‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s discourse and action on agriculture inspires contemporary food system visions
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‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s discourse on agriculture, as well as His efforts to establish a farm community at ‘Adasiyyah in Jordan, provides an inspirational example for contemporary action to create just and sustainable food systems. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá‘s approach, which corresponds to elements of the current global plans of the Bahá’í community, is compared to those of recipients of the Rockefeller Food Systems Vision 2050 Prize, the work of the Bahá’í-inspired Smallholder Farmers Association in Haiti, and other agricultural initiatives.
Hugh Locke
Hugh Locke is president and co-founder of the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA), a non- profit working to feed and reforest a renewed Haiti using a new agroforestry model in which smallholders plant trees to earn credits that they exchange for seed, tools, and training. Locke is also president of the Impact Farming Foundation, which is using a social business approach to transform smallholder farmers into a global force to improve food security and empower women. Hugh was mentored by the late forester Richard St. Barbe Baker, and currently serves as literary trustee for Baker’s estate.
Paul John Hanley
Paul Hanley has authored seven books and 1600 articles on agriculture and environmental themes, including the award-winning book Eleven (2014). His biography of Richard St. Barbe Baker, Man of the Trees (2018), featured a foreword by HRH Prince Charles (King Charles III) and an introduction by Jane Goodall. Paul is a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Food System Vision 2050 Prize and the ABS Award for Distinguished Scholarship.
45th Annual Conference
In the Footsteps of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá: Contributing to the Discourses of Our Time
The views expressed in this recording are those of the presenters and do not necessarily represent the views of the Association for Bahá’í Studies, nor the authoritative explications of Bahá’í writings.