Andrew Smith, PhD, Department of English and Philosophy, Center for Science, Technology and Society, Drexel University

Transitioning from Toxiculture to Symbioculture: On the Reemergence of Small-Scale Farming

Toxiculture—better known as agroindustrialism—poisons our relationships with the land, our communities, the beings who we make our food, and ourselves. By contrast, symbioculture is a polycultural post-carbon agricultural system that’s consistent with the health and vitality of whole ecosystems and the biomes in which they’re embedded. Symbioculture supports ecological, social, and personal wellbeing. It’s well suited to the eventuality of living in a world marked by decarbonization and coinciding energy descent. And it’s best facilitated by traditional forms of small-scale farming rooted in semi-localized systems of food production, distribution, and consumption. Indeed, said systems offer salient means to mitigate the worst effects of climate change and ecological destruction while also facilitating necessary adaptation.