“The land is dead,” said 61 year-old Isaiah, killed by an “addiction” to chemical fertilizers. These fertilizers were introduced to his community a few decades back by “the white man” and his church, who, he said with a bite of humor, preached the “goodness of the fertilizers.”
“It was very harmonious,” he noted, and with mischief in his eyes, tipped his head back, laughing.
About ten years ago Isaiah decided to stop using chemical fertilizers (except for his rice) after noticing a severe deterioration in soil and personal health.
He is now attempting to rehabilitate his farm with compost and crops that don’t require chemicals, like this type of corn [photo], and beans.
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