Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-308) and index.

Introduction -- Fertile ruins -- Myths of modern agriculture -- Roots of the underground economy -- The oldest problem -- Ditching the plow -- Green manure -- Developing solutions -- The organic dilemma -- Carbon cowboys -- Invisible herds -- Farming carbon -- Closing the loop -- The fifth revolution. Since the dawn of agriculture, great civilizations have sunk into poverty after destroying their once fertile land. Today, few people realize how close we are to experiencing the same fate if we dont take action. In Growing a Revolution, geologist David R. Montgomery leads us on a journey through history and around the world to see how innovative farmers are ditching the plow, mulching cover crops, and adopting complex rotations to restore the soil. In their stories he finds the foundation for the next agricultural revolution: a soil health revolution.