알라딘: 가이아의 정원 - 텃밭에서 뒷산까지, 퍼머컬처 생태디자인

알라딘: 가이아의 정원 - 텃밭에서 뒷산까지, 퍼머컬처 생태디자인

이아의 정원 - 텃밭에서 뒷산까지, 퍼머컬처 생태디자인 l 농부가 세상을 바꾼다 귀농총서 45

토비 헤멘웨이 (지은이), 이해성, 이은주 (옮긴이) | 들녘 | 2014-12-18 | 원제 Gaia's Garden (2009년) 

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: 농부가 세상을 바꾼다 귀농총서 (총 60권 모두보기)
신간알리미 신청



국내도서 > 과학 > 농업 > 생태농업



농부가 세상을 바꾼다! 귀농총서 45권. 영미권 도서로는 최초로 가정 단위에 퍼머컬처 디자인을 적용해 생태정원을 가꾸는 방법을 안내하는 퍼머컬처 입문서다. 이 책은 독자에게 상상력과 새로운 가능성을 불어넣어 정신적 성장, 의식 있는 삶, 녹색 가치, 긍정적인 사회 변화를 이끄는, ‘더 좋은 세상을 위한 좋은 책’을 선정하는 노틸러스 북어워드(Nautilus Awards)의 금상 수상작(2011년)이다.

퍼머컬처 디자인을 구체적인 실제 사례(부지가 300평쯤 되는 전형적인 미국 교외 주택에 퍼머컬처 디자인 적용하기)를 통해 알아보기에 이보다 더 좋은 책은 없다. 물론 상대적으로 부지가 좁고 주택과 농지가 서로 떨어져 있는 경우가 많은 우리나라에도 이 책의 내용을 적용하는 일이 가능하다. 퍼머컬처는 장소에 따라 적용하는 디자인도 달라지기에, 그대로 옮겨 쓸 수 있는 일반화된 매뉴얼이란 있을 수 없다. 따라서『가이아의 정원』은 생태적으로 농사를 짓거나 정원을 디자인할 때 염두에 두어야 할 중요한 키포인트를 안내해, 각자가 살고 있는 환경에 알맞은 자연농법을 스스로 창안하도록 도와준다.

또한 퍼머컬처 개념을 처음 접하는 독자도 이해할 수 있도록 기본적인 생태학 지식과 생태디자인 원리를 담고 있다. 유용한 식물 리스트에는 북아메리카 원산의 식물이 많지만, 국내 원예시장에서 구할 수 있는 종이 더 많다. 오히려 이 책에 소개한 개념을 바탕으로 우리나라 특유의 작물이나 주변에 자생하고 있는 토착식물을 이용하는 쪽이 창의적이고 바람직한 퍼머컬처다.






1부 생태계로서의 정원

1장 생태정원이란? 

■ 퍼머컬처란 무엇인가?
2장 정원사의 생태학
표2-1 미성숙한 생태계와 성숙한 생태계의 차이점
■ 식물군집은 정말로 존재할까?
3장 생태정원 디자인
■ 열쇠구멍 모양 두둑 만들기와 식물 심기
표3-1 무엇을 관찰할 것인가.디자이너가 점검해야 할 항목
표3-2 배나무의 연결 관계
■ 배나무의 연결 관계 몇 가지
표3-3 각 지구의 기능과 내용
■ 생태정원 디자인하기: 요약

2부 생태정원을 이루는 요소

4장 흙 살리기
표4-1 일반적인 피복재와 퇴비 재료의 탄소 대 질소 비율
■ 목질 쓰레기를 이용해서 토양을 조성하는 법
■ 폭탄이 떨어져도 끄떡없는 최강의 시트 피복
■ 시트 피복에 식물 심기
표4-2 피복작물 

5장 물을 확보하고, 보존하고, 이용하는 법
표5-1 물을 절약하는 다섯 가지 방법과 그 혜택
■ 스웨일 만드는 법
표5-2 지중해성 기후에 적합한 유용한 식물
■ 집수 시스템 계획하기
■ 생활폐수를 이용할 때 숙지할 점
■ 뒷마당 습지 만들기
표5-3 생활폐수를 정화하는 습지에 적합한 식물 

6장 다양한 용도로 쓸 수 있는 식물
표6-1 구체적인 기능 중합의 예
표6-2 역동적 영양소 축적식물
표6-3 질소고정식물
■ 잡초를 비롯한 야생의 먹을거리
표6-4 흔히 찾아볼 수 있는 식용 잡초의 예
표6-5 보모 식물 

7장 벌과 새, 그 밖의 유익한 동물 불러오기
■ 익충에는 어떤 종류가 있을까
표7-1 익충을 끌어들이는 식물
표7-2 새에게 유용한 식물
표7-3 가금류의 먹이가 되는 식물

3부 생태정원 만들기

8장 정원을 위한 식물군집 만들기
■ 이안토 에반스의 복합경작
■ 좀 더 발전된 자자르코트의 복합경작
■ 세 자매 길드 만들기 

9장 정원 길드 디자인
■ 자연의 식물군집을 길드 디자인의 지침으로 이용하는 법
표9-1 백참나무/개암나무 공동체
표9-2 길드를 이루는 식물의 기능 

10장 먹거리숲 가꾸기
■ 숲 정원의 짧은 역사
■ 제롬의 길드와 길드 식물
표10-1 숲 정원에 알맞은 식물들 

11장 도시에서 퍼머컬처 정원 가꾸기
12장 폭발하는 생태정원
■ 생태적인 타협 없이는 아무것도 할 수 없다
============

부록
유용한 식물 목록
대교목. 15m 이상 ┃ 소교목·관목층. 1~15m ┃ 초본층 ┃ 유용한 덩굴식물
용어 해설
참고문헌
도움 되는 정보






첫문장
지속가능한 조경을 하려는 운동이 더욱 열기를 띠고 있다.

“생태정원Ecological garden은 환경을 거의 훼손하지 않으며, 한번 만들어놓고 나면 유지하는 데 노력이 많이 들지 않는다. 또한 생산성이 높을 뿐 아니라 미적으로 세련되기까지 하다. 생태정원은 그 모습도, 작동하는 방식도 자연과 꼭 같다. 이 정원은 식물과 ...
“요즘의 친환경·유기 농산물의 유행은 퍼머컬처의 관점을 가지고 보면 반기기만 할 일은 아니다. 무농약 재배가 농약 재배보다야 사람의 건강에는 이롭겠지만, 유기농 농산물조차도 시종을 따져보면 화석연료를 엄청나게 소비하고 있다. 에너지 위기 시대에 지속가능하지 않은 유기농...

=======================



지은이 : 토비 헤멘웨이
저자파일
최고의 작품 투표
신간알리미 신청
최근작 : <가이아의 정원> … 총 6종 (모두보기)
소개 :
포틀랜드 주립대학교 교육대학원 겸임 교수, 퍼시픽 대학교 주재 연구원, 생체모방학회(Biomimicry Guild) 생물학 컨설턴트로 활동하고 있으며, 1999년부터 2004년까지는 생태디자인과 지속가능한 문화를 다루는 정기간행물인 <퍼머컬처 액티비스트Permaculture Activist>의 편집자를 맡기도 했다. 세계 곳곳을 돌아다니며 퍼머컬처와 생태디자인에 대한 강연과 컨설팅을 한다. 미국 오리건 주 포틀랜드에서 아내와 함께 살면서 도시의 지속가능성을 위한 장소와 자원을 개발하고 있다. patternliteracy.com




옮긴이 : 이해성
저자파일
최고의 작품 투표
신간알리미 신청
최근작 : … 총 4종 (모두보기)
소개 : 1986년생. 네 살 때 경남 산청으로 이주하여 지금도 같은 곳에서 살고 있다. 문명 비판적인 입장에서 의식주와 문화생활, 교육의 자급자족을 추구해온 가족의 철학에 따라 초등학교 졸업 후 일체의 정규교육을 받지 않고, 자급농사를 기본으로 다양한 방면에서 활동과 탐색을 해왔다. 생태적이고 지속가능한 삶을 살고 싶은 이들에게 도움이 되는 실용적인 책을 소개하는 일에 관심이 많다. 옮긴 책으로 『매혹의 조련사 뮤즈』, 『아이들은 어떻게 배우는가』(공역)가 있다.




옮긴이 : 이은주
저자파일
최고의 작품 투표
신간알리미 신청
최근작 : <유럽 문화와 교육 대국 독일 이야기> … 총 49종 (모두보기)
소개 : 서울대학교에서 독어독문학 박사 과정을 수료했습니다.
같은 학교에서 독일어를 가르쳤으며, 현재는 영어와 독일어 책을 우리말로 옮기는 일을 하고 있습니다.
《독일 이야기》를 집필하였고, 옮긴 책으로는 《우린 널 사랑해》,《성탄절 이야기》, 《아빠는 아프리카로 간 게 아니었다》, 《에밀, 집에 가자》,《루카스의 긴 여행 1, 2》, 《교육오류사전》, 《가이아의 정원(공역)》 들이 있습니다.

---------------


진짜 자연처럼 작동하는 정원은 가능하다!
자연은 사람의 손길이 닿지 않아도 아름답다. 숲이나 들판은 굳이 누가 ‘조성’하지 않았는데 풍요롭기 그지없다. 그런데 우리는 왜 ‘생태 00’를 조성한다는 명목으로 돈을 쓰고, 관리를 하느라 끝없는 노동을 해야 할까? 진짜 자연은 돌보는 사람이 없어도 저절로 작동하고, 야생생물이 제 발로 찾아와 터를 잡는다. 이런 자연의 한 조각을 우리 집 정원에 옮겨놓을 수 있다면?

일종의 생태디자인 방법론인 퍼머컬처Permaculture* 원리를 이용하면 ‘보기 좋고, 생태적이고, 먹거리도 나는 정원’을 만들 수 있다. 생태적인 사막이나 다름없는 잔디밭이나 벌과 나비가 날아들지 않는 관상식물 대신에, 대지의 여신(가이아)이 돌보는 생태정원을 우리 집 마당에 꾸며보자. 이 책에서 이야기하는 생태정원은 보다 생태적인 삶을 살기 위한 수단이며, 생태사회로 나아가기 위한 첫걸음이다.

더 좋은 세상을 위한 좋은 책, 한국형 퍼머컬처를 위한 두 번째 모색 

들녘에서는 『농, 살림을 디자인하다: 퍼머컬처로 이루는 농업살림·농장살림·농촌살림』(귀농총서 39)을 통해 한국형 퍼머컬처를 모색한 바 있다. 이번에 출간하는 귀농총서 45번째 책, 『가이아의 정원: 텃밭에서 뒷산까지, 퍼머컬처 생태디자인』은 영미권 도서로는 최초로 가정 단위에 퍼머컬처 디자인을 적용해 생태정원을 가꾸는 방법을 안내하는 퍼머컬처 입문서다.

이 책은 독자에게 상상력과 새로운 가능성을 불어넣어 정신적 성장, 의식 있는 삶, 녹색 가치, 긍정적인 사회 변화를 이끄는, ‘더 좋은 세상을 위한 좋은 책’을 선정하는 노틸러스 북어워드(Nautilus Awards)의 금상 수상작(2011년)이다.

퍼머컬처 디자인을 구체적인 실제 사례(부지가 300평쯤 되는 전형적인 미국 교외 주택에 퍼머컬처 디자인 적용하기)를 통해 알아보기에 이보다 더 좋은 책은 없다. 물론 상대적으로 부지가 좁고 주택과 농지가 서로 떨어져 있는 경우가 많은 우리나라에도 이 책의 내용을 적용하는 일이 가능하다. 퍼머컬처는 장소에 따라 적용하는 디자인도 달라지기에, 그대로 옮겨 쓸 수 있는 일반화된 매뉴얼이란 있을 수 없다. 따라서『가이아의 정원』은 생태적으로 농사를 짓거나 정원을 디자인할 때 염두에 두어야 할 중요한 키포인트를 안내해, 각자가 살고 있는 환경에 알맞은 자연농법을 스스로 창안하도록 도와준다. 또한 퍼머컬처 개념을 처음 접하는 독자도 이해할 수 있도록 기본적인 생태학 지식과 생태디자인 원리를 담고 있다. 유용한 식물 리스트에는 북아메리카 원산의 식물이 많지만, 국내 원예시장에서 구할 수 있는 종이 더 많다. 오히려 이 책에 소개한 개념을 바탕으로 우리나라 특유의 작물이나 주변에 자생하고 있는 토착식물을 이용하는 쪽이 창의적이고 바람직한 퍼머컬처다.

*퍼머컬처permaculture란?
‘영속적인 문화(permanent culture)’와 ‘영속적인 농업(permanent agriculture)’의 축약어로, 자연 그대로의 모습을 모방하여 지속가능한 인간 거주지를 만들려는 일종의 생태디자인 방법론이다. ‘후쿠오카의 자연농법, 유기농법, 재활용, 자연건축, 재생 가능한 에너지’ 등 지속가능성을 위한 도구를 언제 어떻게 사용할지를 결정하고 조직하는 일을 도와주는 도구상자라 할 수 있다. 퍼머컬처 디자인은 경관(정원)을 이루는 각각의 요소가 ‘자연이 일하는 대로, 자연의 법칙에 따라’ 유기적으로 연결되도록 만든다.

자연의 법칙에 따라 디자인한 살아 있는 정원 

자연은 절대로 한 번에 한 가지 일만 하지 않는다. 참나무 한 그루는 그늘을 드리워 인간과 동식물에게 휴식처를 제공하고, 공기 중의 수분을 끌어들여 물을 모으고, 대기의 이산화탄소를 제거하고, 사람과 동물의 먹이가 되는 열매를 맺는다. 하지만 잔디밭은 푸르름을 유지하기 위해 엄청난 노동력과 물이 필요한 데 비해, 제공하는 것이라곤 드러누울 수 있는 장소가 전부다. 동물의 서식지가 되지도 못하고 인간에게 먹거리를 제공하지도 못하는 잔디밭은 생태적으로 보자면 사막이나 다름없다. 게다가 자연은 키와 뿌리 길이가 모두 같은 한 가지 식물만 모여 있는 식생을 질색한다. 텃밭에 같은 종류의 작물만 모아놓으면 씨를 뿌리고 거두기에는 편리하지만 해충과 질병에게는 ‘마음껏 먹으라’는 신호가 될 뿐이다. 해충과 질병을 통제하기 위해 결국 농약이라는 극단적인 방법을 사용할 수밖에 없는 이유는 이런 관행적인 농업 방식이 ‘자연스럽지’ 않기 때문이 아닐까.
대지의 여신이 돌보는 ‘가이아의 정원’에서 인간은 거침없는 손길로 자연을 훼손하는 존재가 아니며, 자연은 일방적으로 보호를 받아야 할 대상이 아니다. 자연과 인간은 상호 이익을 주고받는다. 인간은 자연이 더 빨리 ‘천이(遷移)’의 모든 단계를 거치도록 도와 생태계의 여러 생물에게 서식지를 제공한다. 반면 자연은 인간이 먹을 수 있는 생산물, 즐길 수 있는 아름다운 경관, 편안한 휴식처를 제공한다. 이런 정원에서, 인간은 흙, 물, 동물, 식물과 공존하며 자연의 일부가 된다.

이 책의 구성과 특징 

생태적인 삶을 꿈꾼다면, 퍼머컬처를 이해하자! : 퍼머컬처 개념의 이해를 돕기 위해 생태학과 생태디자인의 원리와 퍼머컬처의 기본적인 원칙을 탐구한다. 정원을 하나의 생태계로 보고, 좀 더 ‘진짜’ 자연처럼 작동하도록 만드는 데 바탕이 되는 이야기가 담겨 있다. [1부/12장]

생태정원이란? 4요소를 알아보자! : 흙, 물, 식물, 동물이라는 생태정원의 4요소를 살펴본다. 이 네 가지 요소는 우리 마음대로 조종할 수 있는 부품이 아니라 잘 작동하는 생태계를 함께 만드는 동적인 존재들이다. 또한 이 요소들은 외따로 존재하는 것이 아니라 자연의 다른 요소들과 유기적으로 연결되어 있다. [2부]

개념부터 실행까지! 이제 정원을 가꾸자! : 정원의 여러 요소를 조합해서 뒷마당 생태계를 만드는 법을 안내한다. 복합경작polyculture, 식물군집/길드 디자인, 먹거리를 생산하는 숲 정원, 도시 거주자를 위한 전략을 추가로 제시한다. [3부]

유용한 식물 리스트 제공! : 피복작물 / 생활폐수를 정화하는 습지에 적합한 식물 / 역동적 영양소 축적식물 / 질소고정식물 / 보모 식물 / 익충을 끌어들이는 식물 / 새에게 유용한 식물 / 가금류의 먹이가 되는 식물 / 숲 정원에 알맞은 식물 / 각종 유용한 대교목 · 소교목 · 관목 · 초본 · 덩굴식물 등, 필요할 때 참고할 수 있는 기능별 식물 리스트가 곳곳에 실려 있다.

퍼머컬처 디자인에 유용한 각종 농법과 노하우! : 열쇠구멍 모양 두둑 만들기 / 목질 쓰레기를 이용한 토양 조성법 / 최강의 시트 피복 / 물을 절약하는 다섯 가지 방법 / 스웨일 만드는 법 / 집수 시스템 만들기 / 생활폐수 이용법 / 뒷마당 습지 만들기 / 복합경작 / 식물군집과 길드 디자인 / 먹거리숲 가꾸기 / 도시에 퍼머컬처 적용하기 등, 꼭 퍼머컬처 디자인의 일부로서가 아니라 단독으로 쓰더라도 효과적인 농법과 노하우가 가득하다.


-------------------------------

miru 2015-09-22
3장까지 읽다가 참을 수 없어서 후기를 남긴다. 300평 미만의 생태적인 개인 정원을 가꾸려는 이에게 이보다 더 종합적으로 도움이 되는 한글 책은 본 적이 없다. 최고다. 교양서로 읽는다면 내용이 너무 자세해서 지루할 것이나, 실용서로서는 별5개 대신 50개를 주고 싶을 정도다. 번역도 훌륭.
--------------------



총 : 2편




퍼머컬처로 농업이 살아나다 낭만인생 ㅣ 2015-07-24 ㅣ 공감(7) ㅣ 댓글 (0)


퍼머컬처(Permaculture) 자연에서 발견되는 패턴과 관계를 모방해서 지역에서 필요한 음식, 섬유, 에너지를 충족시킬 수 잇도록 경관을 설계하는 것이라고 한다. 친환경적 삶의 공간, 생태원리를 따라 만들어진 생활원리다.




퍼머컬처의 세계는 순환에 입각하여 자급자족과 생태적 농업을 꿈군다. 쓰레기가 아닌 자원으로, 인공적 멋이 아닌 자연과 어울리는 생태주택과 환경을 통해 참삶을 만드는 작업니다. 퍼머컬처의 저자인 데이비드 홈그렌은 다음과 같이 12가지 퍼머컬처 원리를 밝힌다.




퍼머컬처의 윤리 원리

원리1 관찰하고 상호작용하라

원리2 에너지를 붙잡아 저장하라

원리3 소출을 얻으라

원리4 자기 규율을 확립하고 피드백을 받아들이라

원리5 재생 가능한 자원과 용역을 사용하고 소중히 여기라

원리6 쓰레기를 만들지 말라

원리7 패턴에서 시작해 세부 사항으로 설계해가라

원리8 분리하기보다는 통합하라

원리9 작고 느린 해결책을 사용하라

원리10 다양성을 활용하고 소중히 여기라

원리11 가장자리를 활용하고 주변부를 소중히 여기라



원리12 창조적으로 변화를 활용하고 그에 반응하라




모양이 약간 다르기는 하지만 공동체로서의 농업을 꿈꾸는 이들에게 추천할 만한 책들을 담았다.
















































































































읽고싶다. 제목만 보고도. chika ㅣ 2014-12-22 ㅣ 공감(6) ㅣ 댓글 (1)






월급날이 다가오면서, 신간구입을 해야하는데 정신없이 밀려둔 책들이 생각났다. 그런데 월급날이 코앞으로 다가오니 갑자기 이런저런 생각지 못한 비용, 이를테면 어머니 병원비같은 것이 마구 나온다. 그래서. 돈을 아껴야하는거구나, 라는 생각에 신간구입을 못하고 망설이고 있다. 그래도.

읽고 싶은 책은 사야지.

근데 또다시 슬그머니 망설이게 되는 건. 혹시 이번에 에세이 신간평가단이 되었는데 거기서 또 받게 되면 어쩌지? 라는. 이젠 예전처럼 책 두 권이면 가뿐하게 한 권 선물해주면 되는거야,가 아니라 아깝다!! 라는 생각을 먼저 하게 되니 어쩔 수 없어. 점점 더 예상치못한 병원비가 많이 들어가게 되니까 말야.

근데 가이아의 정원. 읽고 싶다.

Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers

Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers





Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers
byMark Shepard
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Allerion
5.0 out of 5 starsThe best permaculture title I've read...and I've read many.
August 26, 2014
I've read a ton of permaculture books and done years of field work. This is the very best book I've read so far. It still has flaws, like almost all permaculture books, in that it tries to show how permaculture can be more profitable than mainstream big-Ag farming, which is just not the case unless you happen upon a local gaggle of millionaire hippies willing to pay 10x the price for your products. Still it is really good. The author covers the contents of a dozen other highly rated books in just a few paragraphs, saving you a lot of wasted time and money reading long and drawn-out hippie diatribes. He covers use of livestock in conjunction with permaculture gardening/forestry to a degree I've not seen anywhere else in print. I'm super-critical when it comes to permaculture and people trying to promote it as something more profound and life-changing than it actually is, but this is absolutely a top-notch read. My only criticism is that he does some statistics manipulation to try to show that sustainable agriculture is more profitable than mainstream ag in a calories-per-input scale as well as a dollars-per-input scale and neither is true or there would be no such thing as permaculture. It would just be mainstream agriculture if it were more profitable. Still, even from a curmudgeon like myself, this is a fantastic permaculture read.
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Top critical review
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The Great Gadfly
3.0 out of 5 starsGood book but is basically a rehash of the 1929 ...
January 9, 2015
Good book but is basically a rehash of the 1929 classic Tree Crops by J. Russell Smith which is publicly available from a dozen sources. Actually in many ways Smith's book is better because he actually conducted research and correspond widely with others and didn't just showcase his own farm, which is what Shepard basically does. Shepard is also heavy on the personal opinion and light on the practical advice. It is not a bad book, but I would get it from a library if you can, or just read Tree Crops. I sure regret dropping $25 on it! It sure doesn't contain much in the way of instruction. More than a few times he says to go read other peoples books to figure it out. It comes off as lazy to me.

After reading this book a second time I will add that I commend some of the ideas in the book, however, I must denounce some flaws. To being with, perennial crops are not more reliable than annual. I have perennial and annual crops. It's almost an every other year that a late frost, for a season, makes either apples, pears, or peaches a TOTAL loss where I live by killing the blossoms. It's rare, where I live, to find a wild nut bearing tree where fewer than half the nuts are wormy or ruined for anything but pig feed. And, as someone who has sat down and shelled a big bowl of hickory nuts, I can tell you it is tedious and you don't end up with a whole lot of food after about 8 hours. In fact, that quantity of nut meat bits (and they will be little bits) can be consumed by some greedy children in mere minutes. A harvester built in 1980 can make ready as many calories in a millisecond. Part of what makes modern agriculture possible are the machines that work very well at harvesting. And there seems to me that there is considerable variability among food bearing trees that will make mechanical harvest inefficient and expensive, even if someone where to feel it economically worthwhile to develop such machines. J. R. Smith understood this. This is why he urged grafting of "genius" scion wood to ordinary trees and attempts at breeding native species into economically efficient crop trees. Shepard seems to advocate the exact opposite...basically he thinks that wild plants are better because they require fewer inputs. This is true no doubt, but it also marks a philosophical return to nomadism and hunting-gathering. It is basically the opposite of agriculture. I have no problem when affluent folks buying worn out farms and turning them into clever tree plantations, but it is a bit of a stretch to call it agriculture, and he admits it will not be profitable.

Meanwhile, I have never known (nor do I know anyone) who has known a modern corn crop to fail. Might be a disappointing year (under 180 bu/acre), but corn is tough stuff. I've seen it withstand winds that toppled apple and oak trees, I've seen it weather droughts that toasted perennial pastures, and it isn't planted when floods or winter weather are a worry, while all perennials need to withstand both. I am very glad to see that Shepard mentions alley cropping practices. These are what can allow a transition to perennial agriculture, and for that matter, offers greater diversity on the farm. There is abundant evidence (mostly out of the University of Missouri center for agroforestry) that many ordinary annual farm crops grow well among trees, and it is proven that most cool seasons grasses and legumes (the stuff of animal forage) grow better beneath the shade of moderately shading trees (Hickory-Pecan-Walnut-Butternut tribe, the Locusts). I was disappointed to see that no mention was made of Management Intensive Grazing (or MIG). MIG can work with silvopastural practices even better than it does in just an open pasture (the shade problem is already solved). MIG is the way to maximize the productivity of forage plants and get more calories per acre while relying less on feeding annual plants to animals.

Furthermore, I am left wondering how the harvest of the diversity of crops at all different heights and whatnot is supposed to be achieved with a reasonable amount of work. I wonder if it has dawned on the author that the reason why orchardists and farmers that row crop a few species of plants do what they do not because they are stupid, but because they want to get in the harvest in with reasonable time expenditure and effort. I suppose that is what pigs are for he'd probably say. I would follow up with what are the pigs going to eat in the other three seasons? If you have enough pigs to clean up the mast/fruit crop, you will have too many pigs the rest of the time, and no you can just fatten a pig up in a month and then slaughter them. You will need to keep back some brood sows at a minimum.

The truth is that almost all omnivore and herbivore animals in savanna biomes traveled around a very large area to meet their nutritional needs. Since the whole world has been fenced in or out, man has to substitute storage of feedstuffs instead..or he can plant annuals in an intelligent way an let the animals harvest it for him out of the field. And this dovetails nicely with alley cropping practice. No-till organic agriculture is a well developed method that the Rodale folks have worked out and it allows ROTATION of crops, which is a key weapon against pests. Ever wonder why orchardists spray so much? It's because, in large part, trees are perennials and the bugs that survive one year don't have to travel very far to re-infect the plants the following year. It isn't simply because any tree that has been bred up to make good fruit is weak or that all non-native trees are weak as Shepard suggests.

In short, this book has many good points. It correctly points out the disaster that modern agriculture is heading into. And I immensely respect people who actually go out and do things to correct it. It's just that at times the considerable arrogance of the author comes through on these pages and as it is described it is admittedly not a viable alternative for the non-wealthy at present. I happen to think that tree crops are a viable alternative, and there are many good ways to transition to a more permanent agriculture, and that most of this information is free on the internet. Just search the terms Silvopasture, Agroforestry, Alley cropping, etc...

It turns out that University of Wisconsin extension service has a bunch of videos on YouTube where they interview and tour Shepard's farm. Much can be learned from these for free. I am a bit alarmed by the fact that U of W Extension is featuring Shephard's farm like it is an actual economically profitable farm, when Shepard states very clearly in his book that it is not. Though it was worthwhile to learn about his mowing techniques and how he tries to train trees like apples into a shapes that make mowing efficient. This is the kind of practical information that is mostly absent from Restoration Agriculture.
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The Great Gadfly
3.0 out of 5 starsGood book but is basically a rehash of the 1929 ...January 9, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Good book but is basically a rehash of the 1929 classic Tree Crops by J. Russell Smith which is publicly available from a dozen sources. Actually in many ways Smith's book is better because he actually conducted research and correspond widely with others and didn't just showcase his own farm, which is what Shepard basically does. Shepard is also heavy on the personal opinion and light on the practical advice. It is not a bad book, but I would get it from a library if you can, or just read Tree Crops. I sure regret dropping $25 on it! It sure doesn't contain much in the way of instruction. More than a few times he says to go read other peoples books to figure it out. It comes off as lazy to me.

After reading this book a second time I will add that I commend some of the ideas in the book, however, I must denounce some flaws. To being with, perennial crops are not more reliable than annual. I have perennial and annual crops. It's almost an every other year that a late frost, for a season, makes either apples, pears, or peaches a TOTAL loss where I live by killing the blossoms. It's rare, where I live, to find a wild nut bearing tree where fewer than half the nuts are wormy or ruined for anything but pig feed. And, as someone who has sat down and shelled a big bowl of hickory nuts, I can tell you it is tedious and you don't end up with a whole lot of food after about 8 hours. In fact, that quantity of nut meat bits (and they will be little bits) can be consumed by some greedy children in mere minutes. A harvester built in 1980 can make ready as many calories in a millisecond. Part of what makes modern agriculture possible are the machines that work very well at harvesting. And there seems to me that there is considerable variability among food bearing trees that will make mechanical harvest inefficient and expensive, even if someone where to feel it economically worthwhile to develop such machines. J. R. Smith understood this. This is why he urged grafting of "genius" scion wood to ordinary trees and attempts at breeding native species into economically efficient crop trees. Shepard seems to advocate the exact opposite...basically he thinks that wild plants are better because they require fewer inputs. This is true no doubt, but it also marks a philosophical return to nomadism and hunting-gathering. It is basically the opposite of agriculture. I have no problem when affluent folks buying worn out farms and turning them into clever tree plantations, but it is a bit of a stretch to call it agriculture, and he admits it will not be profitable.

Meanwhile, I have never known (nor do I know anyone) who has known a modern corn crop to fail. Might be a disappointing year (under 180 bu/acre), but corn is tough stuff. I've seen it withstand winds that toppled apple and oak trees, I've seen it weather droughts that toasted perennial pastures, and it isn't planted when floods or winter weather are a worry, while all perennials need to withstand both. I am very glad to see that Shepard mentions alley cropping practices. These are what can allow a transition to perennial agriculture, and for that matter, offers greater diversity on the farm. There is abundant evidence (mostly out of the University of Missouri center for agroforestry) that many ordinary annual farm crops grow well among trees, and it is proven that most cool seasons grasses and legumes (the stuff of animal forage) grow better beneath the shade of moderately shading trees (Hickory-Pecan-Walnut-Butternut tribe, the Locusts). I was disappointed to see that no mention was made of Management Intensive Grazing (or MIG). MIG can work with silvopastural practices even better than it does in just an open pasture (the shade problem is already solved). MIG is the way to maximize the productivity of forage plants and get more calories per acre while relying less on feeding annual plants to animals.

Furthermore, I am left wondering how the harvest of the diversity of crops at all different heights and whatnot is supposed to be achieved with a reasonable amount of work. I wonder if it has dawned on the author that the reason why orchardists and farmers that row crop a few species of plants do what they do not because they are stupid, but because they want to get in the harvest in with reasonable time expenditure and effort. I suppose that is what pigs are for he'd probably say. I would follow up with what are the pigs going to eat in the other three seasons? If you have enough pigs to clean up the mast/fruit crop, you will have too many pigs the rest of the time, and no you can just fatten a pig up in a month and then slaughter them. You will need to keep back some brood sows at a minimum.

The truth is that almost all omnivore and herbivore animals in savanna biomes traveled around a very large area to meet their nutritional needs. Since the whole world has been fenced in or out, man has to substitute storage of feedstuffs instead..or he can plant annuals in an intelligent way an let the animals harvest it for him out of the field. And this dovetails nicely with alley cropping practice. No-till organic agriculture is a well developed method that the Rodale folks have worked out and it allows ROTATION of crops, which is a key weapon against pests. Ever wonder why orchardists spray so much? It's because, in large part, trees are perennials and the bugs that survive one year don't have to travel very far to re-infect the plants the following year. It isn't simply because any tree that has been bred up to make good fruit is weak or that all non-native trees are weak as Shepard suggests.

In short, this book has many good points. It correctly points out the disaster that modern agriculture is heading into. And I immensely respect people who actually go out and do things to correct it. It's just that at times the considerable arrogance of the author comes through on these pages and as it is described it is admittedly not a viable alternative for the non-wealthy at present. I happen to think that tree crops are a viable alternative, and there are many good ways to transition to a more permanent agriculture, and that most of this information is free on the internet. Just search the terms Silvopasture, Agroforestry, Alley cropping, etc...

It turns out that University of Wisconsin extension service has a bunch of videos on YouTube where they interview and tour Shepard's farm. Much can be learned from these for free. I am a bit alarmed by the fact that U of W Extension is featuring Shephard's farm like it is an actual economically profitable farm, when Shepard states very clearly in his book that it is not. Though it was worthwhile to learn about his mowing techniques and how he tries to train trees like apples into a shapes that make mowing efficient. This is the kind of practical information that is mostly absent from Restoration Agriculture.

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Allerion
5.0 out of 5 starsThe best permaculture title I've read...and I've read many.August 26, 2014
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I've read a ton of permaculture books and done years of field work. This is the very best book I've read so far. It still has flaws, like almost all permaculture books, in that it tries to show how permaculture can be more profitable than mainstream big-Ag farming, which is just not the case unless you happen upon a local gaggle of millionaire hippies willing to pay 10x the price for your products. Still it is really good. The author covers the contents of a dozen other highly rated books in just a few paragraphs, saving you a lot of wasted time and money reading long and drawn-out hippie diatribes. He covers use of livestock in conjunction with permaculture gardening/forestry to a degree I've not seen anywhere else in print. I'm super-critical when it comes to permaculture and people trying to promote it as something more profound and life-changing than it actually is, but this is absolutely a top-notch read. My only criticism is that he does some statistics manipulation to try to show that sustainable agriculture is more profitable than mainstream ag in a calories-per-input scale as well as a dollars-per-input scale and neither is true or there would be no such thing as permaculture. It would just be mainstream agriculture if it were more profitable. Still, even from a curmudgeon like myself, this is a fantastic permaculture read.

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Bryan
5.0 out of 5 starsNot a step by step how toApril 15, 2016
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This is a pretty broad overview of the Restoration Agriculture system(?). You will not get much how to, or step by step instructions so you can copy what Mark has on your land. Besides you don't want that, unless you are Mark Shepard, in which case, could you sign my book? This is more of a call to action, how to act, and why-kind of book. This is the bridge, not the vehicle; the means of how you cross the bridge doesn't really matter. Likewise what plants you need to plant, what techniques you will use, and what your goals are will vary. This book will help snap you out of focus on the details, and help you build the framework that you need for your situation

If you want how to so you can permie up your postage stamp you can find that online and in other books. If your interested in feeding people en masse, in a smart and cost effective way to build a self sustaining future free of chemical ag, foriegn oil, and building a strong ecosystem (or whatever social-ecological-economical-political reason you have) you should really read this book.

Side note, the quality of the actual book is very good. Good paper stock and quality cover. I did tape the cover so it would last longer.

P.S. Mark, your "grains causes the downfall of civilizations" argument is a logical fallacy.

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OneTuff Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsGives Lg-scale ag a starting point for changeApril 30, 2018
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Can't reasonably expect one book to be complete on any subject.

That said, this is a Decent intro for why reaching beyond organic ag (to restoreAg) is a necessity, and offers some practical steps for transition

Audience & Focus is more toward:
~shifting mindset away from ChemCorp /PharmAg practices, which comprise the majority of current US production
~beyond tillage farming of organic annual cropping
~feasible, interim strategies for large-scale producers to implement while in transition toward sustainability.
To these ends, it's a good start, and should be required reading in ecology 101.

Mainstream awareness is obviously critical to shift markets from lowest price to favoring suppliers who follow humane, sustainable practices. The transition is most economically sound for the consumer:
~sustainable practices make production less costly and a higher quality product
~shifts a "gourmet" to the mainstream, improving the standard and eventually price

Market shifts pressure big Corp 'Pharmers' to clean up their act and improve product in order to compete.
~To these ends, should be required reading in any intro economics class, especially home economics.

Silvopasturing is touched on in prose, but follow-on poly-culture mob stock grazing (a cornerstone practice for economic and ecologic stability) is given far less attention than i hoped. The few examples that only elude to actual nuts&bolts of specific RestoreAg practices, their economic impact or projections, and scalability are only a good start, and left me wanting for more hard data.

I recommend it, i enjoyed it, give it 5 stars, but I'm not in the large-scale Ag commodity production business.
For my far smaller-scale aspirations, I've found books by J. Salatin, M. Phillips, Bill Mollison or Yoeman more helpful for my circumstances and stage of learning.


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Bill
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is an excellent book. Highly recommendedMarch 28, 2015
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This is an excellent book. Highly recommended.

We are farmers, practicing chemical-free sustainable agriculture in southern Virginia. When we started farming I'd never heard of permaculture, and certainly hadn't heard of "restoration agriculture." There are many things we did then that I would have done differently, had I had the benefit of this book.

I'm looking around our place now and seeing opportunities to improve and make our farm more truly sustainable and resilient. I'm not ready to completely toss out annual crops (and neither has Mr. Shepard), but I am definitely going to increase our planting our perennials and reduce our tillage. There is excellent advice for water management in this book too.

Sometimes books in this genre and all "nuts and bolts" and other times they're all about philosophical approaches without much practical application. This book is a great blend of both those approaches.

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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 starsA good introduction for a true and absolute beginnerFebruary 9, 2016
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A good introduction for a true and absolute beginner. It is definitely worth the money and time if permaculture and the ideas of restoration agriculture are still very new to you. This book gives a lot of good talking points and references to check out.

I think I might have liked this book more had I read it earlier in my permaculture education. However, I feel like I got more information watching youtube videos in which Mark Shepard was presenting. If I did not watch these videos and did not know his speaking style and pattern, this book would have been more difficult to get into. The book touches on a lot of different subjects, but ultimately is one giant ramble. Given Shepard's extensive educational background, I guess I was expecting something more edited and for him to go slightly deeper.

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of best books I have read on subjectOctober 31, 2015
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One of best books I have read on subject. WHERE WAS THIS BOOK 10 years ago when we were trying to start this farm! If you are trying to start a farm, read this book before you ever touch a shovel, or buy a seed or a chicken.

Just finished the book. Extremely thought-provoking. If I had read this book first, we would have done things so differently, and saved much money, hard labor and frustration. I.E., we would not have added the.goats yet, worst thing we could.have done at this stage.

Thank you, Mr. Shepard, what a concept!!! Love it.

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsSustainable agriculture = better for all.April 25, 2016
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This is a well-written, well-considered book on how to imitate natural forms in agricultural systems. It's not just another back-to-Nature or back-to-the land book. The author has not only studied the natural order of symbiotic plant growth systems, he has backed up his words with personal experience. He carefully examines and presents how to grow sustainable, perennial food crops that feed the masses without further depleting our precious natural resources. His careful comparison to current systems of growing single, annual crops definitively show that perennial agriculture produces more food, costs less to grow, depletes the land less, and can actually sustain a farmer economically. I'm a senior citizen, and this book showed me how to work less and grow more on my land. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in contributing to the long-term hope for the future.

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Tyler W
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing!January 11, 2019
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As someone that's been working in tropical permaculture for a few years now but is originally from the midwest, I've become rather curious as to how farmers in the corn belt could get beyond annual monoculture, and actually develop systems that provide staple food crops for people while actually regenerating our environment. As a young farmer, this book has given me so much hope and inspiration for our future. Mark lays out an incredible amount of useful information and takes you through the step by step process of holistic management. Sprouting my first few chestnuts as I write this! Thank you!


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BooBooKitty
5.0 out of 5 starsMust have for anyone wanting to have a better way to farmJuly 10, 2018
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Must have for anyone wanting to have a better way to farm. Permaculture practices, and easy to read. it would be nice to have some diagrams or more illustrations for for some of the topics. I am a visual learner. Excellent resource and will be permanent addition to my library.