There cannot be agriculture without culture. Duron Chavis executive director of Happily Natural Day shares his passion for soil health and cultural activism as a means to address systemic issues and transform the built environment. Duron is a thought leader, educator, activist, and changemaker in the Greater Richmond region. He integrates music, art, and cultural identity in his work in urban agriculture, gardening, farming, and orchards as a tool for social change, public health promotion, and community transformation. Duron emphasizes that healthy, fertile soil is an imperative and the crux of landscape resilience, food security, and environmental justice.

To learn more about Happily Natural Day's mission and dedication to holistic health, cultural awareness, and social change, please visit https://thenaturalfestival.com/.

For additional soil health resources, please visit the Virginia Soil Health Coalition's website at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/resources-1.

We also welcome you to show your support 4 The Soil by taking the pledge to build healthy, fertile soil at https://www.4thesoil.org/take-the-pledge.html

4 the Soil: A Conversation is made possible with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Agua Fund. Other partners include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia State University; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and partners of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition.

Disclaimer: Views expressed on this podcast are those of each individual guest.

To download a copy of this, or any other show, visit the website 4thesoil.org. Music used during today’s program is courtesy of the Flip Charts. All rights reserved. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is produced by On the Farm Radio in collaboration with Virginia Tech. The host and co-hosts are Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt.