding secretary.
Former secretary Nancy McIntyre of Virginia now serves as a liaison between the committee and the agriculture/community-development projects working in cooperation with the seminar.
Clint Dye, who is recovering from a serious tractor accident on his Virginia farm, turned over the treasurer's job to the new secretary.
Paul Hanley of Saskatchewan, former co-chair who planned the l994 meeting in Boston, will put together deepening materials on agriculture.
Donald Grenier of British Columbia will edit the seminar's twice-yearly newsletter.
Tom Hodges of the state of Washington is a liaison between the seminar and computer network groups.
Robert Stockman, Director of the Research Office at the Baha'i National Center of the United States and an ABS board member, is ABS advisor to the seminar and contact with the National Center.
Kenneth Krapf of Illinois will head an advisory taskforce for the committee. Kenneth is a large-scale grain and soy bean farmer and an active member of the seminar.
Members of the advisory taskforce are: Deborah Hill, of the Department of Forestry at the University of Kentucky; Hugh Dufner, an agricultural economist in North Dakota; and Robert White of Saskatchewan, author of Spiritual Foundations for an Ecologically Sustainable Society.
John Bradley of North Carolina has begun Eco-Ag Service, an agricul-tural education and apprenticeship program for Baha'i youth.
George Lord, Jr., has committed his Georgia farm for an agricultural project that will tie in with youth activities in Atlanta. Included on his board of directors are seminar members Sally Jamir of North Carolina and Nasif Habeebula of Atlanta.
Clarence de Bois is organizing the Atlanta group.
Sandy Frazier of South Dakota and Cora Watters of Ohio have begun demonstrations of American Indian traditional plants and customs associated with these plants.
Louis Gregory Institute in South Carolina is considering a community agricultural project for the coming year.
Jim Lamb of Virginia investigated a request by Marina Pavlova of the Ukraine to send farmers-in-training to North American farms; however, the situation in the former Soviet Union put this request on hold.
Cecil Cook has started a school and sustainable farming demonstration project in South Africa that will offer exchange opportunities for Baha'i youth who have experience in agriculture or other development skills.
After many months of consultation, the following ideas took shape. They could divide the land and donate 40 acres, with improvements, to the Faith. They then could farm the remaining 80 acres and improve it to the point of returning their capital contributions within five years, if they so desired. Thus, a Baha'i retreat and a livelihood for one or two families would be created without diverting funds that could be used for other Baha'i projects. The Baha'is involved believe this effort would:
ISARD, 97 St. Marks Road, Henley-on-Thames, U.K. RG9 1LP; tel. (0491)574959.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the drafting of the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco, the 1995 conference will focus on human rights, moral development, the advancement of women, and global prosperity. Program details and information on logistical arrangements will be available in March; contact the ABS,
34 Copernicus Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada KIN 7K4; tel. 613- 233-1903; email: as929@freenet.carleton.ca.
On a recent pilgrimage to Haifa (June '94) I observed with pride the unique accomplishments of the garden staff at the Baha'i World Center in dealing with the problems of creating the wondrous Terrace Gardens, and the ongoing beautification of the Shrine gardens and the gardens of the Haram-i- Aqdas. Prior to the start of construction of the new extension of the retaining wall and garden to the west of the Shrine of the Bab, all of the trees were carefully dug up and removed to the Temple Lands site, where they were transplanted. I understand that all of the transplants survived. The trees stood like sentinels, awaiting their return to the sacred ground of Carmel, where, many years before, they had been planted by Shoghi Effendi.
At the Temple Lands site I saw row after row of long, heaping mounds of composting garden waste, doing their thing in the summer heat. Very little goes to waste, because providing organic soil amendments is a high priority there.
On the Terrace site, just below the Shrine, I noticed replicated field trials being run with grasses, other soil-retaining ground covers, and annual and perennial flowers.
Unfortunately, there was not enough time for further research into all of these accomplishments on God's Holy Mountain. All of the grasses (a perennial blue rye-grass is being used) are roto-tilled into the soil every June because of water restrictions. The site requires a grass that will grow in soils with 7.8 to 8.5 pH, organic matter at 2.6, and high levels of potassium and zinc. It must be capable of putting down deep roots for soil retention on slopes, drought resistant, and slow growing. I'm sure that somewhere there is a ground cover with all these attributes any ideas? If anyone would like a soil test report for the Pilgrim House/Shrine or Haram-i-Aqdas gardens, I can download it to you via e-mail.
Information about a l996 winter meeting of the Agriculture Seminar, proposed so that more farmers can attend.
Updates on the projects that work in cooperation with the Agriculture Seminar.
More information about the Agriculture Seminar's regional groups.