--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Agriculture is the process of turning…" description: "\"Agriculture is the process of turning eco-systems into people.\" — Toby Hemenway" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/toby-hemenway-38464_agriculture_agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-ec_1384482.png" --- # Agriculture is the process of turning eco-systems into… ![“Agriculture is the process of turning eco-systems into people.” quote by Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/toby-hemenway-38464_agriculture_agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-ec_1384482.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/toby-hemenway-38464_agriculture_agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-ec_1384482.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/toby-hemenway-38464_agriculture_agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-ec_1384482.png) > “Agriculture is the process of turning eco-systems into people.” [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Agriculture transforms natural ecosystems into human‑controlled environments, highlighting the trade‑off between food production and ecological integrity. **In simple terms:** Agriculture changes ecosystems to serve humans. Key Takeaway Practice sustainable farming to protect ecosystems. Themes environment agriculture human impact Mood concerned thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - urban farming - permaculture - policy advocacy - educational programs Key Concepts ecosystem conversion food security Questions to Reflect On - How can we reconcile food needs with ecosystem health? - What policies support regenerative agriculture? A Different Perspective Economic pressures can limit sustainability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agriculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/) [Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eco/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) ## Related quotes > [There is no unemployment in eco-systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-pauli/there-is-no-unemployment-in-eco-systems/) [Gunter Pauli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-pauli/) > [I have developed a Zen-like approach to the operating systems that people use: 'When you're ready, the right operating system will appear in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-have-developed-a-zen-like-approach-to-the-operating-systems-that/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Architects have to become designers of eco-systems. 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Rather than change the earth to suit a crop... it would diversify its crops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verlyn-klinkenborg/a-reasonable-agriculture-would-do-its-best-to-emulate-nature-rather/) [Verlyn Klinkenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verlyn-klinkenborg/) > [Permaculture is not the movement of sustainability and it is not the philosophy behind it; it is the problem-solving approach the movement and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/permaculture-is-not-the-movement-of-sustainability-and-it-is-not-the/) [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) > [Let's build Paradise again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/let-s-build-paradise-again/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [Not using fossil fuels is tantamount to not using energy. 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This requires that we shift from ego-system silos to eco-system awareness that considers others and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-scharmer/our-society-must-move-from-ego-system-to-eco-system-economics-this/) [Otto Scharmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-scharmer/) ## More by Toby Hemenway > [Permaculture is not the movement of sustainability and it is not the philosophy behind it; it is the problem-solving approach the movement and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/permaculture-is-not-the-movement-of-sustainability-and-it-is-not-the/) [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) > [“The average yard is both an ecological and agricultural desert. The prime offender is short-mown grass, which offers no habitat and nothing for people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/the-average-yard-is-both-an-ecological-and-agricultural-desert-the/) [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) > [Vegetarians may be appalled, but much of gardening is actually raising animals: the tiny ones under the earth's surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/vegetarians-may-be-appalled-but-much-of-gardening-is-actually-raising/) [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) > [I like to talk about the idea of "design without design," where... we're creating the conditions for the things that we want to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/i-like-to-talk-about-the-idea-of-design-without-design-where-we-re/) [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) > [When you are doing work of value, people will support you in a variety of ways, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/when-you-are-doing-work-of-value-people-will-support-you-in-a-variety/) [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) > [A culture disconnected from wild nature becomes insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/a-culture-disconnected-from-wild-nature-becomes-insane/) [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) > [Permaculture gives us a toolkit for moving from a culture of fear and scarcity to one of love and abundance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/permaculture-gives-us-a-toolkit-for-moving-from-a-culture-of-fear-and/) [Toby Hemenway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/) > [Yet soil is miraculous. It is where the dead are brought back to life. 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For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/) [Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/) > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [I grew up in Italy, and our country is a country of great agriculture and food produce. It wasn't like I was urban and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/i-grew-up-in-italy-and-our-country-is-a-country-of-great-agriculture/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [Farmers, get out your sense of humor. Congress meets to relieve you again next week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/farmers-get-out-your-sense-of-humor-congress-meets-to-relieve-you/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Sara Scherr and Jeff McNeely have given us a thoughtful, sensible book about a topic of great importance to the world. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-serageldin/sara-scherr-and-jeff-mcneely-have-given-us-a-thoughtful-sensible-book/) [Ismail Serageldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-serageldin/) > [People want development, modern thinking. They want to encourage and support research in agriculture and other fields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/people-want-development-modern-thinking-they-want-to-encourage-and/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [When politicians talk of loan waiver, they are accepting that agriculture is not economically viable. They are giving a wrong signal that farming is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-s-swaminathan/when-politicians-talk-of-loan-waiver-they-are-accepting-that/) [M. S. Swaminathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-s-swaminathan/) > [Nitrogen-based fertilizers, which came into wide use after World War II, helped prompt the agricultural revolution that has allowed the Earth to feed its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/nitrogen-based-fertilizers-which-came-into-wide-use-after-world-war/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [More than a mere alternative strategy, regenerative agriculture represents a fundamental shift in our culture’s relationship to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/more-than-a-mere-alternative-strategy-regenerative-agriculture/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) [Browse all 889 Agriculture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Agriculture is the process of turning eco-systems into people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Toby Hemenway" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-eco-systems-into-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agriculture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-eco-systems-into-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/toby-hemenway-38464_agriculture_agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-ec_1384482.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/toby-hemenway-38464_agriculture_agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-ec_1384482.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/toby-hemenway-38464_agriculture_agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-ec_1384482.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Agriculture is the process of turning eco-systems into people.” — Toby Hemenway", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Toby Hemenway", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-hemenway/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Agriculture is the process of turning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-eco-systems-into-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-hemenway/agriculture-is-the-process-of-turning-eco-systems-into-people/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```