Restoration Agriculture

Restoration Agriculture by Mark Shepard

Around the globe most people get their calories from “annual” agriculture — plants that grow fast for one season, produce lots of seeds, then die. Every single human society that has relied on annual crops for staple foods has collapsed. Restoration Agriculture explains how we can have all of the benefits of natural, perennial ecosystems and create agricultural systems that imitate nature in form and function while still providing for our food, building, fuel and many other needs — in your own backyard, farm or ranch. This book, based on real-world practices, presents an alternative to the agriculture system of eradication and offers exciting hope for our future.


see a You tube video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb_t-sVVzF0

Redesigning Agriculture in Nature's Image

Annual monocropping produces nearly all of the grain, meat, vegetables, and processed foods consumed today. These practices require giant machinery, tilling, and the application of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, resulting in the eradication of biodiversity, the erosion of topsoil, and contributes 30% of global carbon emissions - more than from any other source.

Despite the massive human efforts applied to farming, we are woefully short of the inherent resilience, stability, and outright beauty of natural ecosystems. We need look no further than native ecosystems for a template of how to move forward from the many woes of annual monocropping.  This is our goal and mission: Redesigning Agriculture in Nature's Image.

By intentionally designing and planting perennial ecosystems, we remove carbon dioxide from the air, provide habitat for wildlife, produce food, prevent soil erosion, and begin the creation of ecologically sustainable human habitats.  Whether you call it Permaculture, Agroforestry, Eco-Agriculture, Agroecology, or Restoration Agriculture; Forest Agriculture Enterprises is here to provide the plants, technical assistance, and equipment to help create a healthier, more ecologically sustainable world.

Does this actually work in reality? Will it really produce enough, food, fuel, timber and human necessities to economically viable?  We firmly believe the answer is yes, and are working on providing demonstration sites, and economic farming models to answer that question with more certainty.  New Forest Farm is perhaps the most complete of such demonstrations sites.  It is a farm in SW wisconsin that was founded in 1994 by Mark and Jen Shepard. New Forest Farm has in many ways proven the concept successful. It is a living, breathing, productive 110 acre restored savanna farm that produces abundant food, fiber, and fuels.