Books by Albert Howard

Facsimile of 1940 Edition. An Agricultural Testament is Sir Albert Howard's best-known publication and remains one of the seminal works in the history of organic farming movement. The work focuses on the nature and management of soil fertility, and notably explores composting. At a time when modern, chemical-based industrialized agriculture was just beginning to radically alter food production, it advocated natural processes rather than man-made inputs as the superior approach to farming. It was first published in England in 1940. Since this book first appeared in 1940, it has been regarded as one of the most important contributions to the solution of soil rehabilitation problems ever published. More importantly, it is regarded as the keystone of the organic movement.Louis Bromfield called it "the best book I know on soil and the processes which take part in it." Soil Science called it "the most interesting and suggestive book on soil fertility which has appeared since King's Farmers of Forty Centuries." And Mother Earth News recently called it "the most basic of all introductions to organic farming by the founder of the modern movement."The object of the book was to draw attention to the loss of soil fertility, brought about by the vast increase in crop and animal production, that has led to such disastrous consequences as a general unbalancing of farming practices, an increase in plant and animal diseases and the loss of soil by erosion. Howard contended that such losses can be repaired only by maintaining soil fertility by manufacturing humus from vegetable and animal wastes through the composting process. He stressed, too, a little-known nutritional factor, the mycorrhizal association, which is the living fungous bridge between humus in the soil and the sap of plants.

All of us live between peril and safety, danger and security, sickness and wellness, death and life. The threats range from a head cold to the Climate Change that endangers all life on earth. How may we consider such topics and create strategies and positive outlooks? The second half of the book discusses the Climate Change that threatens to disrupt the health of all humans and all life on planet Earth. Concepts in modern biology, physics, ecology, and religion suggest changes we can make locally and globally. As wonderful as modern medicine is, it is still largely materials-based. It could be extended, improved, and be more effective if it further drew on the resources of mind and energy in both caregivers and patients, indeed in all persons sick or well. Developments in Integration Medicine, Medical Humanities, and Health Humanities all help to widen the medical gaze.

During his years as a scientist working for the British government in India, Sir Albert Howard conceived of and refined the principles of organic agriculture. Howard's The Soil and Health became a seminal and inspirational text in the organic movement soon after its publication in 1945. The Soil and Health argues that industrial agriculture, emergent in Howard's era and dominant today, disrupts the delicate balance of nature and irrevocably robs the soil of its fertility. Howard's classic treatise links the burgeoning health crises facing crops, livestock, and humanity to this radical degradation of the Earth's soil. His message -- that we must respect and restore the health of the soil for the benefit of future generations -- still resonates among those who are concerned about the effects of chemically enhanced agriculture.