Mary Lucero

It took me thirty years of research and education in agriculture, biotechnology, and environment to arrive at conclusions our ancestors knew from birth. Everything on the planet is connected. Once I really understood that, I also understood that true health, and true prosperity come from living in alignment with our environment.

Food Webs and Healthy Microbiomes

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  What does a healthy microbiome look like? In the last decade, the potential for the human microbiome to improve human health has leaped from obscure scientific abstracts onto the public radar.  School teachers, health coaches, and dental hygienists and nutrition experts are preaching the need for a healthy microbiome.  But what does a healthy … Read more

Food Webs and Free Trade

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Image shows people buying food at a market.

Like Economies, Food Webs Function to Exchange Resources Did you ever wonder how a food web resembles an economy? Both are always changing.  Both are living systems.  Both function best when diversity is present… Some argue that food webs are nature’s economy, or even the first economy.  This is because food webs are defined by … Read more

Food Webs on Farms and Gardens

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Image shows cattle and chickens foraging in a mixed species pasture. Orchard saplings grow in the same cover crop mix nearby. A closeup image of the cover crop is also shown.

Farms and gardens that maintain active food webs produce healthier food.  When soil contains sufficiently diverse and abundant live microorganisms, food webs develop.  These food webs release nutrients from deep within the soil profile, and deliver them to plants in eco-friendly, bioavailable forms.  The result includes well-nourished plants that are better able to protect themselves … Read more

Understanding Food Webs

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Image compares and contrasts food chains and food webs.

What exactly is a food web? Nearly a century ago, the ecologist Charles Elton introduced us to the concept of food chains –linear series of links that shows how food, which provides the environmental currency of nutrients and energy, moves through an ecosystem. No doubt you’ve seen illustrations of food chains.  These often begin with … Read more

A Decision Tree for Building a Farm

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  Why Should I Build a Farm? The economy of the post-pandemic world has changed. As the world takes on the challenge of economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 world,  displaced workers are looking at digital sales, direct marketing, and, believe-it-or-not, organic farming as niche industries where they can hang their hats anew, and restore the … Read more

Freedom is Essential for Regenerating Healthy Food Systems

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Image shows a model of healthy food systems based on 4 cornerstones of a clean environment, regenerative agriculture, nutritional health, and freedom.

Regenerative Agriculture is a Promising Approach to Building Better Food Systems.  Regenerative agriculture is rapidly becoming a buzzword that offers great promise for restoring soil and environmental health, while building farm profits and improving human health and nutrition.  What is not to love about the concept?  But is regenerative agriculture alone will not change our … Read more