Activist's revolutionary project could transform how we grow food: 'Capacity to support all life forms'

Just how much can traditional farming do? According to environmental activist and revolutionary Winona LaDuke, it's the key to a greener future.

After graduating from college in the 1980s, LaDuke moved to the White Earth reservation in Minnesota, home to her tribe, the Ojibwe. Since then, she's devoted her life to environmental and indigenous rights. Underpinning the bulk of her work is an unwavering belief in cooperative farming's potential.

As reported by OneEarth, LaDuke founded the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute, which focuses on restoring biodiversity through regenerative agricultural practices. As of 2025, the AAI operates six different farms, each with its own unique purpose.

For example, the North Farm focuses more on horses, while the Akiing Farm is more of a community gathering space. Regardless of the farms' differences, they're all united under one purpose: the "New Green Revolution."

This ecological revolution is meant to usher in a sustainable, dirty-energy-free future, and hemp is key.

In 2015, LaDuke founded Winona's Hemp and Heritage Farm. The farm creates job opportunities for Native Americans, delivers fresh produce throughout the region weekly, and promotes regenerative hemp farming.

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As such, the farming practices are 100% natural. According to the AAI's website, it doesn't use chemicals, opting for white clover as a natural alternative to weed suppressant. Instead of dirty-energy-burning tractors, the group uses horses, whose manure doubles as fertilizer.

Farming practices like these benefit both people and the planet. Conventional weedkiller, for instance, has been linked to adverse health effects and pollutes the environment. Traditional farming techniques are the healthiest option for everyone involved.

Also, hemp is versatile. It can be used to make fabric and ropes, as well as replace concrete. Some companies are even using hemp to power EV batteries.

The true heart of LaDuke's movement isn't her chosen crop, however. It's the eco-conscious community cultivating it. As LaDuke famously said, "If we build a society based on honoring the Earth, we build a society which is sustainable and has the capacity to support all life forms."