“Radical, outrageous, insightful…
The
Future
of Food in
America”
-Kelly Anne Blount, USA TODAY Bestselling Author
"More so than any other artist, writers can step into your life and change it.
Robert Turner is that writer.”
-Dennis Ray, Book Review
Rapid River Magazine
"Don't Just Read This Book.
Pass It Along!"
-Jeff Minick, Book Review, Smoky Mountain Living Magazine
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The recent Covid-19 pandemic and then Russian hackers on our oil and meat supply created food shortages and higher prices that revealed the weak links in our global, industrialized food system—a food supply chain that promotes itself as a source of plenty for all but really creates monopolies for some wealthy corporations and food insecurity for the rest of us. In Lewis Mumford and the Food Fighters, Robert Turner and his misfit band of rebel food fighters define a values-based and principle-centered approach to food that can restore our health, build stronger relationships, and create a more sustainable and resilient food system for future generations.
Story Ideas:
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Taking back control of the food system
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Food Sovereignty and Food Security
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Regenerative and organic food production
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The loss of Biodiversity and Farmland Topsoil
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Food and Health
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Agriculture and Climate Change
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Investing in the Future of Food
Robert Turner is a columnist for Mother Earth News
Also by Robert Turner
Carrots Don't Grow on Trees:
Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities.
(Discovery Books, 2019)
Find recent articles from Robert Turner here:
In "Carrots", Robert Turner explores what has changed in our food culture and how the "farm to table" and "grow local" movement is now determining where and how we live. Turner discusses a new concept in urban planning called the Agrihood, a new agriculturally based community where a farm takes center stage and residents gain closer connections to healthy food and the farmers who grow it.
GROW MORE WITH LESS:
Learn how to grow your business with less Inputs, less labor, and less environmental impact.
Author, science writer and organic farmer Robert Turner can facilitate a discussion on the business of farming and food production with humor and
old-fashioned farmer wisdom that can help any business or organization look outside the box for efficiency and sustainability.
“I enjoy science research and writing because of the new and often mind-bending discoveries taking place in environmental science and AgTech.”
-Robert Turner
WHAT DOES A FARMER OF THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE?
In a lively discussion about recent tech and transformations in the food
system, you’ll discover how farmers are learning to “grow more with
less”— less inputs, less labor, and less harm to the environment. These
same principles can apply to any business or organization.
PRODUCTION, PROFITABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
Many of Mr. Turner’s books and articles are related to new technologies
in agriculture (AgTech), such as digital satellite imaging, precision ag,
biologicals, laser weeders, drones, ground sensors and robot tractors.
How can technology help feed the world in a future threatened by climate
change? How will food production remain profitable for farmers while
protecting environmental resources like soil and water.
UNDERSTANDING CONNECTIONS
Everything in nature is connected, and how can technology help us to
connect or “plug-in” to gain efficiencies and do less harm? Mr. Turner’s
discussion includes recent and fascinating discoveries in science, such
as how plants and microbes in the soil share resources in a symbiotic
relationship, how insects and plants "talk" to each other, and how
"mother trees" deliver nutrients to young saplings through the world
wide web of mycorrhizal fungi. The discussion will make you wonder—
what is “communication” and what is “intelligence”?
Robert Turner is a science writer focused on food and the environment. He is a columnist for Mother Earth News magazine, and the author of two books related to food production and sustainability.
Mr. Turner is co-chair of the board at Organic Growers School, a leading source of farmer education and training in the Southeast, and vice chair of the Buncombe County Land Conservation Advisory Board. He is also the owner of an organic farm in Arden, NC.
Science driven, regenerative agriculture is
Better for Farmers, Better for the Planet
The current industrial agriculture system is keeping farmers on the edge of solvency while it destroys our soils and ecosystems.
We need a better way.
I look for Innovation - Driven Solutions
Regenerative Agriculture can capture over One Ton of carbon from the atmosphere per acre/year while it produces more food with lower input costs.
"Wall Street and capital markets have taken notice, and I write about those people and companies on the leading edge of a new food economy."
"The U.N. has said that we have enough topsoil left for 60 years.
That's 60 harvests."
Earth-Powered Agriculture
Science-driven regenerative farming practices can restore the health of our planet and people while it sequesters carbon. Agriculture may be the most cost effective tool that we have to pull carbon from the atmosphere and limit the harmful effects of climate change.
Next Generation Technologies
Building a stronger, regionally-based food system with better tilling methods, including no till and limited till, along with multispecies cover crops, crop rotations, reduced chemical applications and intensive, rotational grazing for cattle production, are the key to a sustainable and regenerative food system of the future. I'll be writing about these things.
What drives my research and writing?
Upper pasture at Creekside Farm
Our Strategy must be Different.
Our investments in the food system must combine acceptable financial returns with long-term social and environmental benefits. It's not just about the environment or climate change. We cannot continue feeding ourselves with food from far-away places. Every community around the world must be able to feed itself, because that brings food security in uncertain times. And most importantly, it can help reduce farm sprawl into rain forests.
Saving the Rain Forest with
more efficiency at home
According to the USDA, half of our fruits and one-third of our vegetables come from a foreign country, mostly Central and South America, a region that is most at risk of farm sprawl and encroaching on forested areas.
What I'm working on now
Over the coming months, I'll be writing about public and private companies in the Ag Tech and sustainable food sectors that are bringing innovation across the supply chain, including:
• Carbon Sequestration
• Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)
• Soil Health, Microbial Health
• Ag Biologics for crop nutrition and protection
• Precision Agriculture and Farm Optimization
• Supply Chain Optimization including eCommerce
• Food Preservation and Waste Reduction
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