Ableman is the author of four trade published books: Street Farm: Growing Jobs, Food, and Hope on the Urban Frontier, From the Good Earth: A celebration of growing food around the world; On Good Land: The autobiography of an urban farm; and Fields of Plenty: A farmer’s journey in search of real food and the people who grow it.
Street Farm
Street Farm: Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier is the inspirational account of residents in the notorious Low Track in Vancouver, British Columbia―one of the worst urban slums in North America―who joined together to create an urban farm as a means of addressing the chronic problems in their neighborhood. It is a story of recovery, of land and food, of people, and of the power of farming and nourishing others as a way to heal our world and ourselves.
“Michael Ableman has a finely honed sensibility. Read how he gardens society, grows well-being, weeds out despair, and sows hope in this wonderfully written testament to life.” – Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest
Fields of Plenty
Fields of Plenty: A Farmer’s Journey in Search of Real Food and the People Who Grow It is the memoir of respected farmer, writer, and photographer Michael Ableman as he and his son travel from his own farm in British Columbia across the United States in search of innovative and passionate farmers who are making a difference in what we eat and how we experience food.
“The chronicle of a farmer’s journey to the frontiers of American agriculture today, Fields of Plenty is a book of rare beauty and hope. American agriculture is in the process of being reinvented by the farmers Michael Ableman introduces us to here, and to overhear these pioneers in conversation with one of their own is exhilarating.” – Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma
On Good Land
On Good Land: The Autobiography of an Urban Farm is the remarkable story of a farm’s struggle to survive amidst a sea of development, and the awakening of a community to the riches it provides. In an age when most farms are far from our homes and dangerously far from our consciousness, Michael Ableman’s tales of rural adventure in what is now the suburbs offer a glimpse of lost bounty and wildness.
“Lyrical tale of the survival and triumph of a small farm amid the suburban sprawl of southern California with writing as rich and satisfying as the taste of ripe melon.” – Kirkus Reviews
From the Good Earth
From the Good Earth: A Celebration of Growing Food Around the World. Food, land and culture are intertwined. This internationally acclaimed book takes us on a stirring photographic journey through five continents to remote traditional farming communities, into the stark fields of industrial agriculture and to the rebirth of small scale organic farms around the world.
“A compelling and very personal photographic essay. The text which comes down heavily in favor of environmentally sound farming practices, turns the elegant, romantic photographs into politics.” – New York Times