Kollibri terre Sonnenblume on the Failures of Farming and the Necessity of Wildtending

The Ground Shots Podcast

Episode #35 of the Ground Shots Podcast features a conversation with Kollibri terre Sonnenblume, recorded in rural southern New Mexico last month in his outdoor kitchen, surrounded by friendly feral cats.

I visited with Kollibri last month, where he is currently living, gardening and writing. He gave me a few of his books to read through, and after I read much of them, we got together to record this conversation. His books and zines are well written, thought out and researched and touch on topics like colonialism, history, plants, agriculture, ethnobotany, politics and more.

Kollibri terre Sonnenblume is a writer, photographer, tree hugger, animal lover, and dissident. Past experiences include urban bike farmer, Indymedia activist, and music critic. Kollibri holds a BA in “Writing Fiction & Non-fiction” from the St. Olaf Paracollege in Northfield, Minnesota.

In this conversation with Kollibri, we talk about:

the pros and con's of permaculture

wild-tending as not just using knowledge from the past but adapting to a changing world

some connections between patriarchy, organized religion and slavery

the blurry line between gatherer-hunter life-ways and small scale agriculture

horticulture vs. agriculture

some history of agriculture, the negative impacts of agriculture on health and culture

Kollibri's various books and zines on farming, wild-tending, ‘invasive’ plants, and place-based travel

questioning victorian ideas of gatherer-hunter culture and the transition to agriculture

the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and looking at things from many angles, avoiding 'silo'ing when possible

the importance of practicing small scale agriculture with the fragmented ecology and culture we have right now

the racist origins of wilderness, national parks and public lands, and the continued racism in these institutions or ideas

what to expect from Kollibri's new podcast 'Voices For Nature and Peace'

Links:

Kollibri’s website: Macska Moksha Press, where you can buy his books, read his latest articles

Kollibri on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kollibri.terre.sonnenblume

Kollibri on instagram: @kollibri1969

One of Kollibri’s latest articles: A Question of Identity: How Much Does Queerness Matter in a Crisis?

Download the free pdf zine “The Troubles of Invasive Plants'“ here

‘The One Straw Revolution’ by Masanobu Fukuoka, mentioned in the podcast

Blog post for this episode: https://www.ofsedgeandsalt.com/ground-shots-podcast/kollibri

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Theme music: 'Sweat and Splinters' by Mother Marrow

Interstitial Music: ‘Thank You for Treating Me Like a Melody Drawn in the Air’ by B.E.N. and Fay Petree

Hosted by: Kelly Moody

Produced by: Kelly Moody and Opia Creative