{"product_id":"the-lean-micro-farm-how-to-get-small-embrace-local-live-better-and-work-less-9781645022046","title":"The Lean Micro Farm: How to Get Small, Embrace Local, Live Better, and Work Less","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Ben Hartman is a true innovator for the small farm.\"--Curtis Stone, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Urban Farmer\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt's time to think big about small farms. Award-winning author and \"green leader\" (\u003cem\u003eGrist\u003c\/em\u003e) Ben Hartman shares practical how-to tips, personal stories, and surprising examples of cutting-edge farmers and innovators around the world to show us how.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the early 1970s, US Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz infamously commanded farmers to \"get big or get out.\" In \u003cem\u003eThe Lean Micro Farm\u003c\/em\u003e, author Ben Hartman rejects that disastrous suggestion and instead takes up the charge of the late agrarian thinker Gene Logsdon: \"Get small and stay in.\"\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTaking inspiration from the groundbreaking ideas of E. F. Schumacher and Mahatma Gandhi, \u003cem\u003eThe Lean Micro Farm\u003c\/em\u003e shows how small, hyperlocal farms can be both ecologically and economically superior to industrial-scale operations geared toward export and commodity markets.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Lean Micro Farm\u003c\/em\u003e details the author's remarkable journey to downsize his farm from one acre to a third of an acre in an effort to prioritize family and community over work, all without taking a pay cut. In addition, Hartman profiles six innovative farmers from across the globe who embody this \"get small\" mindset. These pioneering farmers show all of us a path toward resilience in the face of supply chain disruption, globalization, and climate change. They model a gentler, more ecological approach to farming that produces less waste \u003cem\u003eand\u003c\/em\u003e uses less plastic, petroleum, and fertilizer.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLike his previous two books, \u003cem\u003eThe Lean Farm\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables\u003c\/em\u003e, Hartman's \u003cem\u003eThe Lean Micro Farm\u003c\/em\u003e doesn't just explain why smaller is better, it shows readers exactly how it can be done with step-by-step guides on how to turn a profit from a tiny, but productive, parcel of farmland. Readers will find not just philosophical justifications for a minimalist approach to agriculture but also actionable information for starting your own profitable micro farm, including: \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eA description of the \"deep mulch\" method for building fertility\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eInstructions on two-step bed flipping to increase production on a small footprint\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA guide for choosing essential tools and technologies \"with a human face\"\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAn easy-to-follow process for making your micro farm lean and efficient\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA detailed plan for selling $20,000 worth of produce from your backyard\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt's time, Hartman makes clear, to pivot to a new kind of farming--one that builds upon ancestral knowledge, nourishes communities, and puts human joy, not technology, at its center.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Hartman has revolutionized his methods, cut down his work hours dramatically, and shrunk the size of his farm, all while making a better income.\"--\u003cem\u003eCivil Eats\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Chelsea Green Publishing Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/30\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781645022046\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.00h x 7.00w x 1.00d","brand":"Ben Hartman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43150377124021,"sku":"9781645022046","price":29.71,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_4ea3eda0-de21-43ae-8dc0-d0f3a56e4365.jpg?v=1696347070","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-lean-micro-farm-how-to-get-small-embrace-local-live-better-and-work-less-9781645022046","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}