Farming with the Wild [Paperback]

Daniel Imhoff (Author), Fred Kirschenmann (Foreword), Dan Imhoff (Author), Roberto Carra (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sierra Club Books Publication | Publication Date: April 7, 2003

Though it is not widely recognized, modern industrial agriculture, which now affects more than two-thirds of the land in the lower forty-eight states, plays a major role in the rampant decline in biodiversity in the United States. Habitat destruction and fragmentation, displacement of native species and the introduction of exotic species, persecution of predators, and pollution of all kinds are just a few of industrial agriculture's damaging ecological consequences.
Fortunately, a new vision for a more environmentally beneficial and sustainable agriculture is emerging. Such a vision begins with farms that gracefully meld within landscapes, pulsing with a wide range of native species. It combines implementation of landscape-level restoration efforts, natural systems farming research, and the community spirit of farmers markets and local watershed stakeholders.
Presenting an inspiring look at this new conservation-based agriculture, Farming with the Wild offers vivid profiles of more than thirty farms, ranches, and organizations in the United States, together with more than one hundred color photographs. The result is an on-the-ground picture of a new agrarian movement that is slowly sweeping across the nation—a movement that aims to provide healthier food to Americans while restoring healthy ecosystems.

Editorial Reviews

Review

compelling. . . root[ed] in dozens of case studies from across the United States. -- Audubon Magazine

From the Inside Flap

"Farming with the Wild expresses a beautiful and harmonious new vision for sustainable agriculture. By incorporating the voices of the most important ranchers, farmers, and environmentalists in this country, Dan Imhoff is able to bring together the power and creativity of this emerging movement."--Alice Waters

"An inspiring and very moving book--essential reading for anyone interested in the future of food in the 21st century. It is also a very hopeful book, as Dan Imhoff demonstrates how the terrible wounds of our industrial food system can be healed through a new relationship between agriculture and wilderness conservation. Finally, it is also an eminently practical book, as the many case studies provide a primer on how to skillfully marry the agrarian and wilderness ethics to create a sustainable and more beautiful food future."--Andy Kimbrell, author and editor of Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books; 1 edition (April 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578050928
• ISBN-13: 978-1578050925
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Imhoff is a researcher, author, and independent publisher who has concentrated for nearly 20 years on issues related to farming, the environment, and design. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, and books including CAFO: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories; Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill; Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World; Farming with the Wild: Enhancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranches; and Building with Vision: Optimizing and Finding Alternatives to Wood.

Dan is a highly sought-after public speaker who lectures and conducts workshops on a variety of topics, from food and farming to environmental design and conservation. He has appeared on hundreds of national and regional radio and television programs, including CBS Sunday Morning, Science Friday, and West Coast Live. His books have gained national attention with coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle, Newsweek, the San Jose Mercury News, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune. He has testified before Congress and spoken at numerous conferences, corporate and government offices, and college campuses, including Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, the University of California at Berkeley, and the Vermont Law School.

Dan is the president and co-founder of Watershed Media, a non-profit publishing house based in Healdsburg, California. He is the president and a co-founder of the Wild Farm Alliance, a ten-year-old national organization that works to promote agriculture systems that support and accommodate wild nature.

Between 1990 and 1995, Dan worked at Esprit International, where he was communications director for a team at the forefront of environmental product design. He received a B.A. in International Relations from Allegheny College and an M.A. in International Affairs from the Maxwell School of Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

He lives on a small homestead farm in Northern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Farming the way it should be, November 30, 2003

By 

Carol Ekarius (Hartsel, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farming with the Wild (Paperback)

Written for broad audience of "stakeholders" in the food system, from consumers to ranchers, Imhoff has done a great job of highlighting farmers and ranchers who are working to protect the environment and sustain family farmers. These farmers and ranchers are inspirational examples, and show that agriculture doens't have to destroy the planet while it feeds us. Carra's photos offer an enticing complement that gives the book a coffee-table feel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conservation Farming : Book Review, September 3, 2009

By 

christen707 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farming with the Wild (Paperback)

Fly across the Midwest or California's Central Valley in a jet, and you would not be mistaken if you thought that farming was bad for diversity. From the air, you would see millions of acres of mono-culture of soybean, corn, hay, wheat, and sugarcane. If you were to fly across the same landscapes, and many others, in a two-seater, say, you would begin to see pockets where farmers and ranchers have rejected this homogeneity. You would find a growing movement of people who not only work the land but also want to protect it. They come from diverse backgrounds and work in diverse ecosystems, but all recognize that their properties can be important sanctuaries of biodiversity.
Over a several-year period, writer Daniel Imhoff traveled across the U.S. to meet with and learn how and why these people have chosen to farm with the wild, as he terms this movement. Mixing beautiful photography with short essays, Imhoff's book is part inspirational and part how-to. He makes clear that no one way is best, that to make working land a haven for plants and animals requires an understanding of local ecology, as well as a lot of work. As Nabhan did in his book, Imhoff shows that for conservation to be successful, it will take a broad mix of people, many of whom have not been tapped for their wisdom and passion.