John Ikerd
Hierarchy of Sustainable Values
In a previous post I explained the basic differences among economic, social, and ethical values. Economic values meet individual,...
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John Ikerd
- Aug 13
- 4 min
Beloved Economies -- A Review
Beloved Economies: Transforming How We Work By Jess Rimington and Joanna L. Cea If you work for a for-profit or nonprofit organization...
John Ikerd
- Aug 2
- 4 min
Systems within Systems
istinctions among levels are based on distinctive characteristics of the particular levels. Economies obviously reflect some of the...
John Ikerd
- Jul 18
- 4 min
Sustainable Farm Management
The basic principles of managing sustainable organizations are perhaps most clearly apparent in farm management. The selective boundaries...
John Ikerd
- Jul 14
- 4 min
Managing Sustainable Organizations
Industrial organizations are managed to maximize productivity and profits—through specialization and standardization—which facilitate...
John Ikerd
- Jul 5
- 4 min
Worldview of Sustainable Agriculture
The hierarchical worldview of sustainability also characterizes the individual entities or smaller wholes that make up the larger whole...
John Ikerd
- Jun 15
- 4 min
The Hierarchy of Authentic Sustainability
I ended my previous post by explaining that the worldview of authentic sustainability reflects an understanding that economies are a part...
John Ikerd
- Jun 8
- 4 min
Typical Worldview of Sustainability
In my previous post, I related the “five stages of grief” to the stages of transition from an unsustainable to sustainable society. They...
John Ikerd
- May 17
- 4 min
Stages of Change to Sustainability
The “five stages of grief” are widely used to describe the process people go through in facing, and eventually accepting, the reality of...
John Ikerd
- Jan 10
- 4 min
WHY?
I spent much of the first thirty years of my early life preparing to be a scientist, a social scientist but nonetheless a scientist. I...
John Ikerd
- Nov 10, 2021
- 6 min
Successful Small Family Farms: Myth or Reality?
Someone recently forwarded me a link to an opinion piece by freelance writer Sarah Mock that begins: “I tried to prove that small family...
John Ikerd
- Nov 1, 2021
- 4 min
The Values of Sustainability
Everything eventually boils down to economics! How many times have we heard this assertion—as if it were settled truth? Farmers need an...
John Ikerd
- Oct 12, 2021
- 5 min
Sustainability and the Laws of Nature
We humans are subject to the same laws of nature that govern the rest of the universe. If this were not true, there would be no concern...
John Ikerd
- Sep 29, 2021
- 26 min
The Essentials of Economic Sustainability
Ten years ago, I wrote a book titled The Essentials of Economic Sustainability. It was written initially for short courses I taught in...
John Ikerd
- Sep 13, 2021
- 5 min
The National Debt Deception
"Government spending is out of control! We can’t afford new government programs to rebuild infrastructure, mitigate climate change, or...
John Ikerd
- Aug 14, 2021
- 5 min
The Economic Realities of CAFOs
I don’t like watching videos of my own presentations, but I force myself to do it from time to time. I know how I feel about...
John Ikerd
- Jun 12, 2021
- 6 min
Some Thoughts on Racism and Patriotism
I have been reluctant to write about political issues since the 2020 presidential election. I had hoped some of the bitterness and...
John Ikerd
- May 23, 2021
- 4 min
A Tribute to Elsie Herring
Elsie Herring was a friend! We weren’t close personal friends but professional friends who shared a sense of mutual respect and common...
John Ikerd
- Apr 12, 2021
- 23 min
Twenty Responses to Defenders of CAFOs
When speaking at public events about the negative impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operators or CAFOs, I am often asked how best to...
John Ikerd
- Mar 25, 2021
- 6 min
Revelations of COVID-19—One Year Later
It has been a year now since COVID 19 was proclaimed a pandemic. Virtually everyone has experienced the disruption of the food system in...