Naima al-Sayeed (Film)

Colleagues, I rise to affirm my strong support for Amendment 9, which explicitly enshrines Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a foundational pillar of the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Throughout our extensive deliberations, the critical necessity of embedding decade-spanning commitments—especially the management of invasive species and feral hogs—has been made abundantly clear. This amendment does not merely acknowledge these realities; it binds us to them, ensuring that AGATA’s regenerative farm and cultural lab sustain their ecological vitality alongside our co-equal social, educational, and accessibility priorities. Our 70-acre site is a living system where temporal governance must honor both urgent climate resilience and generational stewardship. I commend Senators Costa and many others whose leadership carries this debate, and I urge the entire Senate to support the explicit, binding integration of this vital pillar.

Colleagues, as we near the conclusion of voting on Amendment 8, I affirm my strong support. The explicit enshrinement of Long-term Ecological Stewardship is indispensable to ensure AGATA’s 70-acre farm and cultural lab sustains its regenerative potential over decades. Our shared commitment must include binding, concrete obligations for invasive species control and feral animal management, which have repeatedly been underscored by our ecology and farm senators as critical to preserving soil health, water quality, and the broader ecosystem services our community relies on.

Furthermore, I want to underscore how this pillar intersects with our commitments to Accessibility and Education. Teaching and enabling all community members—especially local neighbors and workforce—to participate in ecological care not only spreads the labor but deepens our collective resilience and democracy.

However, while the adoption of Amendment 8 is vital, a glaring omission persists: the absence of explicit commitment to full-cycle waste and nutrient management. This is not a minor technical point but a foundational pillar that ensures our regenerative practices are truly circular, that we do not externalize ecological costs on our neighbors or land, and that our cooperative system can sustainably steward the complex flows of nutrient cycles and organic waste.

Historical and recent testimonies from community and farm senators, including Senator Holm’s and Senator Olatunji’s, emphasize that without formal embedding of full-cycle waste and nutrient management, we risk undercutting the very foundations of resilience, regeneration, and community health we seek.

Therefore, I urge us now to prepare to adopt subsequent amendments that explicitly integrate full-cycle waste and nutrient management as a core pillar alongside Long-term Ecological Stewardship, Accessibility, Education, Community, Regeneration, Redundancy, and Resilience. It is this completeness that will allow AGATA to thrive as an equitable, just, and enduring cultural and regenerative ecosystem in Coward, South Carolina.

Colleagues, as we reach the decisive moment on Amendment 7, which explicitly enshrines Accessibility as a core pillar alongside Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, and Education, I affirm my strong support. It is clear from robust debate, including substantial testimony from Senators Khan, Zulu, and others, that Accessibility must be more than an add-on; it is foundational to realizing a truly inclusive, resilient, and regenerative AGATA. Our cooperative farm and cultural lab can only thrive in the long-term if all neighbors, workers, and participants—especially those historically marginalized or with diverse sensory and cognitive needs—can fully engage with our work and transformation. This amendment upholds core AGATA values and complements the critical ecological and educational pillars already enshrined, ensuring our project’s temporal rhythms and infrastructures do not exclude but instead invite participation. I urge all senators to support this vital codification of Accessibility.

Colleagues, as we approach the final steps of our vote on Amendment 6, I want to reiterate a point I’ve raised in prior discussions, particularly relevant to the integration of Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar in our AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Our 70-acre farm and cultural laboratory in Coward are not isolated entities; their health is in continuous dialogue with our neighbors and the broader ecosystem. It is critical that our Charter explicitly incorporates long-term commitments to managing invasive species and feral animals over decade-scale timelines, as outlined here. This stewardship is not only ecological but social and cultural, embedding responsibility for impacts that stretch far beyond immediate farm operations.

From my perspective in film and community collaboration, this addition safeguards against the too-common tendency to prioritize short-term yield or spectacle at the expense of enduring ecological and cultural health. It is a promise to our neighbors and to future generations that AGATA will not treat the land or people as mere resources to be extracted or broadcasted but will remain accountable partners in care and regeneration.

Equally, embedding this pillar sets a clear obligation for our educational programs to center ecological knowledge that spans years and decades, thereby aligning with our commitments to Accessibility and Education as equally foundational pillars. In this way, we uphold the dignity and agency of all involved—this includes farmworkers, neighbors, artists, and students alike—by sharing stewardship as a collective, long-term responsibility.

I urge all colleagues, especially those who have emphasized community well-being, ecological health, and educational integration, to support Amendment 6 with this vision firmly in mind. AGATA’s survival and thriving depend on such commitments now.

Colleagues, as we finalize our vote on Amendment 5 to embed Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar in the AGATA Time Priorities Charter, I want to reiterate my strong support. Our 70-acre farm and cultural lab stand at a crucial intersection where sustained ecological care is not a mere consideration but an unquestionable foundation. This amendment rightly codifies the necessity of decade-spanning stewardship, including invasive species and feral hog management, essential to preserving the health and resilience of our land and community. I further echo the calls made from farm and ecology senators emphasizing how the long-term health of our soils, watersheds, and ecosystems underpins every facet of our mission—from regenerative agriculture to education and community engagement. This commitment aligns with AGATA's priorities of resilience, regeneration, accessibility, and education, ensuring our work remains just, sustainable, and rooted deeply in the land we steward together. Therefore, I vote yea on Amendment 5.