Women Farmers aka Soil Sisters

There is a food movement gaining ground, literally, going on across the country. It’s not controversial, or ‘shocking’ enough to warrant media coverage, and most people are just fine with that. They quietly work in soil to nurture and grow their food and contribute to the ecosystem. Sure, there’s always been some ‘movement’ like this going on but this one is different. It’s women, these soil sisters, who are paving the way!

“Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers,” is the latest book by author Lisa Kivirist that directly speaks to those who are part of this return to the soil. It’s for those who want to start or have already begun taking control over your food and sustainability back from the corporate world. Now, before you go thinking this is one of those ‘radical or extreme’ gardening books, let me explain why I give this particular book very high praise! One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was because it didn’t read like I expected it to: hoity toity, all about how women are just as good as anyone, etc. I kind of expected a little feminism to be in there. There is no hint of any ‘holier than thou’ attitude and I was pleasantly surprised.

This book is a collaboration of over fifty soil sister farmers and is written in an easy-to-read, straightforward manner while still retaining the warmth of talking to a person. Truly well written, it follows along like a manual and yet entertains with quips and notes of interest. There are four main parts:

• Understanding Our Roots
• Gleaning Knowledge
• Plowing Ahead
• Cultivating Quality of Life

With actionable steps and lots of food for thought, each part goes into deeper detail, down into the root of it all: pun intended. The book helps you to get a grasp on a world and mindset you may have little to no experience with. The only thing some newbies have is a passion to grow good food and preserve it for their family. They may not have any idea about soil composition, let alone how important networking is when you choose to be a farmer (no matter what level you’re at)! Thanks to this book aimed at including the women farmer into the mix, a strong passion and willingness to work, it can be enough to get you started quickly. You don’t have to wade your way through a bunch of stuff that doesn’t really apply to this special niche.

It goes beyond the soil and growing food, too! There are bits about different homesteading skills, tips, and tricks sprinkled throughout the whole book. Whether you’re wanting to reclaim control over the source of your food, save money by growing and preserving it yourself, or sell to the public, this book covers it all! This is one of the rare books that would be good to have in both paperback and Kindle!