Out of the Scientist's Garden : A Story of Water and Food

Out of the Scientist's Garden is written for anyone who wants to understand food and water a little better—for those growing vegetables in a garden, food in a subsistence plot or crops on vast irrigated plains. It is also for anyone who has never grown anything before but has wondered how we will feed a growing population in a world of shrinking resources. Although a practicing scientist in the field of water and agriculture, the author has written, in story form accessible to a wide audience, about the drama of how the world feeds itself. The book starts in his own fruit and vegetable garden, exploring the "how and why" questions about the way things grow, before moving on to stories about soil, rivers, aquifers and irrigation. The book closes with a brief history of agriculture, how the world feeds itself today and how to think through some of the big conundrums of modern food production.Features * Gives an in-depth understanding on how plants and soil work using stories more than the language of science. * It is not a "how to" book, but a framework over which to lay your own experience, to learn and reflect. * Information for gardeners on the challenge of growing food and feeding a family in the city * Covers plants, soil and rivers and the journey from hunter-gatherer to modern agriculture * Reflects on the way scientists conduct their craft * A book for anyone interested in food, how it is grown and how the world feeds itself Out of the Scientist's Garden is written for anyone who wants to understand food and water a little betterfor those growing vegetables in a garden, food in a subsistence plot or crops on vast irrigated plains. It is also for anyone who has never grown anything before but has wondered how we will feed a growing population in a world of shrinking resources. Although a practicing scientist in the field of water and agriculture, the author has written, in story form accessible to a wide audience, about the drama of how the world feeds itself. The book starts in his own fruit and vegetable garden, exploring the "how and why" questions about the way things grow, before moving on to stories about soil, rivers, aquifers and irrigation. The book closes with a brief history of agriculture, how the world feeds itself today and how to think through some of the big conundrums of modern food production. Features * Gives an in-depth understanding on how plants and soil work using stories more than the language of science. * It is not a "how to" book, but a framework over which to lay your own experience, to learn and reflect. * Information for gardeners on the challenge of growing food and feeding a family in the city * Covers plants, soil and rivers and the journey from hunter-gatherer to modern agriculture * Reflects on the way scientists conduct their craft * A book for anyone interested in food, how it is grown and how the world feeds itself Out of the Scientist's Garden is written for anyone who wants to understand food and water a little better - for those growing vegetables in a garden, food in a subsistence plot or crops on vast irrigated plains. It is also for anyone who has never grown anything before but has wondered how we will feed a growing population in a world of shrinking resources. Although a practicing scientist in the field of water and agriculture, the author has written, in story form accessible to a wide audience, about the drama of how the world feeds itself. The book starts in his own fruit and vegetable garden, exploring the 'how and why' questions about the way things grow, before moving on to stories about soil, rivers, aquifers and irrigation. The book closes with a brief history of agriculture, how the world feeds itself today and how to think through some of the big conundrums of modern food production. Cover; Prologue: Entering the scientist's garden; Acknowledgements; Part 1: The view from our garden; The colour of water; A year in the vegetable garden; Intrigue in the orchard; Feathered thieves; The lapsed organic gardener; Outsmarting pests and disease; Flavour; Part 2: A journey through soil; The tale of Clever Clover; Soil and soil scientists; The Machingalana is talking to me; Watering grass; Grey water and the washing machine; At the end of the river; The Goldilocks principle; Part 3: Feeding ourselves; A short history of agriculture; What we eat; To till or not to till. Permaculture to agroforestryThe road to Tompi Seleka; Simplicity; Saving water; Epilogue: Reflections in the scientist's garden; Chapter notes. "Although a practising scientist in the field of water and agriculture, the author has written, in story form accessible to a wide audience, about the drama of how the world feeds itself. The book starts in his own fruit and vegetable garden, exploring the 'how and why' questions about the way things grow, before moving on to stories about soil, rivers, aquifers and irrigation. The book closes with a brief history of agriculture, how the world feeds itself today and how to think through some of the big conundrums of modern food production."--Publisher description The garden is the lens through which we can explore how the world can manage water and feed itself.