Veganic Agriculture Network

Farming to Create Heaven on Earth

Stéphane — 2013-02-14T23:48:09Z

In the book Farming to Create Heaven on Earth, American journalist Lisa M. Hamilton provides an overview and her insight into the farming movement called Natural Agriculture. This approach to farming is based on a deep reverence for nature. Born in Japan, the Natural Farming movement now has numerous farms and demonstration centres throughout the world. In this book, you'll find the stories of different Japanese farmers and consumers who practice this philosophy-based approach to growing and eating food.

Note: The Natural Agriculture movement uses fertility techniques that, in general, do not include animal products.

HAMILTON, Lisa. Farming to Create Heaven on Earth, Shumei International Press, 2007, 185 p.

Growing Sustainability

Stéphane — 2013-02-14T04:06:58Z

The book is a compilation of the writings of Dave of Darlington – a treasury of useful information for gardeners and farmers, gleaned from Dave's long experience and enhanced by well-informed thoughts on the ethics and politics behind farming.

Available at the Vegan organic Network.

DARLINGTON, Dave. Growing Sustainability. Vegan-Organic Network, 2011, 320 p.

Growing Green: Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg

Stéphane — 2012-12-29T22:28:38Z

Graham Cole demonstrates how you can feed your family on your allotment and garden using vegetable compost and green manures to obtain good crops of high nutritional value. No poisons or artificial fertilisers are used. This method is the kindest to the environment and all Earth's creatures.

Presenter Graham Cole is head gardener at Holywell House, Hampshire. Graham has 20 years experience growing crops stockfree organically, sustainably and ethically.

Produced by David Graham. Made with a grant from The Movement for Compassionate Living.

View online : Growing Green: Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg

Liquid Gold, the Lore & Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants

Stéphane — 2011-11-19T16:10:00Z

Carol Steinfield's book is a great introduction to the history and culture of human urine, focusing on its applications in growing food. While not a plant-based technique per se, using their own urine is a way that veganic gardeners can work toward a closed loop system through local nutrient cycling, and reduce their environmental impact by diverting their urine from the public water systems.

Urine is considered sterile in a healthy person—it's almost always sterile, and you can't catch new illnesses from your own urine. When we eat food, much of the nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients found in the food is excreted in our urine. When diluted with water (10:1) or added to a mulch, we can take advantage of urine as a complementary fertilizer in our gardens, or we can simply cycle the nutrients by applying it to trees, shrubs, or our lawn (learn more about the safety and techniques of using urine here online).

The book Liquid Gold presents different perceptions and uses of urine throughout history, and explains the benefits of using urine in contemporary society, with a variety of examples and techniques for agricultural applications.

View online : http://www.liquidgoldbook.com/

STEINFELD, Carol. Liquid Gold, the Lore & Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants, New Society Publishers, 1st edition, 2009, 36 p.

Le poireau préfère les fraises: les meilleures associations de plantes

Stéphane — 2011-11-14T15:55:00Z

Note: this book is only available in French and German

In this short book, Hans Wagner presents companion planting methods that are inspired by the principles of Gertrud Franck. Here, the gardens are always growing, there is never any digging, and there is only a small amount of surface work on the soil as needed. Fertility is based on green manures, surface composting and a little mature compost. No other amendments are used. The garden is organised with rows of vegetables that are 20cm to 25cm apart, and after every few rows there is a larger pathway of clover. In the spring, every second row is sown with spinach, which serves as a windbreak, as a path and as a mulch for future seedlings and plants.

The bulk of the book gives detailed information about individual plants with the aim of planning the garden well and maximising the positive associations between the plants. For each plant, the author summarizes the growing techniques, as well as the favorable and unfavorable associations. A number of useful tips are given throughout the book. A small section covers plant teas, mulch and green manures.

WAGNER, Hans. Le poireau préfère les fraises les meilleures associations de plantes. Éditions Terre Vivante, France, 2001, 112 p.

Translation of the German book : Karotte liebt Tomate.

How to Grow More Vegetables (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine

Stéphane — 2011-08-22T16:02:33Z

A practical guide (including charts and planning grids) for growing more food in a smaller area: double digging, compost making, plant spacing, and biodiversity settings. The biointensive method is based on the 40 years experience of John Jeavons with the non-profit Ecology Action. Biointensive growing aims for larger yields from smaller spaces while also improving soil quality, working toward a closed-loop system of fertility. Through minimizing land use for food production, more land can be set aside for biodiversity and ecosystem regeneration, while responding to the nutritional needs of a society faced with land scarcity and overpopulation in the coming post-fossil fuel era.

Exerpts can be seen here.

JEAVONS, John. How to Grow More Vegetables (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine. Ten Speed Press, 7th edition, 2006, 288 p.

The Harmonious Wheatsmith

Stéphane — 2011-08-22T13:56:05Z

The Harmonious Wheatsmith explains a method for growing grains without ploughing. Developed by Marc Bonfils in France, this method promotes soil health and reduces nutrient leakage by growing wheat alongside perennial stands of clover. Bonfils experimented to find the optimal timing and spacing for a favorable harvest. With many parellels to the techniques of Masanobu Fukuoka from Japan (author of The One Straw Revolution), this is often referred to as the Fukuoka-Bonfils method.

A short introduction to this approach is available here, and the full e-book can be purchased here.

The Harmonious Wheatsmith, Mark Moodie - ed, ISBN - 0-9517890-0-7, 32 pages. Now only available as an ebook UK£3.00. http://www.moodie.biz/wheatsmith.html

Mischkultur und naturgemäße Bodenpflege

Stéphane — 2011-08-22T13:02:24Z

This practical book summarizes the knowledge and experience of Jakobus Langerhorst, who runs a small scale vegan permaculture farm in Austria using a mixed culture approach. Attention is given to soil improvement, crop diversity, compost making, and sustainable fertility.

* Only available in German

LANGERHORST, Jakobus . Mischkultur und naturgemäße Bodenpflege. NOI-Verlag, Klagenfurt, 1986, 120 p.

Growing Green with Iain Tolhurst

Meghan — 2010-11-08T02:45:16Z

Growing Green is a free online video which interviews Stockfree Organic farmer Iain Tolhurst. In this 17-minute film, produced by the Vegan Organic Network, Iain take viewers on a tour of his farm, and explains his fertilization techniques using green manures and crop rotation.

The film is available free online at www.veganorganic.net and www.stockfreeorganic.net. Scroll down to "video feature". Copies are also available for sale by contacting the Vegan Organic Network.

A pioneer in plant-based agriculture, Iain Tolhurst runs a successful farm in England, and is co-author of a book about stockfree agriculture, also entitled Growing Green.

View online : Growing Green with Iain Tolhurst

Another short interview with Iain Tolhurst is available online from Slow Food UK.

Planet Earth: Shangri-La in New Zealand

Meghan — 2010-11-08T02:38:52Z

This online video from Planet Earth introduces some basic concepts of plant-based agriculture while visiting a veganic education centre in New Zealand. Shangri-La is an intentional community with veganic gardens and orchards that are run by volunteers.

The video is available free online with subtitles in several languages at Planet Earth: Shangri La, New Zealand's Veganic Garden Paradise. The video runs for fifteen minutes, and an English transcript is also available.

More information about Shangri-La can be found at http://gentleworld.org/ and on our website at
www.goveganic.net/spip.php?article155