Consulting the Genius of the Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture - Softcover

Jackson, Wes

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1582437807 ISBN 13: 9781582437804

Publisher: Counterpoint, 2011

Synopsis

Locavore leaders such as Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, and Barbara Kingsolver all speak of the need for sweeping changes in how we get our food. A longtime leader of this movement is Wes Jackson, who for decades has taken it upon himself to speak for the land, to speak for the soil itself. Here, he offers a manifesto toward a conceptual revolution: Jackson asks us to look to natural ecosystems or, if one prefers, nature in general as the measure against which we judge all of our agricultural practices.

Jackson believes the time is right to do away with annual monoculture grains, which are vulnerable to national security threats and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs. Soil erosion and the poisons polluting our water and air all associated with agriculture from its beginnings foretell a population with its natural fertility greatly destroyed.

In this eloquent and timely volume, Jackson argues we must look to nature itself to lead us out of the mess we’ve made. The natural ecosystems will tell us, if we listen, what should happen to the future of food.

About this title

About the Author:

Wes Jackson is the founder of the Land Institute in Kansas, which has the current goal of establishing a new Natural Systems Agriculture. A famous advocate for sustainable practices, organic agriculture, and environmental scientific understanding, Jackson lectures nationwide. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1992.

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About this edition

• Publisher: Counterpoint
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1582437807
• ISBN 13: 9781582437804
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288