The Farm as Natural Habitat shows how wildlife need not be banished to distant parks but can and should be integrated into our farming systems. Editors Dana and Laura Jackson have organized a delightful collection of eighteen essays, linked by insightful transitions, addressing  the connection between the grocery list and the endangered species list, between farms and nature.  A related theme concerns the  bullying notion  that holds the advance of industrial, habitat-destroying agriculture as inevitable

Levins, Richard

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences Great Plains Studies, Center for Spring 2005 Review of The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems Edited by Dana L. Jackson and Laura L. Jackson Richard Levins University of Minnesota, St. Paul Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch  Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons Levins, Richard, "Review of The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems Edited by Dana L. Jackson and Laura L. Jackson" (2005). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences. 748. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch/748 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. IMI Clrcat Plains Rc~carch Vol. 15 No. L 2005 The Farm as Natural Hahitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ec()sys-tems. Edited by Dana L. Jackson and Laura L. Jackson. Washin,l!ton. DC: Island Press. 2002. xii + 207 pp. Figure~. maps. rekrenees. index. $50.0() cloth. $25.0() paper. 'flle F!lr/lliis N!I/lfmlll!l/Ji/!I/ shows how wildlik need not be banished to di~tant parks hut can and should be integrall'd into our farming systellls. Book Review~ Editors Dana and Laura Jackson have organized a delightful collection of eighteen e~~ays, linked by insightful transitions, addressing "the connection hetween the grocery list and the endangered species list, bctween farms and nature." A rdated theme concerns the "bullying notion" that holds the advance of industrial, hahitat-destroying agriculturc as incvitable. Much of the argument against incvitability is wovcn from well-dc-scrihed exaillpies of farm~ that also provide natur;i1 hahitat for various wild species. Public policy is Illentioned in sevl~ral placcs, then given a morc thorough treatment in the concluding chapter. One of the essays makes an cloquent, spiritual argumcnt appealing to love of land, while a!lother rc-counts the importance of cOllsumers making informed decisions at the grocery store. There is a e\car, albeit unstated, theme throughout the book that a combination of informed farmers, thoughtful consumer~, and l~nlightcnl'd public policy would bc sufficient to bring about landscapc-Ievd change. It i.'i here, I think, that more could be said. ;\ complex, intercollnected ecosys-tCIll appropriate for holistic managemcnt clll:xists with a relativdy simple and naive economic system. The brief mention of "the powerful hold of industrial agriculture" only servcs to makc onl' want to know morc ahout it. ;\ chapter describing the role Illultinational agribusiness played in getting us whcre wc are and what corporations Illllst do for the fanlling tr;lnsforJlla-tion to succeed--would have heen ;1 welcoille addition. '/'III' FarlJl liS NIIII/ml I/Ilhillll lays out a grand scalc challenge: "Many endangel"l~d species have requirell1ents that simply cannot be Illet without drastic changes on a landscape scale." Describing what is needed and show-ing what can he done by individual farmers provides a crucial first step toward meeting that challengl~. We now ;Iwait an equally ;ullbitiou'i treat-Illent of the economic sys1l'1l1 in which these individuals must cat, live, alld farm. Willard Cochrane's the ('/IrsI' oj/1gricI//I/lm/ Ahl/lldlllla: A SI/sllIill-IIhll' SOIl/lioll (200.)) Illakes an important move in this direction, but morc remains to be dOlle. I cannot separate my respect for this hook from my admiration for those who wrote it. I know many of the autllOr.'i. havc participated in the monitoring projects thl~y describe, and havL' valucd thcir support at many dillicult times in my career. With thi.'i caveat. I heartily ITconlnlellli TI/(, 1-'111'111 (IS NIIII/mll/ilhillil to hoth ecologists and cconomists ;ilikc. Ril'hanJ A. Levins, f)cl!llrllllcllllljAI'l'licd /:'CIIIIOJllic.l, /ill/I'rilll.\, {/lIil'I'i".li/r o/Mill-111'.111111, SI. 1'11111. 

Review of \u3ci\u3e The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems\u3c/i\u3e Edited by Dana L. Jackson and Laura L. Jackson

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and 
Social Sciences Great Plains Studies, Center for 
Spring 2005 
Review of The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food 
Systems with Ecosystems Edited by Dana L. Jackson and Laura L. 
Jackson 
Richard Levins 
University of Minnesota, St. Paul 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch 
 Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons 
Levins, Richard, "Review of The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems 
Edited by Dana L. Jackson and Laura L. Jackson" (2005). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and 
Social Sciences. 748. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch/748 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Research: A 
Journal of Natural and Social Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - 
Lincoln. 
IMI Clrcat Plains Rc~carch Vol. 15 No. L 2005 
The Farm as Natural Hahitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ec()sys-
tems. Edited by Dana L. Jackson and Laura L. Jackson. Washin,l!ton. DC: 
Island Press. 2002. xii + 207 pp. Figure~. maps. rekrenees. index. $50.0() 
cloth. $25.0() paper. 
'flle F!lr/lliis N!I/lfmlll!l/Ji/!I/ shows how wildlik need not be banished 
to di~tant parks hut can and should be integrall'd into our farming systellls. 
Book Review~ 
Editors Dana and Laura Jackson have organized a delightful collection of 
eighteen e~~ays, linked by insightful transitions, addressing "the connection 
hetween the grocery list and the endangered species list, bctween farms and 
nature." A rdated theme concerns the "bullying notion" that holds the 
advance of industrial, hahitat-destroying agriculturc as incvitable. 
Much of the argument against incvitability is wovcn from well-dc-
scrihed exaillpies of farm~ that also provide natur;i1 hahitat for various wild 
species. Public policy is Illentioned in sevl~ral placcs, then given a morc 
thorough treatment in the concluding chapter. One of the essays makes an 
cloquent, spiritual argumcnt appealing to love of land, while a!lother rc-
counts the importance of cOllsumers making informed decisions at the 
grocery store. 
There is a e\car, albeit unstated, theme throughout the book that a 
combination of informed farmers, thoughtful consumer~, and l~nlightcnl'd 
public policy would bc sufficient to bring about landscapc-Ievd change. It 
i.'i here, I think, that more could be said. ;\ complex, intercollnected ecosys-
tCIll appropriate for holistic managemcnt clll:xists with a relativdy simple 
and naive economic system. The brief mention of "the powerful hold of 
industrial agriculture" only servcs to makc onl' want to know morc ahout it. 
;\ chapter describing the role Illultinational agribusiness played in getting us 
whcre wc are and what corporations Illllst do for the fanlling tr;lnsforJlla-
tion to succeed--would have heen ;1 welcoille addition. 
'/'III' FarlJl liS NIIII/ml I/Ilhillll lays out a grand scalc challenge: "Many 
endangel"l~d species have requirell1ents that simply cannot be Illet without 
drastic changes on a landscape scale." Describing what is needed and show-
ing what can he done by individual farmers provides a crucial first step 
toward meeting that challengl~. We now ;Iwait an equally ;ullbitiou'i treat-
Illent of the economic sys1l'1l1 in which these individuals must cat, live, alld 
farm. Willard Cochrane's the ('/IrsI' oj/1gricI//I/lm/ Ahl/lldlllla: A SI/sllIill-
IIhll' SOIl/lioll (200.)) Illakes an important move in this direction, but morc 
remains to be dOlle. 
I cannot separate my respect for this hook from my admiration for 
those who wrote it. I know many of the autllOr.'i. havc participated in the 
monitoring projects thl~y describe, and havL' valucd thcir support at many 
dillicult times in my career. With thi.'i caveat. I heartily ITconlnlellli TI/(, 
1-'111'111 (IS NIIII/mll/ilhillil to hoth ecologists and cconomists ;ilikc. Ril'hanJ 
A. Levins, f)cl!llrllllcllllljAI'l'licd /:'CIIIIOJllic.l, /ill/I'rilll.\, {/lIil'I'i".li/r o/Mill-
111'.111111, SI. 1'11111. 


https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1752&amp;context=greatplainsresearch

Review of \u3ci\u3e The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems\u3c/i\u3e Edited by Dana L. Jackson and Laura L. Jackson

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

UNL | Libraries