Land Report, Number 132, Spring 2022 presents a collection of essays and updates focused on the intersection of agriculture, society, and ecology.

Stan Cox leads the issue with “We the People and climate change,” an urgent essay arguing that the fate of the ecosphere is tied directly to the health of American democracy. Cox warns that the current drift toward autocracy threatens to derail essential climate action, asserting that we must save our democratic institutions to successfully transition away from fossil fuels and prevent ecological collapse.

In “Take care,” Aubrey Streit Krug explores the vital, often invisible role of “care work” in both human society and agriculture. Drawing on personal experience and feminist economics, she parallels the undervalued labor of domestic care with the ecological processes that sustain soil and life. She advocates for a cultural shift that recognizes and values this essential work to build resilient communities and food systems.

Editor Scott Bontz contributes “Humanure,” a practical narrative on composting human waste. Bontz details his personal method for safely recycling nutrients at home, contrasting this closed-loop system with the resource-intensive and polluting nature of modern flush toilets and sewage treatment.

The issue also features “Land Report shorts,” which provide updates on The Land Institute’s scientific progress. These include the expansion of Kernza perennial grain into commercial products like cereal and beer, a serendipitous discovery using far-red light to double the breeding rate of wheatgrass, and research into using digital imaging technology to predict plant performance from seedlings.