269. David R. Montgomery: How to Heal Our Soil

A century of conventional farming has left our planet with sick soil, accelerating the interlinked crises of food security, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and climate change. In his new book, ReGen: A New Future for Farming, Food, and Health, David R. Montgomery lays out a practical and productive vision for recovering soil health and safeguarding the future of food. The answer: soil-building regenerative farming. In exploring this much-needed turning point for agriculture, Montgomery marshals more than a decade of research, interviewing innovative farmers and seeing firsthand how they restored degraded farms around the world.

Breaking down common myths around conventional and organic farming, animal agriculture, and plant-based diets, the book frames ten policy recommendations for sustainably nourishing the world. As Montgomery shows, reducing tillage, laying off synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, growing a diversity of crops, and getting livestock back on the land can reverse centuries of soil degradation and harvest nutrient-dense food. Succinct, accessible, and urgent, ReGen points the way to a healthier, more resilient world.

David R. Montgomery is a professor at the University of Washington and a MacArthur Fellow. He is the author and coauthor of several previous books about soil and agriculture, including Dirt, Growing a Revolution, and What Your Food Ate.

Buy the Book

ReGen: A New Future for Farming, Food, and Health (Hardcover)

Elliott Bay Book Company