Book Recommendations
Disclaimer: If you choose to purchase a product through one of these links, Amazon or another company may pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you.
If you can purchase these items at a local retailer, or borrow from a friend, I strongly encourage you to do so!
This small amount of money will probably go towards buying a fair-trade and organic coffee at a locally owned cafe where I like to work on this website.
Farming While Black:
Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
Leah Penniman, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm in New York, expertly explains how almost all sustainable farming practices began in African wisdom. She shows how black farmers have been pushed out of the current agricultural system in America, and specifically gives loads of helpful information for aspiring black farmers.
This book is for everyone interested in learning how to effectively utilize sustainable farming methods, increase access to fresh and healthy food, and combat racism and injustice in the food system. It is a full how-to guide for starting a farm from finding land, to writing a business plan, to harvesting your crops.
To follow Leah Penniman’s work, head to SoulFireFarm.org.
Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture:
A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening
I picked this up at Powell’s City of Books, a famous book store that takes up a whole city block, when we stopped in Portland, Oregon. Usually it takes me a long time to read books, but this one was so intriguing that I finished it in a few weeks.
Most of the book is focused on building an extensive permaculture system, but the last chapters explain how to add permaculture principles to an everyday yard or house.
Food and the City:
Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution
This book brings you through the urban farming initiatives in several different cities around the world: Paris, Cuba, Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, London.
Learn about the current state of agriculture in these cities, the inspiring urban farmers changing the direction, and how the community is responding to these efforts.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be itching to travel to all of these farms before you’re even halfway through.