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Tributes to one of the founders and leaders in the global organic and regenerative food and farming movement continue to pour in this week, as people from around the world share their memories of Ronnie Cummins.

Ronnie, who together with his wife, Rose Welch, founded the Organic Consumers Association and its international affiliates, Regeneration International and Vía Orgánica, died April 26 in Mexico, where he lived part-time. He had only recently been diagnosed with bone and lymph cancer.

Ronnie was a lifelong activist — for peace, for justice, for health freedom, for freedom from oppression of any and all kinds. He fought tirelessly against the greed of the pharmaceutical, chemical and pesticide industries.

An unstoppable champion of the people, he never shied away from speaking truth to power.

He was a visionary, whose irrepressible hope for the future was informed by his deep knowledge and understanding of history.

Wherever he went, Ronnie captivated crowds, speaking at length without a single note or prompt, effortlessly spouting facts and figures he’d filed away, a function of  his voracious reading.

Rare was the occasion when his speech did not end in a standing ovation.

As he traveled the world, Ronnie inspired his fellow activists and was also energized by them — especially the young people.

Long after people half his age had retired for the night, Ronnie would be singing and playing guitar into the wee hours of the morning.

Yet when the sun rose the next day, he was the first one up. Sipping his coffee. Scanning the headlines. Plotting his next project or book or grassroots campaign.

His slow, southern drawl belied an indefatigable physical and spiritual energy.

Ronnie was a writer. A musician. A teacher. A leader. A master of grassroots organizing.

He was also inclusive. Generous. Kind. Thoughtful. Funny. Fearless.

Commenting on Ronnie’s death, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Children’s Health Defense chairman on leave, said:

“Ronnie was a pioneer in highlighting the necessity of organic regenerative farming and foods to counter the negative impact on human health from shortsighted agricultural practices driven by chemical industry greed.

“Ronnie and I worked side-by-side as allies for most of the last 40 years. He had a clear vision about the links between environmental degradation, the subversion of democracy and the dangerous rise of corporate power.

“His buoyant optimism about human nature and the resilience of our planet always energized me, even in the face of the most disheartening defeats. His indefatigable spirit, humor and his merciless work ethic enabled him to educate and inspire multiple generations of environmental warriors to pursue a healthy lifestyle and to demonstrate the courage to speak out against growing industrial ravages to our environment.”

In the outpouring of tributes and accolades, Ronnie’s friends and co-conspirators have described him as legendary, a giant, a rock star, brilliant, passionate, an optimist — and the maker of “diabolical margaritas.”

But most of all, Ronnie was authentic to the bone. The highest compliment he bestowed on others was to call them “the real deal.”

And if anyone could discern the phony from the real deal, it was Ronnie — he lived a life unequivocally committed to seeking justice and confronting those on the wrong side of it.

Ronnie was the author of a series of children’s books called “Children of the World, (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Cuba).”

He also wrote “Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers,” “Grassroots Rising: A Call to Action on Climate, Farming, Food, and a Green New Deal” and “The Truth About COVID-19: Exposing The Great Reset, Lockdowns, Vaccine Passports, and the New Normal,” co-authored with Dr. Joseph Mercola and with a foreword by Kennedy.

At the time of his death, Ronnie was writing a new book, “Agave Power,” about his beloved Billion Agave Project.

Dr. Joseph Mercola said:

“The legendary life of Ronnie Cummins has given us a wealth of knowledge and humanity. He has been so much more than a partner over the dozen years we have worked closely together to improve our food and the lives of farmers around the world.

“His work will live on through us all, and our dedication to his visionary framework will continue to grow.”

No one person can step in and take Ronnie’s place. But as many have pointed out since learning of his death, together, an army of passionate revolutionaries can carry forward his life’s work.

That, in the end, is the only way to honor his legacy.

As Ronnie would say, “There’s only one reason to be a revolutionary, and that’s because it’s the best way to live!”

Watch this video tribute from Alliance for Natural Health International: