Expanding My Mind with a Book, Expanding Our Knowledge with Action

Have you read a book where all the ideas you've been thinking and mulling over are boiled down into one ah-ha moment? In the last few days I've been reading from John E. Ikerd's book Crisis and Opportunity Sustainability in American Agriculture.  You might think, "I know this idea of sustainable agriculture can solve the problems in today's food system, but how do I prove that?  I don't have the argument or the years of research."

Problem solved.  Read this book.  Then buy this book.  Read it again next year.

John E. Ikerd's book Crisis and Opportunity Sustainability in American Agriculture

"Many "low-input" farmers are already achieving yields equal to or greater than conventional high-yield with low input systems of farming.  The knowledge and expertise required to achieve high yields with low inputs are not nearly as common among farmers as are commercial agriculture technologies.  However, many others are capable of acquiring this ability, if they realized it was possible and had an incentive to do so.  In addition, sustainable agriculture today is in its infancy; sustainable farmers are but the early explorers on a new frontier.  As they accumulate increased understanding and know-how, their productive abilities will undoubtedly increase as well.  If we invest a fraction of the research and development efforts on regenerative farming methods in the future that we have invested in industrial methods in the past, our overall ability to produce by sustainable methods in the future may easily surpass our ability to produce by conventional methods." p17

Do you want to learn more about these methods? Visit the following organizations:

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association

The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program