The Farming for Nature Handbook – Protecting and Restoring Nature on your Farm, reviewed

We look at the 2025 paperback version of this book. See more about The Farming for Nature Handbook – A Practical Guide to Protecting and Restoring Nature on your Farm here. 

The Farming for Nature Handbook – Protecting and Restoring Nature on your Farm, reviewed

A good up to date and practical guide for farmers and land owners to try and improve the amount of nature and biodiversity on your land. Korean Natural Farming was a new concept and one that we will now be researching. There have been some bad dead ends in the past, in terms of government led, heavy handed approaches to trying to support and help more positive nature focused initiatives, both at and Irish and EU level. This book seems more tuned to the specific needs of Irish farms, and is certainly a welcome addition to the debate and conversation about ecological best practices.  It could certainly be a thought provoking stocking filler for the greener aspiring farmer in your life!

More about the book here

Farming for Nature, was set up in 2018, as a non-profit initiative whose mission is to support, encourage and inspire farmers who farm, or who wish to farm, in a way that will improve the natural health of our countryside.

With over 76,000 words and stunning original illustrations, this handbook will guide and inspire you on your farming for nature journey, regardless of your farm size, enterprise type, or starting point.

Over 50 contributors to this book demonstrate that it is possible to farm productively while safeguarding our natural environment, highlighting the positive role that farmers play in sustaining and enhancing our natural environment. Their stories show that, at a time when external forces, climate change, political unrest, and commodity prices, are unpredictable, farming for nature can restore a sense of control and hope for the future, as well as safeguarding the health and well-being of rural communities.

The Authors
Created by Farming For Nature this handbook contains contributions from nearly 50 farmers in our network, with over 500 scientific papers backing up their words.

Dr Emma Hart, lead researcher, editor and author of the book, runs a nature reserve in Co. Cork and is a conversationist, a farmer and a contributor to a number of leading academic journals.

Brigid Barry, co-founder of Farming For Nature, conceived of the idea for the book, developed the outline content, collated the farmers’ stories, and managed the project.

Dr Brendan Dunford is an eco-entrepreneur starting a number of successful conservation and farming projects including BurrenLife, Burrenbeo Trust, The Hare’s Corner, Heritage Keepers and Farming For Nature. Brendan edited and shaped the content of the book at each draft.

See more book reviews here.