As we enter the holiday season, we also enter the season of
giving. This means Savory’s end-of-year fundraising campaign is now in full gear, and we thank you in advance for your continued support. The work continues nonetheless, and with that, we bring you this month’s news...
NETWORK NEWS
SOUTH AFRICAN HUB [Video] Interview with Rolan Kroon
Accredited Field Professional, Roland Kroon, engages
in a rich discussion about his many decades teaching Holistic Management around the Karoo Desert of South Africa. Watch »
LAND TO MARKET Burberry
Joins Land to Market Program
The Savory Institute's Land to Market program is excited to welcome the international Luxury Fashion House, Burberry, as the newest member of the world's first verified sourcing solution for regenerative agriculture. Read More »
VERMONT HUB Studio Hill Farm and the Regenerative Food Network:
Find out how a twist of fate leads Jesse and Caroline McDougall down the path of Holistic Management, becoming owners of Studio Hill Farm in Vermont, and the launch of Regenerative Food Network's for-benefit corporation. Read More »
WHAT WE'RE READING
CIVIL EATS
A Collection of 'Indigenous Foodways' Articles
In honor of November being Native American Heritage Month, we’re learning more from this Indigenous Foodways series by Civil Eats. Read »
YALE UNIVERSITY Loss of Ancient Grazers Triggered a Global Rise in Fires Many of the world's largest iconic grassland grazers went extinct 50k to 6k years ago, triggering an increase in fire across the world's grasslands. Read »
NEW RESEARCH Cessation of Grazing Causes Biodiversity Loss and Homogenization of Soil Food Web UK researcher underscores the importance of grazers for maintaining the diversity of below-ground communities, which play a central role in ecosystem functioning. Read »
DIGGING IN
ONE TOPIC IN DETAIL EACH MONTH Tools: Fantastic Servants. Terrible Masters.
Too often, we become hyper-focused on a way of doing things, sometimes to the point of it becoming part of our identity. But then, when that tool starts to fail us, we double down despite all evidence pointing to something needing to change. "Well, it's always worked in the past, so we just need to try harder / add more / wait it out / etc."
What if the situation you are managing
changes? What if the tool(s) you were using served their purpose, and now something else is needed? If you are adamant about one particular way of doing things, you won't be able to see the complete picture, and your decisions will be driven not by the most practical choice but by a desire to stay the course.
In Holistic Management, there are six tools used for ecosystem management: technology, fire, rest, living organisms, human creativity, and money/labor.
None of these tools are inherently good or bad, and each has its time and place. Before determining whether a particular tool is suitable for your needs, you should consider your Holistic Context, the degree of brittleness of
your environment, and several other factors. Then, after deciding your course of action, because you're dealing with a complex adaptive living system, you need to assume that conditions will change, randomness will rear its head, and what once worked will cease to do so. Here is where it becomes crucial to monitor the outcomes of your actions, providing a feedback loop for assessing what is working and what is needed next.
We're best served by a framework that ultimately allows the freedom to adapt rather than a system constraining us to one particular way of doing
things. Holistic Management does just that.
UPCOMING EVENTS
ONLINE · DEC 9 · SAVORY INSTITUTE WEBINAR Careers in Holistic Management: Network Case Studies Meet Accredited Professionals from around the Savory Global Network and learn the different ways they are scaling Holistic Management in their region. Register »
ONLINE · DEC 27 · SAVORY NETWORK Savory Global Network Meetup & Information Session If you're interested in finding your role in the Savory Global Network or want to know more about Holistic Management, join us for this monthly webinar meetup. Register »
