“Ben Hartman is a true innovator for the small farm.”—Curtis
Stone, author of The Urban Farmer It’s time to think big about
small farms. Award-winning author and “green leader” (Grist)
Ben Hartman shares practical how-to tips, personal stories, and
surprising examples of cutting-edge farmers and innovators around
the world to show us how. In the early 1970s, US Agriculture
Secretary Earl Butz infamously commanded farmers to “get big or
get out.” In The Lean Micro Farm, author Ben Hartman rejects that
disastrous suggestion and instead takes up the charge of the late
agrarian thinker Gene Logsdon: “Get small and stay in.” Taking
inspiration from the groundbreaking ideas of E. F. Schumacher and
Mahatma Gandhi, The Lean Micro Farm shows how small, hyperlocal
farms can be both ecologically and economically superior to
industrial-scale operations geared toward export and commodity
markets. The Lean Micro Farm details the author’s remarkable
journey to downsize his farm from one acre to a quarter of an acre
in an effort to prioritize family and community over work, all
without taking a pay cut. In addition, Hartman profiles six
innovative farmers from across the globe who embody this “get
small” mindset. These pioneering farmers show all of us a path
toward resilience in the face of supply chain disruption,
globalization, and climate change. They model a gentler, more
ecological approach to farming that produces less waste and uses
less plastic, petroleum, and fertilizer. Like his previous two
books, The Lean Farm and The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables,
Hartman’s The Lean Micro Farm doesn’t just explain why smaller
is better, it shows readers exactly how it can be done with
step-by-step guides on how to turn a profit from a tiny, but
productive, parcel of farmland. Readers will find not just
philosophical justifications for a minimalist approach to
agriculture but also actionable information for starting your own
profitable micro farm, including: A description of the “deep
mulch” method for building fertility Instructions on two-step bed
flipping to increase production on a small footprint A guide for
choosing essential tools and technologies “with a human face”
An easy-to-follow process for making your micro farm lean and
efficient A detailed plan for selling $20,000 worth of produce from
your backyard It’s time, Hartman makes clear, to pivot to
a new kind of farming—one that builds upon ancestral knowledge,
nourishes communities, and puts human joy, not technology, at its
center. “Hartman has revolutionized his methods, cut down his
work hours dramatically, and shrunk the size of his farm, all while
making a better income.”—Civil Eats
General
Imprint: |
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2023 |
Authors: |
Ben Hartman
|
Dimensions: |
254 x 178 x 26mm (L x W x T) |
Pages: |
272 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-64502-204-6 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-64502-204-8 |
Barcode: |
9781645022046 |
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