A system of farming that offers endless ecological benefits, organic farming can be rightly defined as the way of farming which is free from all chemicals and pesticides and believes in the replacement of these synthetic elements with animal and plant wastes to not just safeguard mother nature but also keep in mind the good health of all human races on a whole.
Another name that is closely associated with organic farming is soil regeneration. When we are talking about soil regeneration, we are talking about a process that deals with the practice of building healthy and fertile soil. It revolves on a very simple concept that it is only healthy soil that leads to a healthy farm or garden which leads to healthy people and finally to a healthy planet.
If you are someone who has had any kind of association with terms like organic farming and soil regenerations then you are sure to be aware of the term Permaculture. Permaculture refers to the growth of agricultural ecosystems in the most self-sufficient and sustainable ways. This form of agriculture works on the simple Principles of crop diversity, natural productivity, resilience, sustainability, and productivity.
Whether you are someone who has been in the field of organic farming for long or someone who’s just beginning, this list of books is sure to be extremely helpful in becoming your guide and make the process of organic farming an easier one for you.
Table of Contents
Best 15 Books on Organic Farming Review
1. The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (New York Review Books Classics)
One of the most treasured and revered books, the essence of this book lies in the fact that it is both philosophical and practical. A book that revolves around not just Natural farming but also diets, health, cultural values, and about the limits of human knowledge, this is an essential book for every agricultural lover.
With starking similarities between the author Mr Fukuoka and Sir Albert Howard who was the founder of organic farming, this book rotates around the simple basics that all life is interrelated and how we have grown and what we have grown is sure to have a deep impact on how we are and what we are. To drown in the joys of farming and to discover its many wonders this book is a must-read.
2. Practical Permaculture: For home landscapes, your community, and the whole earth by Jessi bloom & David Boehnlein
A powerful, inspiring, readable, and visceral book, this book is more like a path that shows humans the right way of living. With their main focus being on Permaculture, this book is all about how as humans we can make the right changes in not just our lifestyle but also towards mother nature and the ecological system as a whole.
This self-sufficient and self-sustainable book is a must-read for people who are looking towards a better quality of life in terms of health, comfort, happiness, and stability.
3. No-till intensive vegetable culture: Pesticide-free methods for restoring soil ad growing nutrient-rich, high-yielding crops by Bryan O’Hara
If you are looking for a book that not only helps you to brush up with the unique agricultural methodology but also helps you in the adoption of no-till techniques for enhancing the soil biological functions, then this book is just what you need.
Right from learning the methods through which you can find the way to enhance the quality of soil and its products in your space to embracing an agricultural culture that is chemicals and pesticides free, this book is sure to change your farming experience forever. A must-have for people who are eager to learn the no-till bed preparation techniques, seeding and transplanting methods, use of fertilizers, compost preparation and application, pest and weed control, harvest, and storage techniques, etc.
4. Dirt to Soil: One family’s journey into Regenerative Agriculture by Gabe Brown
This book is about the amazing journey of a man called Gabe Brown and his wife who after facing major difficulties in their farm adopted a completely new and modified way of farming which not only helps them to get past their financial crunches but also find a way of farming that is not just better but also free from the use of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides etc.
A book that instils in one the power to kill all harmful substances and find the right means to increase the land production in the most natural ways, Dirt to Soil is an inspiring book about the amazing journey which offers bags full of ideas not just to handle the complex agricultural challenges but also to revolutionize the system of farming.
5. The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball
An enticing book about first-generation farmers, this book is more like reading a beautiful story about a couple, their dreams, and their aspirations. How they find their way through the different parts and aspects of their own farming life is by all means an invaluable source of knowledge for farmers all around the world.
A book that keeps you in touch with reality both in terms of its pros and cons, this book is an eye-opener for all those who read it. A book that is sure to not just enlighten your knowledge but also your heart and soul, The Dirty Life is a must-read.
6. The New Organic Grower, by Eliot Coleman (3rd Edition)
One of the most famous Webtoons books worldwide, The New Organic Grower was first published in the year 1989. It will not be wrong to say that this book which is a masterpiece by Eliot Coleman is a must-have in the library of every agricultural lover.
One of the best aspects of this book is that it is not just restricted for farmers with large land but also for people who want to add suitability and self-sufficiency through their small farms. An approachable and productive form of farming that is not just per nature but also with tools and techniques, this book is all by means an excellent guide for people who have been farming for long as well those who are just getting started.
7. Growing a Revolution: Bringing our soil back to life by David.R. Montgomery
This wonderful book named Growing A Revolution is an attempt towards making people aware that the sustainable and effective way of farming is not just about soil conservation but soil restoration and regenerative farming.
With various examples from great plains to South and Central America to Africa, this book takes you down to a journey which proves how the use of innovative regenerative farming practices are not just beneficial for the health of the soil but also result in an increase in crop yields, and a significant decrease in pesticide use, fuels cost and chemical inputs. If you are looking for a book that not just helps you to strengthen your farming system but also helps you in contributing to a healthier ecosystem, then this book is a must for you.
8. The market gardener: A successful growers handbook for small scale organic farming by Severine Von Tscharner Fleming, Jean-Martin Fortier and Marie Bilodeau
If you are looking for a book that is a complete and power-packed guide towards proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods, then the Market Gardeners are the right choice for you.
A book that teaches us the various parts of agriculture right from designing biologically intensive cropping systems to farming without a tractor to enhancing the growth of your land produce, keeping a check on the growth of weeds and pest to harvest periods and pricing approaches, this book is like a step by step guide on how one can make their farmlands not juts super productive but also profitable. This low tech yet high yield production methods farming book emphasizes the importance of growing right than growing large.
9. Farmers of Forty Centuries: Organic farming in China, Korea, and Japan by F.H. King
Farmers of Forty Centuries is an all-time classic that deals with permaculture/ sustainable economic movements for several reasons. This book throws a good amount of light on not just fossil fuel agriculture and cut down on pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers etc for the produce of far lesser yields than industrial farming but also provides with a tailor-made solution for regional models of food, fuel, construction materials as well as regional water and human waste management.
The author of the book, F.H. King after travelling extensively to China, Korea, and Japan not only discovered how these countries were producing large amounts of food year after year but also managing to keep the quality of their soil intact. A book that guides a person towards the wise and judicial use of crop rotation, water management, interplanting and rational utilization of a harmonious relationship between plants, animals, and people, this is a must-read for every farming lover.
10. The Flower Farmer: An Organic grower guide to raising and selling cut flowers by Lynn Byczynski
From as long as time can tell, flowers have been one of the most beautiful and exquisite parts of human life. The Flower Farmer is not just a guide towards the selling and raising of cut flowers which has been the foundation for the many small growers to start their business but also a platform where they can learn a lot about the different fields of raising flowers such as seeds, soil, plants, suppliers, flower cultivation, post-harvest handlings, etc.
The beauty of the book lies in the fact that the author is concentrating on not just large scale production but also on all those flower growers who are targeting to sell to florists, wholesalers, supermarkets, etc.
11. Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the future of food by Pamela C. Ronald
A book that has been written keeping in mind the best interests of consumers, farmers, and policy decision-makers who are inclined towards making food choices and policies that are directed towards the healthy future of ecologically supportive farming practices, Tomorrows Table is a must-read for anyone and everyone interested in organic farming, genetic engineering and their potential influence on not just the human health but also environment.
Some significant key factors of this book revolve around genetic engineering, organic vs conventional foods, tools of organic agriculture, etc.
12. Teaming with Microbes: The Organic gardeners guide to sell food web, revised edition by jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
An important epistle for gardeners and farmers all around the world, the book Teaming with Microbes is something that is not just going to open the perception of every farmer towards gardening but most importantly towards the microscopic wilderness at their feet and in the soil.
What makes this book different is that it does not completely rule out the option of using synthetic fertilizers when needed but guides the readers on how their usage can be made restrictive and how the soil needs to be remediated immediately. To create a complete understanding of the soil food web and its relationship with the plans, this book is a must-read.
13. JADAM Organic Farming: ULTRA powerful pest and disease control solution, make all-natural pesticide, the way to ultra-low-cost-agriculture! By Youngsnag Cho and Seungseo Yoon Sungwoo Cho
A group of organic farmers, JADAM was established in the year 1991 to attract back the farmers to farming. This group worked on the simple principle that high and expensive farming costs were only going to push the farmers and farming practices away. The book JADAM Organic Farming works on the principle that the future of farming is dependent on factors like serenity in technology, procuring an ultra-low-cost method of farming, and finding the right means where harmony could be attained between the farmers, consumers, and mother nature.
If you are looking for the right solutions through which you can adopt a completely organic and economic methods of agriculture, then this book is sure to come to your rescue.
14. The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of natural pest and disease control: A Complete Guide to maintaining a healthy garden and yard the earth-friendly way (Rodale organic gardening) by Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, and Deborah L. Martin
A book that not only enhances and updates your knowledge about the many disadvantages and dangers of the conventional way of farming which is complete with the use of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers but also guides you on how you can make all the necessary changes with the use of organic farming, the organic gardener’s handbook of natural pest and disease control is a must-read.
With a plant by plant guide towards the symptoms and solutions of more than 200 varieties of popular plants that include flowers, trees, shrubs, vegetables, and fruits, this book is also full with teaching its readers with the best in techniques and easy maintenance which is sure to change one’s farming experience forever.
15. The organic medicinal herb farmer: The ultimate guide to producing high-quality herbs on a market scale By Jeff Carpenter, Melanie Carpenter, and Rosemary Gladstar
If you are looking for an honest, genuine, and inspiring book that bridges the gap between you and your dreams of becoming an organic gardener, herb grower, or farmer, then The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer is the book for you. An exploring manual, this book revolves around the growing and harvesting processes.
A book that not only teaches you how to grow medicinal herbs but also processes and marketing techniques, it can single-handedly establish you as a successful farmer and enlighten your knowledge about the different aspects of farming such as choosing the right land, creating a business plan, selecting the seeds and the machinery, final packaging, etc. It will not be wrong to say that this masterpiece aims to create the right balance between the environmental well-being as well the economic well-being.
There is no secret in the fact that reading is one of the most essential and informative mediums in the life of a person. It is not just an opportunity for one to learn new things and improve their knowledge but also make important decisions in a way that is sure to leave a big impact on their lives and growth and success.