An Agricultural Testament

An Agricultural Testament

Author	Sir Albert Howard
Language	English
Subject	Agriculture
Published	1940
Publication place	England

An Agricultural Testament is Sir Albert Howard's best-known publication, and remains one of the seminal works in the history of organic farming agricultural movement. ^{[1] [2] [3]} Dedicated to his first wife and co-worker Gabrielle, herself a plant physiologist, it focuses on the nature and management of soil fertility, and notably explores composting. ^[3] 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, with the first American edition in 1943. ^[a]

Notes

1. The online version of An Agricultural Testament states that the first American edition was 1945. This is an error. The hardcopy of the 1976 Special Rodale Press Edition clearly states: "First American edition, 1943". The online text otherwise appears to be identical with the hardcopy, including the replication of the comments from the inside flaps and back of the dust-cover.

References

1. Howard, Sir Albert (1943), An Agricultural Testament (PDF), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2010, retrieved 9 August 2010 pdf per Special Rodale Press Edition, 1976. See cover note on significance of book.
2. William Lockeretz, ed. (2007), Organic Farming: An International History, Oxfordshire, UK & Cambridge, Massachusetts: CAB International (CABI), ISBN   978-0-85199-833-6 , retrieved 10 August 2010 ebook ISBN   978-1-84593-289-3
3. Michael Pollan (2006), The Omnivore's Dilemma , The Penguin Press, p. 145, ISBN   978-1-59420-082-3

External links

• An Agricultural Testament - full text online
• An Agricultural Testament - 2010 Edition published by Benediction Classics