Konterra Life

The heart is the first organ to form during the development of our bodies. 
It is the core of our being.
The symbol of life.
As long as our hearts are beating, we know that we are alive. 

Throughout our lifetime our hearts send us messages about love, intuition and wisdom. 
In a society that values money over love, folks are conditioned to disconnect from their heart.
This spell leads to a disconnection with the core of our existence.

Our hearts become heavy.
We can feel weighted with mistrust, confusion, resentment and a longing for repair. 

I believe that we owe it to ourselves and our ancestors to get justice for our hearts. 
But how do we do that? 
We can look to Mama Earth for the answers. 

Mama Earth, what does justice for our hearts look and feel like?

The heart of farming is in the soil. 
The health of the soil matters. 

We can look to regenerative farming for guidance. 
Regenerative farming is about restoring the health of the soil that has been damaged. 

OurSpace supports farmers who use regenerative farming practices.
These farmers are folks who work to replenish the resources Mama Earth gives us instead of depleting Her.

Konterra Life is a regenerative farm in Beltsville, Maryland. 

Farmers Kela and Larry use a soil-enriched approach that lets their soil thrive and embrace the natural ecosystem. This looks like no-tiling, or adding chemicals and sprays to their crops.
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In this way, they honor the nourishment only Mama Earth can provide.

OurSpace was able to connect with this farm through Brandon Starkes, the founder of The People’s Market. He shared the work Farmers Kela and Larry are doing to provide locally grown produce to our communities. 

This daughter and father team is passionate about equitable food access and have a great appreciation for where our food comes from. I wanted more folks to learn about the wonderful work this family is doing through an Ujima Jam.
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It was raining the day of the Ujima Jam but that didn't stop folks from showing up to support this farm. Kela taught over 20 attendees how to (1) identify disease in spinach, (2) pull the crop from root, (3) weed around the beds and (4) use innovative tools to harvest spinach.

As we poured into Konterra Life, Kela poured back into us. Life-long learners (of all ages) had the opportunity to be educated by Kela and open their hearts for community-building that is happening on farms. Collectively, we made a fresh salad using the spinach we harvested and topped it off with home-made bread baked by Kela. This was a heartwarming experience and a great way to start off the on-farm Ujima Jams this season.

After the Ujima Jam, Kela shared that her heart is full. 
Throughout this season, I will be thinking about justice for our hearts. I am grateful at this moment to have the Konterra Life Ujima Jam as a reference point. ​

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Photo & Video Credit: OurSpace Team