Micro Eco-Farming: Prospering from Backyard to Small Acreage in Partnership with the Earth (Paperback)

by Barbara Berst Adams (Author) "On less than an acre, Mariam Massaro tends certified organic herb, vegetable and flower gardens, which include more than 78 varieties of roses..." (more)
Key Phrases: foot gardening, beneficial microbes, corporate agribusiness, Robert Farr, Washington State, Ocean Sky Farm (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Microfarms—or small acreage farms—are gaining popularity across the country for their astoundingly high yields and great tasting produce, as well as their profitability. This handbook reveals the secrets of successful micro eco-farming and explains what eco-farmers need to know to start their own small agribusiness. Questions such as What can be grown? How do farmers reach their markets? and What sustainable production methods can be used? are answered in detail and supported be hundreds of real-life examples. A variety of unusual uses for crops are also provided, including producing organic spa products, building an urban greenhouse, creating a heritage rose farm, or cultivating a connoisseur apple orchard. Ecologists, amateur gardeners, farmers, and those interested in sustainable living will enjoy this in-depth look at the spiritually and financially rewarding aspects of this new field.

About the Author

Barbara Berst Adams is a micro eco-farmer. She also conducts research and writes about global microfarming techniques and creating a sustainable world. She lives in Anacortes, Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: New World Publishing (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963281437
• ISBN-13: 978-0963281432
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,845 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #5 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Crop Science
  #13 in	Books > Science > Agricultural Sciences > Sustainable Agriculture
  #13 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Sustainable Agriculture

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creatively Farming With Small Plots, September 23, 2004

By	Lois G. Lenz (Norman, OK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a creative work of art, as well as a practical explanation of various methods of eco-farming. Barbara Berst
Adams has a glorious ability to live close to the earth while
being highly articulate and spiritual. It reminds me of my childhood during the depression when we would have starved had it not been for our gardens, chickens and cows! At least we knew what real food tasted like, and when it was recommended that we not eat eggs, I never stopped eating eggs. This book is not only timely, practical and educational. It is delightfully written with the heart of a poet! You will encounter many varieties of eco-farms with interesting and successful concepts in producing and marketing on surprisingly small acreages. I loved this book!

Lois Gates Lenz
Norman, Oklahoma

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make your dream come true, October 25, 2006

By	J. DeCourtney "author Recapture Yr Health" (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

It has been my long-time dream to have a house in a rural place with a few acres and a cash crop. With this dream in mind, I read
"Micro Eco-Farming" by Barbara Berst Adams. It is a wonderful book. Besides great suggestions for types of small farm or backyard businesses that lend themself to success, the many real examples bring the possibilities to life. But, there is much more. The book describes how to go about setting up a small eco-business, why and how each one works, and how the benefits of such an endeavour go far beyond just cash. Of special interest to me is practical ways to make the most of a very small gardening plot or space. I don't have land yet (I'm still in a condo in a small city), but there was one tip that I used immediately. It was using trace minerals to help plants flourish, with sometimes dramatic results. I use trace minerals for my personal health, but never thought about my houseplants needing the same. This makes total sense, and I have just started adding trace minerals to their water! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Barbara's delightful book and can hardly wait until I get my
own small plot of land to make use of the wisdom she conveys through her own experience and that of others. I could almost taste the strawberries, smell the hay, and hear the sounds of the birds as I read her book. Ahhh.

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended reading ...I was not disappointed!, August 22, 2006

By	A. Sumner Cuhn (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

It made sense to me that I first saw this book recommended by the National Gardening Association. After all, some of the farms described in it successfully operate from backyard gardens and even urban lots. Later I saw that Rodale's New Farm magazine recommended it with the following quote:

"The author continually returns to the concept of the "whole farm," where each part integrates with the whole in a mutually beneficial relationship--from the animals, to the insects, to the soil, to the plants, to the farmer and his or her family, expanding outward to the local community and region. She offers an abundance of examples of how farmers have come up with one-of-a-kind products--from specialty wool to simply the experience of interacting with animals--or turned a problem into an advantage--such as the couple who sold homemade salsa "kits" like hotcakes right smack in the middle of a tomato glut."

I'm glad I now own a copy of this book. I was impressed to find out that the Trends Institute had correctly predicted a nationwide (if not worldwide) return to farms like these, or that a new world was opening up again for local farms. I liked learning what makes these new micro eco-farms very different from pre-industrial farms, as well as in what ways they are similar. I never expected it to be a step-by-step rehash of ag-extension grape-trellising or fence-making how-tos which are available free or low-cost to anyone, nor the details of just one person's farm that worked for that person in his or her location. It is non-technical and describes many microfarm examples, explains the concept of how they grow and expand continually (without getting physically larger). Most farms described are from backyard size to five acres, with some up to 15 acres or so, and even one larger farm that added a microfarm element that seemed to outdo its larger counterpart in business!