The Essential Agrarian Reader : The Future of Culture, Community, and the Land

Combining insights from the disciplines of education, law, history, urban and regional planning, economics, philosophy, religion, ecology, politics and agriculture, these essays develop a sophisticated criticue of modern culture's relationship witht the land, while offering practical alternatives. The The -- Wendell Berry -- The The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann -- Vandana Shiva -- The The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann -- Vandana Shiva -- The -- Wes Jackson The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann -- Vandana Shiva -- The -- Wes Jackson -- Gene Logsdon -- The The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann -- Vandana Shiva -- The -- Wes Jackson -- Gene Logsdon -- The -- David W. Orr The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann -- Vandana Shiva -- The -- Wes Jackson -- Gene Logsdon -- The -- David W. Orr -- Benjamin E. Northrup, -- Benjamin J. Bruxvoort Lipscomb The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann -- Vandana Shiva -- The -- Wes Jackson -- Gene Logsdon -- The -- David W. Orr -- Benjamin E. Northrup, -- Benjamin J. Bruxvoort Lipscomb -- Susan Witt -- The The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann -- Vandana Shiva -- The -- Wes Jackson -- Gene Logsdon -- The -- David W. Orr -- Benjamin E. Northrup, -- Benjamin J. Bruxvoort Lipscomb -- Susan Witt -- The -- Hank Graddy The -- Wendell Berry -- The -- Brian Donahue -- The -- Maurice Telleen -- Herman E. Daly -- Norman Wirzba -- The -- Frederick Kirschenmann -- Vandana Shiva -- The -- Wes Jackson -- Gene Logsdon -- The -- David W. Orr -- Benjamin E. Northrup, -- Benjamin J. Bruxvoort Lipscomb -- Susan Witt -- The -- Hank Graddy -- Eric T. Freyfogle The-- Wendell Berry-- The-- Brian Donahue-- The-- Maurice Telleen-- Herman E. Daly-- Norman Wirzba-- The-- Frederick Kirschenmann-- Vandana Shiva-- The-- Wes Jackson-- Gene Logsdon-- The-- David W. Orr-- Benjamin E. Northrup,-- Benjamin J. Bruxvoort Lipscomb-- Susan Witt-- The-- Hank Graddy-- Eric T. Freyfogle-- Wendell Berry. The twenty-first century offers a host of daunting cultural and environmental problems facing a booming world population: community disintegration, social anxiety, international terrorism, voter disenchantment, a growing gap between rich and poor, habitat destruction, biopatenting/biotechnology, global warming, and resource depletion. Standing as an alternative to the modern paradigms in industry, technology, and economics, agrarianism is not a throwback to a mythical rural past but a sustained and coherent attempt to live faithfully and responsibly in a world of limited resources. With advocates from around the globe, agrarianism is a compelling worldview that challenges the shortcomings of the new global and industrial/technological order. Not simply focused on farming, the agrarian outlook encourages the development of practices and policies that promote the health of land and culture, emphasizing that responsible action occurs most readily when citizens live within local economies where the distance between production and consumption is as small as possible.Agrarian issues and concerns take on a new urgency in an age of unprecedented urbanization; there are now more prisoners than farmers in the U.S. Fewer people than ever before appreciate, understand, and care for the sources of all life: healthy soil, clean water, vibrant natural habitats, and nutritious food. In developing nations, food and food production have become major health and security issues as industrialized agriculture and globalized trade force small farmers into debt and dispossession. We are beginning to see that belief in a post-agricultural society is false -- even dangerous. Offering fresh insights from the disciplines of education, law, history, urban and regional planning, economics, philosophy, religion, ecology, politics, and agriculture, the original essays in The Essential Agrarian Reader develop a sophisticated critique of our culture's current relationship to the land while offering practical alternatives. Leading agrarians, including Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Wes Jackson, Gene Logsdon, Brian Donahue, Eric Freyfogle, and David Orr, explain how to create genuinely sustainable communities. While lamenting the shortsightedness of recent economic and political ambitions, these writers call for an honest accounting and correction of destructive ways of life. They suggest how our society can take practical steps toward integrating soils, watersheds, forests, wildlife, urban areas, and human populations into one great system -- a responsible flourishing of our world and culture and a celebration manifested in honest work and respect for the land. "Eminently quotable and passionately argued essays" on living in harmony with the earth and each other, by Wes Jackson, Wendell Berry, and more ( Library Journal , starred review). Includes a Foreword by Barbara Kingsolver A compelling worldview with advocates from around the globe, agrarianism challenges the shortcomings of our industrial and technological economy. Not simply focused on farming, the agrarian outlook encourages us to develop practices and policies that promote the health of land, community, and culture. Agrarianism reminds us that no matter how urban we become, our survival will always be inextricably linked to the precious resources of soil, water, and air. Combining fresh insights from the disciplines of education, law, history, urban and regional planning, economics, philosophy, religion, ecology, politics, and agriculture, these original essays develop a sophisticated critique of our culture's current relationship to the land, while offering practical alternatives. Leading agrarians, including Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Wes Jackson, Gene Logsdon, Brian Donahue, Eric Freyfogle, and David Orr, explain how our goals should be redirected toward genuinely sustainable communities. These writers call us to an honest accounting and correction of our often-destructive ways. They suggest how our society can take practical steps toward integrating soils, watersheds, forests, wildlife, urban areas, and human populations into one great system—a responsible flourishing of our world and culture.

With a Foreword by Barbara Kingsolver. A compelling worldview with advocates from around the globe, agrarianism challenges the shortcomings of our industrial and technological economy. Not simply focused on farming, the agrarian outlook encourages us to develop practices and policies that promote the health of land, community, and culture. Agrarianism reminds us that no matter how urban we become, our survival will always be inextricably linked to the precious resources of soil, water, and air. Combining fresh insights from the disciplines of education, law, history, urban and regional planning, economics, philosophy, religion, ecology, politics, and agriculture, these original essays develop a sophisticated critique of our culture's current relationship to the land, while offering practical alternatives. Leading agrarians, including Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Wes Jackson, Gene Logsdon, Brian Donahue, Eric Freyfogle, and David Orr, explain how our goals should be redirected toward genuinely sustainable communities. These writers call us to an honest accounting and correction of our often destructive ways. They suggest how our society can take practical steps toward integrating soils, watersheds, forests, wildlife, urban areas, and human populations into one great system—a responsible flourishing of our world and culture.

"Offering fresh insights from the disciplines of education, law, history, urban and regional planning, economics, philosophy, religion, ecology, politics, and agriculture, the original essays in The Essential Agrarian Reader develop a sophisticated critique of our culture's current relationship to the land while offering practical alternatives. Leading agrarians, including Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Wes Jackson, Gene Logsdon, Brian Donahue, Eric Freyfogle, and David Orr, explain how to create genuinely sustainable communities. While lamenting the shortsightedness of recent economic and political ambitions, these writers call for an honest accounting and correction of destructive ways of life. They suggest how our society can take practical steps toward integrating soils, watersheds, forests, wildlife, urban areas, and human populations into one great system - a responsible flourishing of our world and culture and a celebration manifested in honest work and respect for the land."--Jacket