*** BLOG ALERT *** Soil nerd and organic farming advocate opinions follow!
I received a copy of Veronika Bond's book to review, HUMUS: the black gold of the earth. As you may have guessed it is a book whose title very much appeals to me. Delving into the pages, and unable to put it down, I was thoroughly enthused by the insights and information within.
The concepts contained in the book are not new, and much of the knowledge dates back thousands of years. Still, Veronika points out that our current food system does not always take into consideration the importance of humus. Our current farming practices often destroy the very part of the soil that provides the most benefits to plants, animals and the environment and ultimately life on Earth.
Veronika explains not only the science behind humus, but also why defining humus by its chemical elements and micro fauna is flawed. Much knowledge about humus was in fact noted prior to the advent of modern science, and a more thorough explanation is contained within the book.
Veronika introduces us to terms which are soil specific, such as edaphon (one of my favourites), colloidal humus, soil apathy and terra preta with ease of language for a clear understanding. This book is for novices as well as leaders in the field of soil science.
One of the biggest takes from the book is the scalability of humus production, and the book provides not only easy 'recipes' for compost production, but also explains how they can be used to regenerate a larger landscape.
This book answers the how's, the why's and also provides the practical methods to do so.
"Humus has become a commodity, sold in garden centres and supermarkets. However the familiar brown substrate in plastic bags is a far cry from the living organisms described in this book."
Veronika Bond, Author of HUMUS: the black gold of the earth
The book will be available in hardcover, paperback and electronically and you can subscribe to the website The Humus Project to be notified when it is available for sale.
Thank you Veronika for the review copy, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
Sonia Ghiggioli
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