Bundled in groups of five or six, Michael Kotutwa Johnson’s corn stalks shoot out of the sandy desert in bunches, the Hopi tradition he learned from his grandfather. His plants thrive without any fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, mulch or irrigation. Studies have shown that indigenous maize is more nutritious, richer in protein and minerals than conventional corn, and he hopes to confirm that in his role as professor at the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, and core faculty member with the fledgling Indigenous Resilience Center. He wants to pass on his dry farming methods to the next generation, and recently started the Fred Aptvi Foundation to focus on establishing a seed bank and a Hopi youth agricultural program that incorporates the Hopi language.

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