Here you’ll find practical and ecological approaches to working land. This section brings together resources on grazing, soil health, water, pasture systems and regenerative agriculture. The goal is not to offer quick prescriptions but to share frameworks and field-tested ideas that support careful observation, adaptation and long-term land health.

Whole Farm Design and Regenerative Systems

“Practical Permaculture, for Home Landscapes, Your Community and the Whole Earth”; Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein; Timber Press, 2015
“Permaculture, Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability”; David Holmgren; Holmgren Design Services, 2002
“The Resilient Farm and Homestead, An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach”; Ben Falk; Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013
“Gaia’s Garden”; Toby Hemenway; Chelsea Green, 2009

Grasslands, Grazing and Pasture Ecology

“Grass, Soil, Hope, A Journey through Carbon Country”; Courtney White; Chelsea Green Publishing, 2014
“Range Improvement by Deferred and Rotation Grazing”; Arthur William Sampson; Forgotten Books, 2018 (See also Land and Place, “Prairie Ecology and Conservation”)
“Silvopasture, A Guide to Managing Grazing Animals, Forage Crops and Trees in a Temperate Farm Ecosystem”; Steve Gabriel; Chelsea Green, 2018

Agroforestry, Woodlands and Perennial Food Systems

“The Holistic Orchard, Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way”; Michael Phillips; Chelsea Green, 2011
“Farming the Woods, An Integrated Permaculture Approach to Growing Food and Medicinals in Temperate Forests”; Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel; Chelsea Green, 2014

Small-Scale Agriculture and Food Security

“Small-scale farmers producer more of the rich world’s food than previously thought”; Oliver Taherzadeh; The Conversation, January 28, 2026
“Small farms contribute a third of the food consumed in high-income nations”; Oliver Taherzadeh, Hongyi Cai and José M. Mogollón; Nature Food, January 28, 2026
Open Knowledge; FAO Knowledge Repository
“From big to small: the significance of smallholder farms in the global food system”; Jessica Fanzo; The Lancet, vol. 1, issue 1, April 2017
“Small farms outdo big ones on biodiversity – and crop yields”; (paywall) Nature Food, March 29, 2021
“Higher yields and more biodiversity on smaller farms”; (PDF) Vincent Ricciardi, Zia Mehrabi, Hannah Wittman, Dana James and Navin Ramankutty; Nature Sustainability

Plants, Weeds and Ecological Indicators

“Weeds and What They Tell Us”; Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer; Floris Books, 2017

Traditional and Indigenous Land Knowledge

“Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Learning from Indigenous Practices for Environmental Sustainability”; edited by Melissa K. Nelson and Dan Shilling; Cambridge University Press, 2021
“Traditional Methods of Canning and Preserving, Recipes and Tips from Alberta’s First Nations People”; Yellowhead Tribal Council
(See also Land and Place, Indigenous History and Perspectives)

Homestead Skills and Reliance

“The Homesteading Handbook, A Back to Basics Guide”; Abigail R. Gehring; Skyhorse Publishing, 2011
“Berries of Alberta, A Field Guide”; Tom Cervenka; Northern Bushcraft Publishing, 2012
“The Foragers Workbook”; Tiny Orchard Homestead, 2013
“The Boreal Herbal, Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North”; Beverley Gray; Aroma Borealis Press, 2015
“Alone in the Wilderness”; Dick Proenneke, 1967. Synopsis: “Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes. The first summer he scouted for the best cabin site, and cut and peeled the logs he would need for his cabin. Dick Proenneke returned the next summer to finish the cabin where he lived for over 30 years. Dick filmed his adventures, and Bob Swerer later turned the film into a video so we can all watch this amazing man build his cabin by hand.”

Earthworks, Water and Land Shaping

“Permaculture Earthworks Handbook, How to Design Swales, Dams, Ponds and other Water Harvesting Systems”; Douglas Barnes; New Society Publishers, 2017