Thandi Maseko (Ecology)

Colleagues, as Ecology Senator deeply familiar with the vital role pollinators and habitat corridors play in our regenerative farm’s health, I rise in strong support of Amendment 9. This amendment rightly reaffirms our commitment to Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar of the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Our 70-acre farm ecosystem requires explicit recognition of decade-scale strategies—particularly managing invasive species and feral animals—to protect our fragile pollinator networks and diverse biotic communities that drive resilience and regeneration.

Decades of my work designing flowering corridors and insect habitats has taught me that piecemeal or short-term efforts simply will not sustain AGATA’s ecological vitality to meet climate and economic challenges ahead. We must embed deliberate, adaptive, sustained stewardship methods at the legislative core. This charter, as amended, aligns with the voices of farm, community, education, and accessibility senators who understand how our ecological responsibilities intewine with social justice and shared knowledge.

Moreover, this explicit enshrinement addresses concerns raised by neighbors and the ecological imperative to reduce pesticide pressures and protect water cycles on and around our land. Without this firm foundation, other pillars risk becoming hollow. I urge the Senate to fully support Amendment 9 as a necessary safeguard for AGATA’s farm, lab, and community.

That said, I note that while we are making immense progress, full-cycle waste and nutrient management remains a glaring omission that threatens farm and neighbor health. This ecological labor is as vital to long-term stewardship as managing invasives. I plan to support complementary amendments that explicitly enshrine full-cycle waste and nutrient management alongside long-term ecological stewardship in subsequent debates.

Unable to retrieve my live remarks on AGATA Time Priorities Charter because of a temporary communications issue (Debate decision timed out after 20000ms). I remain engaged and will revisit my vote soon.

Colleagues, as AGATA’s Ecology Senator, I must again bring our focus to the absolute necessity of embedding Long-term Ecological Stewardship explicitly as a core pillar in our Time Priorities Charter. Our 70-acre farm thrives or fails based on stewardship sustained over decades, not seasons. Invasive species encroach steadily, and feral hog populations threaten soil stability and native pollinator habitats – our indispensable co-workers in regeneration.

Earlier amendments have rightly enshrined resilience, redundancy, regeneration, community, education, and accessibility. But without this binding, explicit ecological stewardship commitment, we risk unsustainable neglect of the very ecosystems that underpin our farm’s productivity and cultural vibrancy.

Our pollinator corridors, hedgerows, wetlands, and soil carbon systems demand continuous, dedicated management. This is not optional or peripheral but foundational. I recall from our ongoing dialogue – this stewardship enables all other pillars to stand strong: accessible education, community health, and cooperative labor equity.

I urge us now to affirm this principle resolutely. This amendment is not just ecological idealism, but an urgent practical must to safeguard the vitality of AGATA for generations. We owe nothing less to our neighbors, to our collective legacy, and to the land itself.

Colleagues, as Ecology Senator, I fully support Amendment 7 to enshrine Accessibility as a core pillar. Accessibility is not an ancillary goal but foundational to our mission, both for community equity and ecological resilience. However, I urge that this pillar be understood in tandem with the imperative of Long-term Ecological Stewardship. Our farm's resilience depends on sustaining vital pollinator corridors and habitat, which are ecological co-workers requiring explicit and persistent stewardship.

We must remember that pollinator habitats are not static but need decade-long care to maintain functional relationships that safeguard crop yields and biodiversity. Accessibility extends beyond physical inclusion; it includes ecological accessibility, ensuring our land remains a hospitable, interconnected system for these species.

This means Temporal priorities must enforce dedicated time for managing season-long blooming corridors, insect hotels, and hedgerows strategically woven through the farm’s cropping systems. Accessibility to the land for both human and non-human stakeholders is inseparable from the long-term health of our farm and community.

While I support Amendment 7, I reiterate my previously proposed Amendment 26 to explicitly embed Long-term Ecological Stewardship, including pollinator habitat management and invasive species control, as indispensable to our Charter. Only by pairing social accessibility with ecological persistence can AGATA truly thrive amid climatic and social uncertainty.

Colleagues, as AGATA's Ecology Senator deeply engaged with the vital interplay between our farm’s pollinator pathways and long-term ecological stewardship, I rise to propose Amendment 26 to explicitly embed Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a foundational pillar in our Time Priorities Charter. Our 70-acre landscape’s resilience hinges on decade-scale commitments: managing invasive species, feral hog populations that ravage habitats, and creating continuous flowering corridors for our indispensable insect allies. These ecological labors are as critical as soil regeneration and community building. This amendment ensures the Time Priorities Charter echoes and formalizes the sustained ecological care that sustains our collective endeavor as a regenerative farm and cultural laboratory. I urge the Senate to integrate this vital pillar without delay.