Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet

Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet

  • Downloads:1822
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-05-09 00:51:44
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:George Monbiot
  • ISBN:024144764X
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

'This book calls for nothing less than a revolution in the future of food' Kate Raworth

From the bestselling author of Feral, a breathtaking first glimpse of a new future for food and for humanity

Farming is the world's greatest cause of environmental destruction - and the one we are least prepared to talk about。 We criticise urban sprawl, but farming sprawls across thirty times as much land。 We have ploughed, fenced and grazed great tracts of the planet, felling forests, killing wildlife, and poisoning rivers and oceans to feed ourselves。 Yet millions still go hungry。

Now the food system itself is beginning to falter。 But, as George Monbiot shows us in this brilliant, bracingly original new book, we can resolve the biggest of our dilemmas and feed the world without devouring the planet。

Regenesis is a breathtaking vision of a new future for food and for humanity。 Drawing on astonishing advances in soil ecology, Monbiot reveals how our changing understanding of the world beneath our feet could allow us to grow more food with less farming。 He meets the people who are unlocking these methods, from the fruit and vegetable grower revolutionising our understanding of fertility; through breeders of perennial grains, liberating the land from ploughs and poisons; to the scientists pioneering new ways to grow protein and fat。 Together, they show how the tiniest life forms could help us make peace with the planet, restore its living systems, and replace the age of extinction with an age of regenesis。

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Reviews

Kevin

The first chapter of this book goes into really quite a lot of detail about soil ecology and the various tiny unheralded creatures of the subterranean world we so often ignore。 So much that as someone with embarrassingly little knowledge and interest in gardening, I did start to wonder if my enthusiasm for this book, based on having read a few very good books by the same author, was misplaced。 I was also feeling that I have read too many doom and gloom books recently and that I should perhaps la The first chapter of this book goes into really quite a lot of detail about soil ecology and the various tiny unheralded creatures of the subterranean world we so often ignore。 So much that as someone with embarrassingly little knowledge and interest in gardening, I did start to wonder if my enthusiasm for this book, based on having read a few very good books by the same author, was misplaced。 I was also feeling that I have read too many doom and gloom books recently and that I should perhaps lay off for a while, and the next few chapters laying out damage done by the global food system and some current farming practices do make for pretty scary reading。 I should not have worried though, there are some fascinating insights throughout the book。 The author is also not scared of pointing out where some traditional green views are misplaced。 For example, the increase in land use required for 'pasture fed' meat。 There are also intriguing glimpses of possible innovations that could help with rewilding and move us away from the ever increasing loss of natural habitats to farmland。 The bacteria-based pancake springs to mind。 Seems like a hard sell, but the book challenges a lot of conventional views in a well researched, interesting read and overall I really enjoyed it。Advanced copy received from NetGalley。 。。。more

Chantal Lyons

With 'Feral', George Monbiot had the same influence on rewilding in Britain that Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' had on the use of pesticides worldwide。 Can Monbiot do it again with the global agriculture industry?I hope so。 'Regenesis' is a book that I won't be able to forget, although I am already one of the converted。 Even so, my mind was blown within the first few pages, and numerous times after that。 I consider myself to be fairly keyed up on the various ways in which agriculture damages th With 'Feral', George Monbiot had the same influence on rewilding in Britain that Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' had on the use of pesticides worldwide。 Can Monbiot do it again with the global agriculture industry?I hope so。 'Regenesis' is a book that I won't be able to forget, although I am already one of the converted。 Even so, my mind was blown within the first few pages, and numerous times after that。 I consider myself to be fairly keyed up on the various ways in which agriculture damages the environment, and how the agricultural industry today fails to deliver adequately nutritious food to many。 However, I still learned a huge amount, and much that made me furious at how things have gone so wrong。 I am not someone given to optimism, and I am keen to see what scientists and other relevant analysts make of the technologies and approaches that Monbiot champions for reforming our food production - but his arguments come across as rational, nuanced, and exciting。 'Regenesis' is much less memoir-ish than 'Feral', although there are enough autobiographical vignettes to give a personable edge to Monbiot's analysis。 His visit to a foodbank is particularly poignant to read, and timely considering Jack Monroe's recent Twitter-sparked campaign on food accessibility。 It is not quite all doom and gloom; the book opens with a truly beautiful chapter on the soil organisms that Monbiot finds in a spadeful of soil from his community orchard (that's where my brain had its first explosion of wonder)。 My one criticism of the book was the omission of the potential to scale up insect farming。 If Monbiot feels that insect protein is a dead-end avenue, okay, but I would have liked to know why this is。 'Regenesis' is otherwise an incredibly thorough book (100 of the 350 pages of my PDF version are the notes/references alone), and I am delighted that he has written it - I reckon it'll be the most important book published this year。(With thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review) 。。。more