Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet

Activist and journalist Monbiot (Feral) digs deep in this enlightening look at soil ecology. English soils can “be as diverse as the Amazon rainforest,” “composed of structures within structures within structures within structures,” yet “so neglected has this ecosystem been... that we are only beginning to unearth its complexities.” Monbiot describes the life that teems within, and talks with farmers and researchers to sound the alarm on European policies that “accelerate the destruction” of soils rather than protect them. Maize, for example, is grown to feed cattle and produce biogas, and is “probably the greatest danger to soil health” across Europe. On “the engrossing issue of excrement,” the author finds fault with the lightly regulated industry of chicken farming: across England and Wales, waste began to be dumped into rivers after governments decided it would have “no likely significant environmental impact.” In stark terms, Monbiot reminds readers “the more land that farming occupies, the less is available for forests and wetlands, savannahs, and wild grasslands,” and makes a strong case for the switch to a system of farming that takes soil health into account. Passionate and informative, this is a solid look at farming’s effects on a changing planet. Agent: Antony Harwood Ltd. (UK). (Aug.)