The Basics of Regenerative Agriculture

“Trying to capture both the fundamental essence and fringe nuances of regenerative agriculture in one volume is a Herculean task, but Ross Mars nails it in this fast-paced yet detailed book. From soil to family, he addresses the metes and bounds of a healing agriculture; what a joy to see this much heart compressed in such a readable, lively package.”—Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm; editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer“This timely book will enable the reader to better understand the important role that the permaculture philosophy and principles have exerted in influencing the development of organic, biodynamic and regenerative farming and food systems. It is quite literally a guide for the perplexed, throwing light on a fascinating chapter on the history of agriculture and food production.”—Patrick Holden, Founder and CEO of The Sustainable Food Trust“Dr. Ross Mars has created an outstanding and timely summary of the emerging field of ‘regenerative agriculture’. Outstanding as it captures and distills the wide body of practices involved; timely as regenerative agriculture becomes a buzzword and at risk of being co-opted to the point where it means little. Backing up on this widely-respected (and used) 1996 title The Basics of Permaculture Design, Ross has used his skills as a practitioner and as a scholar to help anyone not only understand what regenerative agriculture is about, but also what are the key strategies, tools and practices available to manage any transition…”—Darren J. Doherty, CPAg (AIA), Founder and Director of Regrarians Ltd.

Dr. Ross Mars was a permaculture pioneer, elder, educator and author. He authored, co-authored and/or edited sixteen books on permaculture and science-related topics for both primary and secondary students. After thirty years of teaching science in high schools he worked in the greywater and wastewater industry for twenty years before semi-retiring and devoting himself to develop and deliver accredited permaculture training courses in Western Australia. Ross sadly passed away in November 2024.