ELIOT COLEMAN & THE SMALL FARM RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
(Page 2 of 12)
For the official doubters, such as the agricultural
spokesmen who state that it is impossible to farm
successfully without chemicals and poisons, this
bibliography contains books by farmers who claim to have
done the impossible. For the unofficial doubters, like
those who just think that it is all too complicated, this
bibliography contains books by gardeners who make it all
sound easy. And for everyone else it contains books which
should establish that biological agriculture is more than
just "we don't use this" or "we don't use that" statements
by which it is so often misrepresented.
RELATED CONTENT
It would not be fair to dismiss these books offhand for
their faults. Many were written over thirty years ago and
some are not too rigorously scientific. Books that are
otherwise reasonable but weak in factual presentation have
not been excluded. Nonetheless, the conscientious reader
should use all of these guides to gain a better
understanding of biological agriculture and the many ways
of practicing it.
It would be equally unfair to condemn the titles in this
bibliography as the work of unqualified amateurs. The
attainment of a Ph.D. is no guarantee of brains and
logically the lack of same does not establish incompetence.
On occasion certain observations of these amateurs are
incorrect. That is not surprising. But is should not
invalidate their many sustainable observations nor should
the value of practical observation itself be disregarded
because the requirements of modern statistical analysis are
not fulfilled. The truly unscientific man is the one who
denounces knowledge gained by observation and experience
simply because it does not agree with the established
dogma. The province of science is investigation, not
reprobation.
Much of the controversy between the chemical and the
biological methods of agriculture has centered around
attempts to prove one system superior to the other. Such
comparisons are non-productive. It is a little like
discussing whether dairy farming is better or worse than
raising blueberries. Both are equally viable systems and
both produce food by treating the soil in a particular way.
The chemical and biological systems of farming are also
equally viable but the difference is that the former has
been thoroughly researched and the latter has not. It would
be a great step forward if research could be conducted in
recognition of the potential of biological agriculture and
with the intention of improving techniques, refining
approaches, and developing scientific parameters for
further study.
This is a good place to clear up a major misunderstanding
about biological agriculture. The scientists contend that
the elements are identical whether applied in the form of
chemical fertilizer or in the form of compost. "Nitrogen is
nitrogen", as they say. All well and good, biological
agriculture does not dispute the table of elements. But
that is beside the point. The principal object of
biological agriculture is not to supply "available plant
foods" whether through compost or any other way but rather
to create the optimal conditions of a balanced soil under
which natural processes can maintain a healthy soil-plant
economy.
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