Cultivating an Ecological Conscience Essays from a Farmer Philosopher - Frederick L. Kirschenmann (2010).pdf

For more than thirty years, Frederick Kirschenmann has explored the ethical and practical principles of sustainable agriculture. An accomplished theologian, philosopher, and third-generation farmer, Kirschenmann is a dynamic leading voice in the dialogue about the challenges of modern agriculture.

Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays from a Farmer Philosopher follows Kirschenmann’s personal and professional evolution as a lifelong proponent of new agrarianism. Together with agricultural economist Constance L. Falk, Kirschenmann has compiled a collection of his essential writings on farming, philosophy, and sustainability. In this fascinating blend of personal history, philosophical discourse, spiritual ruminations, and practical advice, Kirschenmann shares candid, valuable insights about the agricultural challenges facing the modern world and the necessity of achieving ecologically sound and responsible stewardship of the land.

This rich book follows the development of Kirschenmann’s long and distinguished career, from childhood lessons learned on the family farm to his inventive approaches for addressing contemporary agrarian issues. More than a mere retrospective, these these essays serve as an introduction to the life and wok of an extraordinary agricultural thinker.

Review
"Frederick L. Kirschenmann was named as one of ten recipients of the inaugural James Beard Foundation Leadership Award in 2011." --



""Fred Kirschenmann may not be as well known as Wendell Berry or Wes Jackson, America's other indispensable farmer-philosophers, but the publication of this superb collection of essays should fix that. These essays make clear to all what some of us have long known: that Fred is one of the wisest, sanest, most practical, and most trusted voices in the movement to reform the American food system."--Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" --



""There's almost nobody in America more entitled to write about farming than Fred Kirschenmann. We're past the moment when agriculture was something we could forget about -- in a warming world, there's no more crucial topic, and here's the short course in how to think about it!"--Bill McKibben, author of Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet" --



""Fred Kirschenmann is a rare seasoned elder always ready to display good sense on matters agricultural, cultural, historical, ecological, religious, and more. Who among us can match his experience, gained from a combination of work in the academic world plus another successful life at work on his North Dakota farm?"--Wes Jackson, president of The Land Institute and author of Consulting the Genius of the Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture" --



""Fred Kirschenmann's life and thought lie in the fertile and practical intersection of theology, farming, and science. He is a practitioner, thinker, and visionary of extraordinary power. This collection is immensely valuable as a collection of his writings, but even more so as a portrait of the possible union of ethics and agriculture as the foundation for a durable relation to the land."--David W. Orr, author of Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect" --



""Folks who care about farming and the land will enjoy this book.... You can't go wrong!"--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign" --



""Describes food production as part of resurrection process, with death providing life a natural and theologically necessary part of creation's existence."--Land Stewardship Letter" --



""In a unique blend of personal history, philosophical discourse, spiritual ruminations, and practical advice, Kirschenmann interweaves his insights with discussion of contemporary agrarian topics."--University of Chicago Magazine" --



""An impressive analysis and reflection of the art and science of agricultural.... This work is a window into a life well-lived and deeply examined."--WFAN NEWS" --



""Lays out an agrarian philosophy that is part science, part faith, and part firsthand experience."--University of Chicago Magazine" --



""More than a collection of writing that spans over three decades, this book is a treasure that should reside on a nerby shelf for ready reference for any person concerned about the future of food and the environment."--Journal of Sustainable Agriculture" --



""A unique read into why, what, and how an ecological revolution is needed... [Cultivating an Ecological Conscience is] accessible and appealing to the (academic) philosopher as well as the farmer reader and everyone in between."--Environmental Ethics" --



""[Writing of] the material world... technical ag fixes.... [and] the potentials of urban agriculture...seems doubtful we've heard the last of Fred."--Wapsipinicon Almanec" --



""This compilation of 37 essays describe the current state of agriculture and demonstrate that Kirschenmann -- organic farmer, agrarian and philosopher -- has both personal knowledge of natural farming practices and an understanding of the drawbacks of industrial agriculture."--Farmers Market Today" --



""Cultivating an Ecological Conscience is an absolutely essential read for all those unfamiliar with the direction of cutting edge agriculture and a positively uplifting read for all those who are already there and seeking ways to connect environmental concepts with the production of food in the twenty-first century."--Energy Bulletin" --



""Sprawling and magisterial, Frederick L. Kirschenmann's collection of essays... expresses an erudition that encompasses reflections on everything from the philosophical implications of castrating calves, to the unseen ecological threats of integrating biotechnology into the process of food production, to seriously considering the role of marketing for the small-time organic farmer." -- Tom Jacobs, New York Institute of Technology" --



""In Cultivating an Ecological Conscience, essays and lectures from a broad range of events, journals, and forums come together to form a remarkably cohesive whole."--Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development" --



""A text that should be read start to finish. Not because every sentence is first-rate, but because a story is told." --Agriculture and Human Values" --

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From the Inside Flap
For more than thirty years, Frederick L. Kirschenmann has explored the ethical and practical principles of sustainable agriculture. An accomplished theologian, philosopher, and third-generation farmer, Kirschenmann is a dynamic leading voice in the dialogue about the challenges of modern agriculture.

Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays from a Farmer Philosopher follows Kirschenmann's personal and professional evolution as a lifelong proponent of new agrarianism. Together with agricultural economist Constance L. Falk, Kirschenmann has compiled a collection of his essential writings on farming, philosophy, and sustainability. In this fascinating blend of personal history, philosophical discourse, spiritual ruminations, and practical advice, Kirschenmann shares candid, valuable insights into the agricultural challenges facing the modern world and the necessity of achieving ecologically sound and responsible stewardship of the land.

Cultivating an Ecological Conscience follows the development of Kirschenmann's long and distinguished career, from childhood lessons learned on the family farm to his inventive approaches for addressing contemporary agrarian issues. More than a mere retrospective, these essays serve as an introduction to the life and work of an extraordinary agricultural thinker.

Though sustainability has been a concern for ages, modern farming practices typically value quantity over quality and profit over ecology, increasing the need for sustainable agriculture and natural cultivation methods. In Cultivating an Ecological Conscience, a modern-day agricultural pioneer addresses the complex challenges inherent in meeting the world's increasing food needs and the many environmental obstacles we must overcome.