Practical Tools

Growing a Revolution

Growing a Revolution with Soil

By David R. Montgomery, W.W. Norton

Finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award “A call to action that underscores a common goal: to change the world from the ground up.”—Dan Barber, author of The Third Plate For centuries, agricultural practices have eroded the soil that farming depends on, stripping it of the organic matter vital to its productivity. Now conventional agriculture is threatening disaster for the world’s growing population. In Growing a Revolution, geologist David R. Montgomery travels the world, meeting farmers at the forefront of an agricultural movement to restore soil health. From Kansas to Ghana, he sees why adopting the three tenets of conservation agriculture—ditching the plow, planting cover crops, and growing a diversity of crops—is the solution. When farmers restore fertility to the land, this helps feed the world, cool the planet, reduce pollution, and return profitability to family farms.

    • March 26, 2019
    European farming

    An Agroecological Europe in 2050: Multifunctional Agriculture for Healthy Eating

    By Xavier Poux, Pierre-Marie Aubert, IDDRI

    Key messages AGROECOLOGY: AN AMBITIOUS, SYSTEMIC PROJECT Jointly addressing the challenges of ensuring sustainable food for Europeans, protecting biodiversity and natural resources, and mitigating climate change calls for a profound transition in our agri-food system. An agro-ecological project based on abandoning pesticides and synthetic fertilisers and redeploying extensive grasslands and landscape infrastructures would make it possible to tackle these challenges in a coherent manner. AN ORIGINAL MODELLING OF THE EUROPEAN FOOD SYSTEM The TYFA project explores the possibility of generalising agroecology at the European level by analysing the uses and requirements of agricultural production, both now and in the future. An original quantitative model (TYFAm), systemically comparing agricultural production, modes of production and land use, is used to retrospectively analyse the functioning of the European food system and to quantify an agro-ecological scenario for 2050 by testing the implications of different hypotheses. PROSPECTS FOR A LESS PRODUCTION-ORIENTED AGRO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM European diets, which are...

    • March 12, 2019
    book cover

    Food from the Radical Center

    By Gary Paul Nabhan, Island Press

    In Food from the Radical Center, Gary Nabhan tells the stories of diverse communities who are getting their hands dirty and bringing back North America's unique fare: bison, sturgeon, camas lilies, ancient grains, turkeys, and more.

    • March 5, 2019
    Fred Provenza

    Nourishment

    By Fred Provenza, Chelsea Green

    In Nourishment Provenza presents his thesis of the wisdom body, a wisdom that links flavor-feedback relationships at a cellular level with biochemically rich foods to meet the body’s nutritional and medicinal needs.

    • January 16, 2019
    book cover

    The New Organic Grower, 3rd Edition

    By Eliot Coleman, Chelsea Green

    Eliot Coleman’s books and innovative methods have helped innumerable organic farmers build successful farms in deep accordance with nature.

    • January 8, 2019
    Book cover

    Farming While Black

    By Leah Penniman, Chelsea Green Publishing

    Farming While Black is the first comprehensive “how to” guide for aspiring African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity as agriculturists and for all farmers to understand the distinct, technical contributions of African-heritage people to sustainable agriculture.

    • December 14, 2018
    Film jacket

    Keepers of the Future: La Coordinadora of El Salvador

    Bullfrog Films

    Following El Salvador's civil war, a farmers' cooperative puts down roots, builds resilience and provides a model of how to mitigate climate change and resist unsustainable, extractive development.

    • December 14, 2018
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