Overview
This Computomics podcast episode features Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a Hopi dryland farmer from Arizona’s Colorado Plateau. He shares how his community has grown crops for 3,000 years on just 6-10 inches of annual rain without irrigation. Using deep planting, wide spacing, clumped seeds, and reading native vegetation, Indigenous farming conserves moisture and maintains biodiversity. It yields nutrient-rich crops without chemicals, protects soil, and integrates spiritual traditions. Climate change impacts - shorter summers, longer winters, less precipitation - are addressed by adapting planting practices and trusting in seed adaptation through continual cultivation. Michael advocates for growing seeds annually to keep them climate-resilient, and for revitalizing Indigenous food systems to combat health crises like diabetes. Beyond yields, the Hopi system offers values of stewardship, sharing, and hope, which he believes can inspire global agricultural approaches.
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Michael Kotutwa Johnson is an Assistant Professor/Extension Specialist of Indigenous Resilience at the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment and a core faculty member of the Indigenous Resilience Center. Dr. Johnson is a Hopi tribal member and avid Hopi dryland farmer. He often mentions he is a 250th-generation Hopi farmer. His research focuses on Indigenous Land Use Management schemes, such as Indigenous agriculture and the intersections of policy, science, and law. His academic work consists of peer-reviewed journal articles and tribal outreach. He recently started the Fred Aptvi Foundation, focusing on growing traditional Hopi crops, establishing a community seed bank, and developing a Hopi youth agriculture program that includes the Hopi language. |
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