The staff and board at HMI are gravely concerned about the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on our global community and particularly those within our Holistic Management community performing the vital work of growing healthy food and creating food security for our local communities.
Because we have already created a work-from-home business model, much of our daily work is less affected. Our online and distance learning courses continue to serve agriculture producers from all over the world. However, we are following CDC guidelines for any in-person events and are working to make these programs virtual or one-on-one. We are also expanding our outreach efforts to provide more education to consumers and producers on the importance of regenerative agriculture to create resilient food systems and landscapes.
Holistic Management reminds us to assess our situation and revise plans based on current conditions. The fundamentals of the process are to identify symbiotic relationships (cooperate) and adapt to changing conditions. It is through that process that we develop resilience – with families, communities, and the natural resources upon which we depend.
Many of our practitioners and Certified Educators are community leaders. We know you will be called on during this challenging time. As you find community solutions we hope that you will share them with us via HMI’s Facebook page or send us an email at [email protected] so we can spread your solutions across our global network. The more we share our knowledge, the better we will all be able to collectively adapt and survive whatever lies ahead. As always, we offer scholarships to our training programs for those in financial need. If you need help replanning or just want an outside sounding board, we have a variety of programs and can connect you with an experienced professional during the upcoming challenges.
Lastly we would like to offer the list of following resources for people to get up-to-date information about how to protect yourself and your community from COVID-19, as well as mental health resources specifically for those living in rural communities. May we all find ways of being both productive and safe in uncertain times.
-The HMI Board and Staff
Steps to Take
- Stay informed. Not just about COVID-19, but also about what families and communities are doing to be resilient, particularly in rural settings.
- Remember that Holistic Management® includes three parts in the decision-making tool-social, economic, and environmental. Now is a good time to use your holistic goal/context to drive your decision-making
- What can you do to support your community? Whose direct sales are dropping while everyone is buying hand sanitizer? Who is most vulnerable?
- Your health enables you to be a resource to your community (human and biological). Diet, exercise, and sleep are key tools for overall health. Being in nature with fresh air and sunshine is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
- Talk with others. Listen to others. Social distancing does not mean communication should cease.
Resources
CDC Guidelines for Eventshttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/index.html
CDC Guidelines for Social Distancinghttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html
For immediate mental health needs, please contact one of these national hotlines:
- Farm Aid Hotline
800-FARM-AID (327-6243)
Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
800-273-TALK (8255)
24/7 - Use the online Lifeline Crisis Chat Both are free and confidential. You’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor in your area.
- 2-1-1, a comprehensive hotline that connects callers with local resources
Adelene is a native of Arkansas and loves exploring the state’s natural trails. Her passion for education and technology led her to earn a master’s in learning systems technology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With her professional experience managing student/client databases and instructional design, Adelene will bring skill and understanding to her role as Office Manager & Instructional Designer at HMI. Her focus on making education more accessible to diverse communities is evident through her volunteer work as an executive director for a scholarship program and as a member of the student affairs committee. Adelene is devoted to creating educational opportunities that align with HMI’s mission to promote healthy, resilient lands and thriving communities.
Few are talking about Covid 19 as the canary in the coal mine. Covid is but one more pathogen from a long list-avian, swine, sars, Ebola. The question is why are zoonotics coming and in ever increasing severity. Maybe the real answer is industrial ag puts animals in unhealthy conditions and maybe those conditions breed or support pathogens- bacterial and viral. Maybe grass based natural approach will change the opportunity for the next zoonotic. If not the canary might not be all that dies
Carter, you make an excellent point. As the World Economic Forum’s article “Biodiversity loss is hurting our ability to combat pandemics” notes, these zoonotic pandemics are increasing because we are letting financial bottom lines of corporations drive activities that are causing loss of biodiversity and accelerating climate change which leads to more stressed populations of animals and humans who transmit diseases. We definitely need to focus on a regenerative agriculture system that improves land, animal, and human health.