Eight Must Read Books about Local Food and Agriculture
As the weather gets colder, get cozy with these thought provoking reads.
We the Eaters: If we Change Dinner, We can Change the World
This book uses the deceptively simple model of the American dinner to examine the complexities of the global industrial food system. From burgers to soda, Gustafson shows the sometimes unbelievably large scale effects of our food choices. But the best part about this book is that it does not stop at the causes of the problems in our food system but also provides a blueprint of actionable solutions that begin at our tables.
Letters to a Young Farmer: On Food, Farming, and Our Future
A great way to get all your favorite writers in one place, this book is a compilation of essays from esteemed chefs, farmers, activists, and visionaries that address farming and food in vivid, insightful detail. Some of the featured authors include Barbara Kingsolver, Dan Barber, Michael Pollen and many more. Letters to a Young Farmer is about how we eat and farm, how these to activities are intricately interconnected, and how we can build a more sustainable future.
The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet
Thousands of years of poor farming practices which culminated with modern industrial agriculture have led to the loss of 80% of the world’s soil carbon. That carbon is now in the atmosphere and even if we stopped using fossil fuels it would continue to warm the planet. In this book journalist and best selling author Kristin Ohlson makes a compelling case for a land management method which would not only heal our land, but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon, with the goal of reversing global warming. Ohlson introduces her readers to farmers, ranchers, landscapers and scientists who are figuring out how to build healthy soils and her discoveries will change the way you think about our food, our landscapes, and our relationship to the Earth.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
The ultimate book about what it means to eat local, author Barbara Kingsolver and her family decided to forgo industrial food and for one year only eat food they grew themselves, they could source from their neighborhood, or else learn to live without it. Part memoir, part environmental reporting, and part how-to guide, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a humane exploration of the locavore movement and is a testament to the joy that can be derived from food that is grown and eaten together.
Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What you can do About it
The global food system is a major contributor to climate change, producing as much as one-third of greenhouse gas emission. In Diet for a Hot Planet, Anna Lappe predicts that unless we radically shift what we eat and how we produce it, greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise. Lappe exposes the obstacles that exist to system-wide reform and proposes a vision of the future in which our food system does more good than harm.
Everything I Want to do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front
Harnessing 40 years of experience as an ecological farmer, Joel Salatin colorfully explains why Americans do not have the freedom to choose the food they purchase and eat. He reveals how our laws and regulations favor global industrial food systems and discourage community-based food commerce which creates a homogenized selection of mediocre quality food, with little if any consideration of best environmental and social practices. Salatin explains why local food is more expensive and readers will leave with a much deeper understanding of the industrial food complex.
The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture
Since it was published in 1977, The Unsettling of America has been recognized as an environmental classic. In it, Wendell Berry argues that good farming is both a cultural development and a spiritual discipline. But the way agriculture is practiced today takes farming out of its cultural context and away from families and as a result we have become estranged from the land. Even though The Unsettling of America was written over 30 years ago, it is now more relevant than ever.
The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City
The Urban Homestead is the essential handbook for urbanites looking to become gardeners and farmers. This book is for those who are done wringing their hands and want to plants the seeds for the future of our cities. If you’re looking to harvest your own vegetables, convert to solar energy, or raise urban chickens, this practical, hands-on book will get you homesteading immediately.
