Featured Books & eBooks - Sustainable Agriculture
Food from the Radical Center: Healing Our Land and Communities by Call Number: S604.64.N7 N33ISBN: 9781610919197Publication Date: 2018America has never felt more divided, but in the midst of all the acrimony comes one of the most promising movements in our country's history. People of all races, faiths, and political persuasions are coming together to restore America's natural wealth: its ability to produce healthy foods. 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. These efforts have united people from the left and right, rural and urban, faith-based and science-based, in game-changing collaborations. Their successes are extraordinary by any measure, whether economic, ecological, or social. In fact, the restoration of land and rare species has provided—dollar for dollar—one of the best returns on investment of any conservation initiative.
Nourished Planet: Sustainability in the Global Food System by Call Number: HD9000.5 .N68ISBN: 9781610918947Publication Date: 2018Mangos from India, pasta from Italy, coffee from Colombia… Every day, we are nourished by a global food system that relies on our planet remaining verdant and productive, but current practices are undermining both human and environmental health, resulting in the paradoxes of obesity paired with malnutrition, crops used for animal feed and biofuels while people go hungry, and more than thirty percent of food being wasted when it could feed the 795 million malnourished worldwide. In Nourished Planet, the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition offers a global plan for feeding ourselves sustainably. Drawing on the diverse experiences of renowned international experts, the book provides a truly planetary perspective.
Wildly Successful Farming by Call Number: S444 .D48ISBN: 9780299318802Publication Date: 2018Wildly Successful Farming tells the stories of farmers across the American Midwest who are balancing profitability and food production with environmental sustainability and a passion for all things wild. They are using innovative techniques and strategies to develop their farms as working ecosystems. Whether producing grain, vegetables, fruit, meat, or milk, these next-generation agrarians look beyond the bottom line of the spreadsheet to the biological activity on the land as key measures of success. Written by agricultural journalist Brian DeVore, the book is based on interviews he has conducted at farms, wildlife refuges, laboratories, test plots, and gardens over the past twenty-five years. He documents innovations in cover cropping, managed rotational grazing, perennial polyculture, and integrated pest management.
Farm to Table: The Essential Guide to Sustainble Food Systems for Students, Professionals & Consumers by ISBN: 9781603586726Publication Date: 2016Nearly a century ago the idea of "local food" would have seemed perplexing, since virtually all food was local, but today most of the food consumed in the United States and, increasingly, around the globe, is sourced from industrial farms and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which power a food system rife with environmental, economic, and health-related problems. The tide, however, is slowly but steadily turning back in what has been broadly termed the "farm-to-table" movement.
Growing Tomorrow: A Farm-to-Table Journey in Photos & Recipes: Behind the Scenes with 18 Extraordinary Farmers Who Are Changing the Way We Eat by Call Number: S494.5.S86 P755ISBN: 9781615192847Publication Date: 2015When Forrest Pritchard went looking for the unsung heroes of local, sustainable food, he found them at 18 exceptional farms all over the country. With over than 250 photographs and more than 50 mouthwatering recipes, this unique travelogue/cookbook captures the struggles and triumphs of the visionary farmers who are “growing tomorrow.”
Quicklist
Pretty, Jules (Ed.). Sustainable Agriculture & Food. (2008) - eBook
Hinrichs, C. & Thomas Lyson. Remaking the North American Food System: Strategies for Sustainability. (2007) - eBook
Holthaus, Gary. From the Farm to the Table: What All Americans Need to Know About Agriculture. (2006) - eBook
Pretty, Jules (Ed.). Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Agriculture. (2005) - eBook
The Global History of Organic Farming by Call Number: S605.5 .B37ISBN: 9780199642533Publication Date: 2018Organic farming turned the gaze of millions of people, institutions, and governments backwards to look at the past as a source of guidance and wisdom. It changed our consumer habits and our ethics, demanding that we think about how our food is grown and the effect our daily habits have on nature. This book tells the untold story of the organic farming movement and its massive impact on the world of agriculture and society.
Organic Struggle: The Movement for Sustainable Agriculture in the United States by Call Number: S605.5.O23ISBN: 9780262029094Publication Date: 2015In the early 1970s, organic farming was an obscure agricultural practice, associated with the counterculture rather than commerce. Today, organic agriculture is a multi-billion dollar industry; organic food can be found on the shelves of every supermarket in America. In Organic Struggle, Brian Obach examines the evolution of the organic movement in the United States, a movement that seeks to transform our system of agriculture and how we think about food.
American Organic: A Cultural History of Farming, Gardening, Shopping, and Eating by Call Number: TX369 .O88ISBN: 9780700621330Publication Date: 2015In 1947, when J. I. Rodale, editor of Organic Gardening, declared, "the Revolution has begun," a mere 60,000 readers and a ragtag army of followers rallied to the cause, touting the benefits of food grown with all-natural humus. More than a half century later, organic farming is part of a multi-billion-dollar industry, spreading from the family farm to agricultural conglomerates, and from the supermarket to the farmer's market to the dinner tables of families all across America. In the organic zeitgeist the adage "you are what you eat" truly applies, and this book reveals what the dynamics of organic culture tells us about who we are.
Organic Food by Call Number: TX369 .O647ISBN: 9780737771817Publication Date: 2015Featuring essays from a wide variety of perspectives, this collection highlights pros and cons of organic agriculture. Key topics include nutrition, cost, availability, GMOs and the harmfulness of pesticides.
Quicklist
Laufer, Peter. Organic: A Journalist's Quest to Discover the Truth Behind Food Labeling. (2014) - HD9000.5 .L376
Lankford, Ronald (Ed.). Is Organic Food Better? (2011) - HD9000.5 .I814
Duram, Leslie. Encyclopedia of Organic, Sustainable, and Local Food. (2010) - eBook
Friedman, Lauri. Organic Food and Farming. (2010) - eBook
Reed, Matthew. Rebels for the Soil: The Rise of the Global Organic Food and Farming Movement. (2010) - eBook
Ronald, Pamela. Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food. (2008) - TP248.65.F66 R66
Duram, Leslie. Good Growing: Why Organic Farming Works. (2006) - eBook
Guthman, Julie. Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California. (2004) - eBook
The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower's Handbook: Organic Vegetable Production Using Protected Culture by ISBN: 9781603586375Publication Date: 2017Today only a few dozen large-scale producers dominate the greenhouse produce market. Why? Because they know and employ best practices for the most profitable crops: tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, leafy greens, lettuce, herbs, and microgreens. The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower's Handbook levels the playing field by revealing these practices so that all growers—large and small—can maximize the potential of their protected growing space.
The Forest Garden Greenhouse: How to Design and Manage an Indoor Permaculture Oasis by ISBN: 9781603584265Publication Date: 2015By the turn of the nineteenth century, thousands of acres of glass houses surrounded large American cities, becoming a commonplace symbol of the market garden and nursery trades. But the possibilities of the indoor garden to transform our homes and our lives remain largely unrealized. The Forest Garden Greenhouse shows how bringing the forest garden indoors is not only possible, but doable on unlikely terrain and in cold climates, using near-net-zero technology.
DIY Hydroponic Gardens: How to Design and Build an Inexpensive System for Growing Plants in Water by Call Number: SB126.5 .B37ISBN: 9780760357590Publication Date: 2018With practical information aimed at home DIYers, author Tyler Baras shows exactly how to build, plant, and maintain more than a dozen unique hydroponic systems, some of which cost just a few dollars to make. Growing produce without soil offers a unique opportunity to have a productive garden indoors or in areas where soil is not present.
Complete Guide for Growing Plants Hydroponically by Call Number: SB126.5 .J645ISBN: 9781439876688Publication Date: 2014With the continued implementation of new equipment and new concepts and methods, such as hydroponics and soilless practices, crop growth has improved and become more efficient. Focusing on the basic principles and practical growth requirements, the Complete Guide for Growing Plants Hydroponically offers valuable information for the commercial grower, the researcher, the hobbyist, and the student interested in hydroponics. It provides details on methods of growing that are applicable to a range of environmental growing systems.
Aquaponic Gardening: A Step-By-Step Guide to Raising Vegetables & Fish Together by Call Number: SB126.5.B47ISBN: 9780865717015Publication Date: 2011Aquaponics is a revolutionary system for growing plants by fertilizing them with the waste water from fish in a sustainable, closed system. A combination of aquaculture and hydroponics, aquaponic gardening is an amazingly productive way to grow organic vegetables, greens, herbs, and fruits, while providing the added benefits of fresh fish as a safe, healthy source of protein. On a larger scale, it is a key solution to mitigating food insecurity, climate change, groundwater pollution, and the impacts of overfishing on our oceans.
The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century by Call Number: S494.5.U72 D47ISBN: 9780312610692Publication Date: 2011Imagine a world where every town has their own local food source, grown in the safest way possible, where no drop of water or particle of light is wasted, and where a simple elevator ride can transport you to nature's grocery store—imagine the world of the vertical farm. When Columbia professor Dickson Despommier set out to solve America's food, water, and energy crises, he didn't just think big… he thought up.
Online Resource
Somerville, Christopher; Moti Cohen; Edoardo Pantanella; Austin Stankus; & Alessandro Lovatelli. Small-Scale Aquaponic Food Production: Integrated Fish & Plant Farming. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2014. http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4021e.pdf
Change Here Now: Permaculture Solutions for Personal and Community Transformation by ISBN: 9781623170646Publication Date: 2017Drawing from ecology, sociology, community economics, social justice, and indigenous practices the world over, Adam Brock presents proven solutions for building resilient and empowered communities. This book provides strategies for organizers, activists, nonprofit directors, social entrepreneurs, or anyone looking for meaning in a chaotic world.
The Bio-Integrated Farm: A Revolutionary Permaculture-Based System Using Greenhouses, Ponds, Compost Piles, Aquaponics, Chickens, and More by ISBN: 9781603585880Publication Date: 2016The Bio-Integrated Farm is a twenty-first-century manual for managing nature's resources. This groundbreaking book brings "system farming" and permaculture to a whole new level—providing new insights into permaculture and moving beyond the philosophical foundation to detail practical advanced designs based on functional analysis. Holding their designs to a higher standard, components within Jadrnicek system serve at least seven functions (versus the two sought by classical permaculture theory).
The Resilient Farm and Homestead: An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach by ISBN: 9781603584449Publication Date: 2013Ben Falk is a land designer and site developer whose permaculture-research farm has drawn national attention. The site is a terraced paradise on a hillside in Vermont that would otherwise be overlooked by conventional farmers as unworthy farmland—but Falk's wide array of fruit trees, rice paddies (relatively unheard of in the Northeast), ducks, nuts, and earth-inspired buildings is a hopeful image for the future of regenerative agriculture and modern homesteading. The Resilient Farm and Homestead is a manual for developing durable, beautiful, and highly functional human habitat systems fit to handle an age of rapid transition.
Community-Scale Composting Systems by Call Number: TD796.5 .M38ISBN: 9781603586542Publication Date: 2019Composting at scales large enough to capture and recycle the organic wastes of a given community, whether a school, neighborhood, or even a small city, is coming of age, propelled by a growing awareness not only of our food waste crisis, but also the need to restore natural fertility in our soils. In-depth yet accessible, Community-Scale Composting Systems is a technical resource for farmers, designers, service providers, organics recycling entrepreneurs, and advocates of all types, with a focus on developing the next generation of organics recycling infrastructure that can enable communities to close the food-soil loop in their local food systems.
PGPR Amelioration in Sustainable Agricultur: Food Security and Environmental Management by ISBN: 9780128158791Publication Date: 2018Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are indigenous to soil and the plant rhizosphere; they enhance root system growth and often control certain plant pathogens. Because of these functions, scientists are investigating these microorganisms as potential tools for sustainable agriculture.
Stay Grounded: Soil Building for Sustainable Gardens by ISBN: 9781982052768Publication Date: 2017One of the most important things a gardener can do is to build up the soil—but that’s always an on-going process. This manual provides the know-how for enhancing soil biomass and cultivating rich humus. It covers earthworms, green manures, cover crops, mulch, composting (and extreme composting), sources of organic material you might not have considered before, humus, alfalfa, no-till gardening, and many other things to make your soil building experience as easy as possible.
The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health by Call Number: QR111 .M63ISBN: 9780393353372Publication Date: 2016Prepare to set aside what you think you know about yourself and microbes. The Hidden Half of Nature reveals why good health—for people and for plants—depends on Earth's smallest creatures. Restoring life to their barren yard and recovering from a health crisis, David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikl discover astounding parallels between the botanical world and our own bodies. From garden to gut, they show why cultivating beneficial microbiomes holds the key to transforming agriculture and medicine.
Growing a Sustainable City?: The Question of Urban Agriculture by ISBN: 9781442628557Publication Date: 2017Urban agriculture offers promising solutions to many different urban problems, such as blighted vacant lots, food insecurity, storm water runoff, and unemployment. These objectives feed into many cities’ broader goal of “sustainability,” but tensions among stakeholders have started to emerge in cities as urban agriculture is incorporated into the policymaking framework. Growing a Sustainable City? offers a critical analysis of the development of urban agriculture policies and their role in making post-industrial cities more sustainable.
Street Farm: Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier by Call Number: S451.5.B65 A25ISBN: 9781603586023Publication Date: 2016During the past seven years, Sole Food Street Farms—now North America's largest urban farm project—has transformed acres of vacant and contaminated urban land into street farms that grow artisan-quality fruits and vegetables. By providing jobs, agricultural training, and inclusion in a community of farmers and food lovers, the Sole Food project has empowered dozens of individuals with limited resources who are managing addiction and chronic mental health problems. Sole Food's mission is to encourage small farms in every urban neighborhood so that good food can be accessible to all, and to do so in a manner that allows everyone to participate in the process.
Public Produce: Cultivating Our Parks, Plazas, and Streets for Healthier Cities by Call Number: S441 .N76ISBN: 9781610915496Publication Date: 2014Plum and pear trees shade park benches in Kamloops, British Columbia. Tomatoes and cucumbers burst forth from planters at City Hall in Provo, Utah. Strawberries and carrots flourish along the sunny sidewalks of a Los Angeles neighborhood. This revised edition of Public Produce profiles the many communities and community officials that are rethinking the role of public space in cities, and shows how places as diverse as parking lots and playgrounds can sustain health and happiness through fresh produce.
Urban Farming by Call Number: S494.5.U72 U76ISBN: 9780737768695Publication Date: 2014This collection includes a variety of essays on urban agriculture, including perspectives from scientific journals, government officials, and many others. Articles discuss urban agriculture as a viable solution to food insecurities; the economic sustainability of urban agriculture; the impact of urban agriculture on specific groups, such as women in developing countries; and the future of urban farming.
Quicklist
Dziedzic, Nancy & Lynn M. Zott (Eds.). Urban Agriculture. (2012) - S494.5.U72 U72
Kaplan, Rachel. Urban Homesteading: Heriloom Skills for Sustainable Living. (2011) - GF78 .K36
Ladner, Peter. Urban Food Revolution: Changing the Way We Feed Cities. (2011) - S494.5.U72 L32
Pearson, Craig; Sarah Pilgrim; & Jules Pretty. Urban Agriculture: Diverse Activities and Benefits for City Society. (2010) - eBook
Carpenter, Novella. Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. (2009) - S494.5.U72 C37