Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers.

For those who have dreamed of relocating to the countryside %E2%80%94 and who possess two X chromosomes%E2%80%94this multifaceted guide to organic farming is ideal. Author Kivirist (Rural Renaissance) is a former Chicagoan who became both a farmer and an advocate for female farmers everywhere. The aim of the book is to give them "the practical means needed to cultivate your dream farm livelihood," and Kivirist is serious about farming as a lifestyle. She divides the book into four parts that cover the history and ideology of women in farming, the trends and business practices behind organic agriculture, the practical basics to growing crops, and ways that female farmers can nurture their mental and physical well-being. Sprinkled throughout the book are "Idea Seeds" and "Tool Sheds" that provide agricultural advice as well as information about women-centered farming non-profits and other like organizations. The book also includes detailed photographs and biographies of women who are thriving as farmers, all based on Kivirist's belief that, "we have so much to learn and inspiration to draw from each other as women." This a richly detailed book with lots of useful advice, and any woman (or man, for that matter) interested in farming would do well to read it. (Jan.)