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Regenesis

Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet

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Regenesis

By: George Monbiot
Narrated by: George Monbiot
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

People talk a lot about the problems with intensive farming. But the problem isn't the adjective. It's the noun. Around the world, farming has been wiping out vast habitats, depleting freshwater, polluting oceans, and accelerating global heating, while leaving millions undernourished and unfed. Increasingly, there are signs that the system itself is beginning to flicker. But, as George Monbiot shows us in this brilliant, bracingly original new book, there is another way.

Regenesis is an exhilarating journey into a new possible future for food, people and the planet. Drawing on the revelatory, rapidly advancing science of soil ecology, Monbiot shows how the hidden biological universe beneath our feet could transform what we eat and how we grow it. He travels to meet the people who are unlocking these methods, from the fruit and vegetable growers who cultivate pests as well as potatoes; through producers of perennial grains who are liberating their fields from ploughs; to the scientists pioneering new forms of protein and fat that can be cooked into rich golden pancakes and much, much more. We start to see how the tiniest life forms in the soil might help us save the living world, allowing us to produce abundant, cheap, healthy food while returning vast swathes of land to the wild.

Here, for the first time, is a profoundly hopeful, appetising and exciting vision of food: of revolutionary cultivation and cuisine that could nourish us all and restore our world of wonders.

© George Monbiot 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Agricultural & Food Sciences Economics Environment Environmental Economics Food Science Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Politics & Government Science Solar System Nutrition

Critic Reviews

This book calls for nothing less than a revolution in the future of food - one that will literally transform the face of the Earth, to make food affordable for all while restoring the living world. Such a vision sounds near impossible, but Monbiot reveals the food pioneers whose extraordinary innovations could bring it within reach. Never shying from controversy, Regenesis weaves the poetry of soil into the politics of farming to shake the ground on which we all grow. This is Monbiot's masterpiece: an urgent and exhilarating journey into remaking what and how we eat (Kate Raworth)
Regenesis speaks to us like a poem that begins with a phantasmagoria of that which lies under the soil, offers a magnificent political economy of global food production and concludes with a hopeful vision of a techno-ethical equilibrium between Humanity and Nature. It must be read (Yanis Varoufakis)
People from all walks of life should read this remarkable book. It is in my view one of the two or three most important books to appear this century (Prof. Sir David King, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government)
As we begin to rethink our relationship with Nature, the unstinting work of George Monbiot becomes ever more valuable. Monbiot has been at the cutting edge of the discussion for decades, and his extraordinary book covers this complex, evolving subject with depth and breadth, sincerity and humour. I never cease to be surprised by the unexpected perspectives he brings to bear, leading me through problems I never envisaged and solutions I never imagined. We are left with the hope that the solutions might triumph, that we might make it through (Brian Eno)
A book offering evidence-based hope is a rare thing in these days of climate and nature emergency - yet that's exactly what George Monbiot has written. Inspiring and compelling, Regenesis sets out a transformative vision of a new food future with the potential to both restore nature and feed the world. Monbiot's blueprint is both wildly ambitious and deeply practical, and might well be our last best hope of stopping the sixth great extinction (Caroline Lucas)
This remarkable book, staring curiously down at the soil beneath our feet, points us convincingly in one of the directions we must travel. I learned something on every page (Bill McKibben)
George Monbiot clears paths towards solutions that lie dormant within us, which, if embraced, could transform our world and our societies into better places. He reaches for new ideas that might ignite the collective consciousness in a push to protect, rather than tragically destroy, the biosphere. Read George Monbiot and you will meet the cheerful courage and passion of a fellow traveller on this earth who seeks authentic hope (ANOHNI)
All stars
Most relevant
Just like ‘out of the wreckage’ did with politics, so Regenesis does with food production. First revealing the true nature and scale of the systemic problems, then devoting equal or more time and energy discussing solutions. Monbiot has an ability to both show how much worse things are than you thought, yet still leave you feeling optimistic.

Like everything I’ve read of his - must read.

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well read entertaining well researched and solution focussed. recommended reading for anyone interested in farming and soil degredation

thought provoking

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This is a passionate call to re-examine and change how we produce our food.
It's 'factfullness' combined with fascinating storytelling, and about as far away from wide-eyed, impractical platitudes as you can get. I was often surprised, but came away much wiser. Even better - many solutions are espoused - warts and all - always considering wider systems impacts.
I can't recommend this enough. Thank you George, I can sense the effort and passion that went into this, and I'll be sharing it as much as I can.

Inspiring. Hard-headed. Surprising.

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I enjoy George and his new book is excellent also. He researches, writes and reads well. This book combines a hard hitting perspective on current food and land culture with inspiring story telling and a call to action. I recommend it.

Another great listen

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George Mobile has eloquently articulated the transformation that our society needs to make this decade in order to have a regenerative future. Required reading for those who wish to ensure a chance for their children to have a healthy climate and a sustainable civilization in the coming decades.

extraordinary prescription for a healthy planet

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