Seed to Seed: seed saving and growing techniques for vegetable gardeners by
This is a complete seed saving guide that describes specific techniques for saving the seeds of 160 different vegetables. 80 photos.
The Seed Underground: a growing revolution to save food by
Discusses the loss of fruit and vegetable varieties and the genetically modified industrial monocultures being used today, shares the author's personal experiences growing, saving, and swapping seeds, and deconstructs the politics and genetics of seeds.
Designing Urban Agriculture: A Complete Guide to the Planning, Design, Construction, Maintenance and Management of Edible Landscapes by
A comprehensive overview of edible landscapes--complete with more than 300 full-color photos and illustrations Designing Urban Agriculture is about the intersection of ecology, design, and community. Showcasing projects and designers from around the world who are forging new paths to the sustainable city through urban agriculture landscapes, it creates a dialogue on the ways to invite food back into the city and pave a path to healthier communities and environments. This full-color guide begins with a foundation of ecological principles and the idea that the food shed is part of a city's urban systems network. It outlines a design process based on systems thinking and developed for a lifecycle or regenerative-based approach. It also presents strategies, tools, and guidelines that enable informed decisions on planning, designing, budgeting, constructing, maintaining, marketing, and increasing the sustainability of this re-invented cityscape. Case studies demonstrate the environmental, economic, and social value of these landscapes and reveal paths to a greener and healthier urban environment. This unique and indispensable guide: Details how to plan, design, fund, construct, and leverage the sustainability aspects of the edible landscape typology Covers over a dozen typologies including community gardens, urban farms, edible estates, green roofs and vertical walls, edible school yards, seed to table, food landscapes within parks, plazas, streetscapes and green infrastructure systems and more Explains how to design regenerative edible landscapes that benefit both community and ecology and explores the connections between food, policy, and planning that promote viable food shed systems for more resilient communities Examines the integration of management, maintenance, and operations issues Reveals how to create a business model enterprise that addresses a lifecycle approach
Urban Agriculture by 
Cows Save the Planet and other improbable ways of restoring soil to heal the earth by
In Cows Save the Planet, journalist Judith D. Schwartz looks at soil as a crucible for our many overlapping environmental, economic, and social crises. Drawing on the work of thinkers and doers, renegade scientists and institutional whistleblowers, Schwartz challenges much of the conventional thinking about global warming and other problems. For example, land can suffer from undergrazing as well as overgrazing, since certain landscapes, such as grasslands, require the disturbance from livestock to thrive. Regarding climate, when we focus on carbon dioxide, we neglect the central role of water in soil - "green water" - in temperature regulation. And much of the carbon dioxide that burdens the atmosphere is not the result of fuel emissions, but from agriculture; returning carbon to the soil not only reduces carbon dioxide levels but also enhances soil fertility. Cows Save the Planet is at once a primer on soil's pivotal role in our ecology and economy, a call to action, and an antidote to the despair that environmental news so often leaves us with.
Growing a Revolution: bringing our soil back to life by
An inspiring vision for restoring the soil that feeds us all and turns agriculture into a solution for environmental crises.
Since the dawn of agriculture, great civilizations have sunk into poverty after destroying their once fertile land. Today, few people realize how close we are to experiencing the same fate if we don't take action. In Growing a Revolution, geologist David R. Montgomery leads us on a journey through history and around the world to see how innovative farmers are ditching the plow, mulching cover crops, and adopting complex rotations to restore the soil. In their stories he finds the foundation for the next agricultural revolution: a soil health revolution.
Cutting through standard debates about conventional versus organic agriculture, Montgomery shows how new regenerative methods heal damaged environments and improve farmers bottom lines. Merging ancient wisdom with modern science, these farmers have developed simple, cost-effective ways to pull carbon from the atmosphere and feed the world. Growing a Revolution flips the script, showing how agriculture can help solve our modern environmental woes.
The Vegetable Gardener's Guide to Permaculture: creating an edible ecosystem by 
Keeping Honey Bees by 
The Bee: A Natural History by 
Organic Farming: an international history by 
Organic Farming: How to Raise, Certify, and Market Organic Crops and Livestock by 
Temple Grandin's Guide to Working with Farm Animals: safe, humane livestock handling practices for the small farm. by
Temple Grandin is famous for her approach to decoding animal behavior. Now she extends her guidance to small-scale farming operations. Grandin's explanations of how herd animals think -- describing their senses, fears, instincts, and memories -- and how to analyze their behavior, will help you handle your livestock more safely and effectively. You'll learn to become an observer of animal movement and behavior, and illustrations will help you set up simple and efficient facilities for managing a small herd of 3 to 25 cattle or pigs, or 5 to 100 goats or sheep.
Natural Enemies: An Introduction to Biological Control by 
Pesticides and GMOs by 
Chemical Lands: pesticides, aerial spraying, and health in North America's grasslands since 1945 by
An exploration of the elaborate relationship between farmers, aerial sprayers, agriculturalists, crop pests, chemicals, and the environment.
