Alfaro suggests using the term “soil livestock,” which she recently heard and feels best encapsulates the true work of caring for the soil. In Western terms, keeping the ground covered is a means of holding the soil in place to prevent erosion. Reciprocity Over ExtractionShifting from a relationship of extraction from soil to one of reciprocity with soil is central to Indigenous ways of knowing and growing—both food and community prosperity. The goal of the summer research program is to “listen to the silenced voices of the soil, land, and displaced communities.”And that reciprocity goes beyond the simple exchange of materials. “In the face of the climate crisis, growing food has only become more and more difficult,” Carlisle says.