VICTORIA, British Columbia
As global supply chains face growing fragility from geopolitical conflict and climate disruptions, a provocative new book argues that the technocratic, industrial model of food globalization has officially reached its endpoint.
In Garden Earth: Grounding Ourselves in Nature on Small Farms, Canadian author and essayist Elizabeth M. Woodworth delivers both a spiritual manifesto and a practical roadmap for restoring the 80% of small family farms lost since World War II.
“We have reached the final chapters of a global experiment that objectifies the natural world,” says Woodworth. “To rescue our future, we must recover our ability to listen to the Earth. We must restore the small, self-reliant farming communities that once defined human history.”
Garden Earth bridges ancient cross-cultural wisdom with modern survival, urging urban communities to exchange modern asphalt life for homesteading fulfillment. The book draws inspiration from indigenous relationship models with the environment—such as the traditional Hawaiian fisherman who asks permission from wildlife before casting a line—contrasting this deeply connected “nature-mind” with the detachment of modern urban life.
Dr. Peter Carter of the Climate Emergency Institute praises the work, writing: “Woodworth suggests that we ‘look at Nature through a long-lost lens,’ distinguishing ‘between our prevailing state of mind towards Nature, and the ancient, harmonious states of nature-mind which prevailed during earlier times when we were immersed in Nature and integrated with it.’”
To help readers transition into this ecological civilization, Garden Earth combines historic soil wisdom with cutting-edge, off-grid technologies. Core themes explored in the book include:
- Localizing Agriculture: Cultivating high-impact crops that reduce reliance on global trade, including fruits, soybeans, oil seeds, hemp products, and bamboo.
- Economic Sovereignty: Generating self-sufficient income through lucrative specialty crops like saffron, goji berries, ginger, ginseng, gourmet mushrooms, and culinary herbs.
- Regenerative Soil Recovery: Utilizing Sir Albert Howard’s deep-humus and composting traditions to actively heal depleted farmlands.
- Restoring Nature-Mind: Re-learning the environmental intimacy found in historical, parish-based, and indigenous cultures to protect biodiversity.
Garden Earth is fully equipped with references to supportive government programs and farming organizations, making it highly actionable for the next generation of homesteaders.
About the Author:
Elizabeth M. Woodworth is a Canadian author and essayist who spent 30 years working in information science. Her widely published books and essays address international justice, nuclear disarmament, climate change, and food security. She writes regularly on environmental integration via her Substack.
Availability:
Garden Earth is available worldwide on Amazon for $9.95 USD.
- United States: Amazon USA
- Canada: Amazon Canada
- United Kingdom: Amazon UK