The “Whole” Under Management

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The first step in developing a Whole Farm Plan using Holistic Management is to describe the “whole being managed.” While this might seem obvious, careful thought and a little work with pencil and paper will most likely show you that the system you are managing is larger and more complex than you think. For example, is the “whole” you are managing a farm? If so, where does the farm end? You might think the farm ends at the farm gate. If so, ask yourself “are you managing a relationship with people beyond the farm gate?” What about your suppliers, buyers, neighbors, competitors? Your “whole” is probably much larger than the immediate land area you farm.

You might also ask yourself, who are the key decision-makers involved in your “whole under management?” Yourself, to be sure. But what about family members? What about your financial lenders? Partners? Do they have “veto-power” over any of your decisions? If so, they are key decision-makers too. So, before we get too far along in planning, it is a useful early step to define carefully your “whole under management.” There are three components of the whole under management that we will look at carefully. Click on each of these components of the Whole Under Management to continue.

1. The decision-makers,

2. The resource base, and;

3. The money available.

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