Holistic Management, Third Edition - 3rd Edition by Allan Savory (Paperback)

About the Book

Holistic management is a systems-thinking approach for managing resources developed by former wildlife biologist and farmer Allan Savory decades ago, after observing the devastation of desertification in his native Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Properly managed livestock are key to restoring the world's grassland soils and the natural world we rely upon.

In this third edition of Holistic Management, Savory and coauthor Jody Butterfield update and streamline guidelines to reverse desertification, halt climate change, retain biodiversity, and eliminate causes of global human impoverishment. Reorganized chapters streamline concepts and new color photographs showcase examples of land restored by properly managed livestock.

Holistic Management is written for new generations of ranchers, farmers, pastoralists, eco- and social entrepreneurs, and government agencies, NGOs, and development professionals working to address global environmental and social degradation.

Book Synopsis

Fossil fuels and livestock grazing are often targeted as major culprits behind climate change and desertification. But Allan Savory, cofounder of the Savory Institute, begs to differ. The bigger problem, he warns, is our mismanagement of resources. Livestock grazing is not the problem; it's how we graze livestock. If we don't change the way we approach land management, irreparable harm from climate change could continue long after we replace fossil fuels with environmentally benign energy sources.

Holistic management is a systems-thinking approach for managing resources developed by Savory decades ago after observing the devastation of desertification in his native Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Properly managed livestock are key to restoring the world's grassland soils, the major sink for atmospheric carbon, and minimizing the most damaging impacts on humans and the natural world. This book updates Savory's paradigm-changing vision for reversing desertification, stemming the loss of biodiversity, eliminating fundamental causes of human impoverishment throughout the world, and climate change. Reorganized chapters make it easier for readers to understand the framework for Holistic Management and the four key insights that underlie it. New color photographs showcase before-and-after examples of land restored by livestock.

This long-anticipated new edition is written for new generations of ranchers, farmers, eco- and social entrepreneurs, and development professionals working to address global environmental and social degradation. It offers new hope that a sustainable future for humankind and the world we depend on is within reach.

Review Quotes

"[This book] should be on your bookshelf and read and reread until every aspect of this concept is like taking a breath of air--automatic. You will profit, your land will profit, and the world in general will profit."-- "Small Farm Today"

"Exceptionally well written, impressively informed and informative, thoroughly 'reader-friendly' in organization and presentation, Holistic Management: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore Our Environment will prove to be a practical and invaluable informational resource for ranchers, farmers, eco-and social entrepreneurs, and development professionals working to address global environmental and social degradation."-- "Midwest Book Review"

About the Author

Allan Savory, cofounder of the Savory Institute, is a former wildlife biologist and farmer who conceived of and developed the Holistic Management approach to landscape management. Jody Butterfield is cofounder of the Savory Institute and a former journalist specializing in agriculture and the environment.