Resilient Agriculture, Second Edition

A Unique Collection of Adaptation Stories

Laura Lengnick’s award-winning book, Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate (New Society Publishers), explores climate change, resilience and the future of food through the adaptation stories of sustainable, organic, biodynamic and regenerative farmers and ranchers growing food across the U.S.  

This expanded and updated edition of Resilient Agriculture takes you beyond the headlines and the hype to shine a light on agricultural climate solutions with the power to cultivate new American foodways that are just, sustainable, regenerative and resilient.  

Updated content includes:

• Current and expected changes in regional weather patterns that disrupt food and farming
• New adaptation stories from sustainable, organic, and regenerative farmers and updates on the producers featured in the first edition
• Real-world applications of resilience thinking that connect the dots between food justice, sustainable development, regenerative economy, and planetary health
• Companion website with stories, videos, issue briefs, reading guides, and more

Whether you are working in food and farming or are simply an interested eater, Resilient Agriculture will take you on a journey into real world resilience solutions on the ground and regenerating the well-being of land, people and community no matter the weather.

Resilient Agriculture in the news...

The Three Rules of Resilience (The Presencing Institute)

A Soil Scientist with a Plan for a More Resilient Agriculture, Civil Eats 

“How do we feed a growing world when the way that we eat fuels climate change? Joining the Colorado Ag News Network to discuss that in more detail is author, scientist, policy-maker and North Carolina farmer Laura Lengnick.” Brian Allmer, The Barn 

“Dr. Laura Lengnick kicked off a day-long workshop that brought together centre staff and students working to understand how multifunctional landscapes contribute to community resilience.” 

“…an impressively detailed, lucid and well-organized introduction to a topic that could easily fill several volumes” Chris Walters, EcoFarmingDaily

Researcher: Diversify Farm Crops By Region, Yale Climate Connections Radio 

Farmers Adapt to ‘Too Much and Not Enough’ Water, Yale Climate Connections Radio 

“…provocative early winter brain food. Give it a read before you begin farm planning for the next growing season so that it can nourish your decision making.” Audrey Arner, MOSES

“Listening to their stories is like sitting around a campfire with two dozen Joel Salatins” Albert Bates, Resilience.Org

Interview with Food Sleuth Radio –  Part 1: The Challenges / Part 2: The Solutions

“…reveals how not every farmer lacks that adaptive capacity—there are those who have integrated ecological principles, innovative marketing and just plain creativity into their operations to make them about as resilient as possible.” Brian Devore, Land Stewardship Project

“…far from a doom-and-gloom book. Nor is it a “Blame Industry/Government” tome. It is a very practical and constructive aid to successful sustainable farming” Pam Dowling, Sustainable Market Farming

“…her new book “Resilient Agriculture,” looks beyond reductive and sometimes divisive labels like “local” and “organic” and instead begins exploring what a truly resilient food system might look like” Vanishing Fruits, Veggies: Could Climate Change What We Eat? Asheville Citizen Times

Resilient Farming Systems: How Local Foodsheds Can Brace for Climate Change 

Get the Book →

"Inspiring and practical at a time when we desperately need both."

Anne Waple, Founder and CEO, Earth’s Next Chapter

"Everyone who cares about what and whether our children and grandchildren will eat should acquaint themselves with this path-breaking, delightfully informative book."

Richard Heinberg, senior fellow, Post Carbon Institute, author, Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival

"Brilliantly argues that it isn’t some vague notion of “technology” that will show us the way forward but people working together and carefully stewarding the land."

Mark Bittman, author, Animal, Vegetable, Junk and How to Cook Everything

"This is a must read for anyone working in the resilience / adaptation field or contemplating doing so."

Jim Fox, senior resilience associate, NEMAC+FernLeaf

"With grounded hope and urgency, Laura breaks silence and reshapes social justice language to explore issues of land and food in our changing climate."

Meta Commerse, Founder & CEO, Story Medicine Worldwide, author Womaning

"Gifts us practical insights and plenty of examples of how we can reshape our food system from being depleting to one that is resilient and regenerative."

Mathis Wackernagel, Ph.D., Founder and President, Global Footprint Network, co-author Ecological Footprint

"A brilliant, hopeful book and a call to action."

Marianne Landzettel, author, Regenerative Agriculture: Farming with Benefits

A loving prod to the sustainable agriculture movement to go beyond sustainability to the transformation of food and farming into a commons where community-based wealth truly provides for human need.

Elizabeth Henderson, farmer, author Sharing the Harvest

Other Writing

Since the publication of Resilient Agriculture in 2015, Laura has been busy writing popular articles, invited chapters, peer-reviewed papers, opinion pieces and blog posts on climate vulnerability and resilience themes.   

From Where I Stand…A Note from the Director of Agriculture (Blog series, Glynwood)

Evaluating the Untapped Potential of U.S. Conservation Investments to Improve Soil and Environmental Health (Front. Sustain. Food Syst.)

Natural and Working Lands Action Plan, The North Carolina Climate Risk and Resilience Plan (NC-DEC)

The Climate-Resilient Agriculture Initiative: Cultivating Climate Solutions in the Hudson Valley (Scenic Hudson)

A Taste of Home: Cultivating Resilience with Traditional Appalachian Foodways (Cook’s Cook)

Cultivating Climate Resilience on Farms and Ranches (USDA-SARE)

New Times, New Tools: Agricultural Education for the 21st Century (WorldWatch)

Climate Change, Resilience and the Future of Food (Union of Concerned Scientists) 

Cultivating a Sustainable and Resilient Food Future (Institute on Science for Global Policy)

Are You Ready for the Community Resilience Challenge? (WNC Woman)

Ecosystem-based Adaptation: Cultivating Climate Resilience with Agroforestry (National Agroforestry Center)

Want to Cool the Planet? Eat Sustainable Food! (CFSA)

Citizen Lobbyist Seeks Support from NC Leaders for Federal Action on Climate Change (WNC Woman)

Metropolitan Foodsheds: A Resilient Response to the Climate Change Challenge? (J. Env. Studies Sci.)

The Vulnerability of the U.S. Food System to Climate Change (J. Env. Studies Sci.)

Climate Change, Resilience and the Future of Food (WNC Woman)

Climate Change on Your Plate (ASAP)

A Sustainable Dining Policy for Warren Wilson College (WWC)