“ARI’s mission is made clear from its first sentence:
The mission of the Asian Rural Institute is to build
an environmentally healthy, just and peaceful world,
in which each person can live to his or her fullest potential.”
The ordering of this sentence is critical to the focus of ARI, that through and environmentally sustainable lifestyle, a just and peaceful world will unfold. Centered around this idea, ARI coined the term Foodlife, one word, the combination of food and life for they are truly inseparable. For lack of a better word, the staff of ARI are stewards of the land, serving and honoring the land and being humble with the gifts it provides. Through their organic practices and low impact farming techniques, ARI seeks to provide a community that fosters close relations with one another and the land, and through these relations, a bountiful life can thrive.
In my first two days of life on ARI’s campus, several things have become clear. Community; everything is done together. Organic practices; their farm techniques are sourced from what is available locally. Gratitude; recognizing the sacrifice the land makes so that we may live.
ARI community members and St. Olaf students harvesting carrots side by side
The most prevalent areas where I have seen these practices is in the morning and evening work shifts, an hour before breakfast and an hour before dinner, where every member of the community contributes towards the production of food, whether it be collecting carrots, preparing chicken feed, or polishing eggs. When each member contributes to the work, community bonds strengthen and compassion for one another develops.
My job so far has been preparing the carrot crop. Harvesting carrots involved digging them out of the ground, cutting the stems, cleaning the outside, then sending them off to be juiced. It is this field-to-meal type of farming that makes ARI a special. The wholistic sense of caring for the land because it
Carrots being arranged to dry before juicing
sustains life is clear in ARI, and this care can be seen in the quality of their food and teachings. It is this love and care for the food and shared work that brings the community together in harmony.
