Recommended Reading for Regenerative Agriculturists

Recommended Reading for Regenerative Agriculturists in the End Times (Which Is Hopefully Also, the Beginning of Something New)

The following reading list is a collection of personal reading recommendations for farmers, food systems activists, regenerative agriculture consultants, permaculturists—whoever is interested in food systems change and autonomous food production. There are a good bit of historical texts in this list, as well as two very contemporary pieces—also easier and more accessible reads language-wise—which give excellent snapshots of what is hot and happening in the movement right now. However, I encourage readers to also know their history, especially when it comes to agriculture and growing food. Although it often feels as though we are hurtling towards an apocalyptic end, some of the historical texts may give peace in learning that we have been here before—and perhaps we may better learn how to ‘undo,’ by seeing how it was done before. Enjoy!

1. The Earthbound Farmer’s Almanac (2021) by Lobelia Commons

This anthology of poems, stories, foraging instructions, recipes, essays, and horoscopes is geared towards those of us seeking food security and new ways of relating to the Earth in *the end times.* Have you ever wondered about how the food ecology of your region will change with shifting temperatures and rain patterns? Do you understand how hunting can be an ethical alternative to purchasing meat from factory-farm suppliers? Is mushroom foraging on your list of things to learn, but you need someplace to start? If yes to any, then this book is for you.

You can download the 2021 Earthbound Almanac for free and purchase the new 2022 Earthbound Almanac from Lobelia Commons here: https://www.emergentgoods.com/product/2022-earthbound-farmers-almanac

2. Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas (2001) by Judith Ann Carney

This book changed my mind and self-image as a Black woman participating in food production in North America. Although I knew dimly that rice was a cash crop during plantation slavery in the United States, I never conceived the full extent of its impact on the economy and of the way in which its success was dependent upon the knowledge gleaned from enslaved Africans. Although I think Carney could have done more to bring in the way Indigenous people in the Americas were also cultivating wild rice, and how some of those practices intersected with those brought by Africans, this book is great for anyone looking to learn more about rice production and those interested in tracing the origins of agricultural knowledge.

3. The Open Veins of Latin America (1971) by Eduardo Galeano

If you are a farmer in North America, or even just a resident of North America, something on your plate every day, in your cup, or growing in your field is somehow dependent on Latin America. The region was and continues to be exploited by corporations, individuals, and outside nations. Although Galeano’s book was written in 1971, the social movements and environmental effects resulting from the disasters of the extractive economy and commercial agriculture he depicted are just as relevant if not still ongoing today. If you have ever wondered how something as seemingly simple as eating a certain brand of banana can be a political act with far-reaching consequences, or wanted to know the real price of the coffee of you drink in the morning fields, then this is for you.

4. Guano and the Opening of the Pacific World: A Global Ecological History (2013) by Gregory T. Cushman

What is guano? Guano is poop from seafaring birds! If you have ever bought a bag of fertilizer or soil, you may have seen the word “With Guano!” emblazoned on the front. The residues of sea-faring birds were once a natural deposit of highly potent fertilizer for peoples of the Pacific gathered over thousands of years. Within less than half the time it took for these deposits to accumulate, colonial powers extracted and depleted all of the natural guano reserves that once existed. This unassuming source of fertility had far-reaching consequences on the survival of colonial states once it was extracted—read this book if you are interested in knowing about how guano may have impacted your ability to be a farmer, or to see the full scale of colonial projects and get angry about exploitation!

5. Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States (2019) by Devon Mihesuah & Elizabeth Hoover

This report on Indigenous food sovereignty in North America is probably one of the few selected texts that keep me going on days I get depressed by the world. Reading this collection of powerful reflections and testimonials by Indigenous food activists about how food sovereignty is working to heal the legacies of colonial trauma and land-based violence gives me encouragement to continue working in food systems change and to focus on community-based solutions rooted in reconnecting with the land. I cannot recommend this report enough to those, Indigenous or otherwise, engaged in trying to combat the chronic health conditions, community demoralization, and cultural erasure enacted by settler-colonialism in their communities.