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Incredible! Plant Veg, Grow a Revolution
£3.30
Incredible! reveals how one town decided to take control of its own future – with vegetables. The future looks bleak. The economy’s in the doldrums. We’ve lost faith in politicians and big business. Over all that looms the threat of climate change – extreme weather is already sending shock waves through global food supplies. But a once-forgotten Yorkshire mill town is spreading a new story of hope…This is the tale of an extraordinary local food movement that has become a worldwide phenomenon. Told by Pam Warhurst, co-founder of Incredible Edible Todmorden, and writer Joanna Dobson, the book invites readers into a humorous, inspiring and often moving series of stories that brought people together through the simple method of planting vegetables in public places. People have found that when they put edible plants in their front gardens, they get to know their neighbours, building a community one conversation at a time. When they grow fruit trees at school, children learn life skills. And when market traders stock local produce, they build business networks. Incredible Edible Todmorden has sparked similar projects across the world – and it could be your story, too! Incredible! Plant Veg, Grow a Revolution has an international audience, appealing to anyone who cares about the environment, gardening, community, education or local enterprise.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Matador, UK ed. edition (28 Aug. 2014) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 304 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1783064870 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1783064878 |
| Dimensions | 13.6 x 2.7 x 21.6 cm |
by Miss D. Furness
The story of ‘propaganda gardening’ from it’s origins by the woman who instigated the project.
If you were looking for a ‘How To’ guide for your own project you are probably better of downloading the the ‘Get Started’ PDF from the Incredible Edible website (http://incredibleediblenetwork.org.uk/resource/incredible-edible-get-started-kit and these are also free!!) as the book is more a commentary on the evolution of the project and does not contain much logistical information. Written in prose and interspersed with about a dozen photographs it covers the inception of the Todmorden campaign to it’s growth to a national and international movement supporting local businesses and community projects on the way. The last 15-20 pages give some helpful tips on setting up your own group but the information is very general and focusses on the relationships of the people involved.
Personally, I felt the chapters were a little long, occasionally diffuse and would have had more impact at half, or even a third, of the length but it is detailed. Each chapter also contains around one or two recipes provided by volunteers and created out of the veggies that were grown. Again really useful stuff, but the odd photograph would have been nice. 🙂
All in all a great idea and nice (if slightly over-long) book but if you were expecting more project orientated information with breakdowns, budgets, plans and planting guides you will be a little disappointed as this is not a workbook and you need to go to the website.
Regardless, totally worth a read, so buy it and join the revolution.
by Adi
The passion and drive come through every page of this book. I am not a regular reader – always seem to have other things to do – I read it over three days. There is a danger of coming away with the feeling that it could only happen in one place at one point in time. The motley collection of characters and their clear sense of community would be hard to replicate – but a local version of any one of their multifarious projects would be enough to make a start anywhere. Adaptability and kindness are key. Buy a copy, get out there and make a difference!
by JOY STOCKLEY
Fantastio! Totally inspiring and it shows what can be done when
people use their ideas and work together for the good of all.
I would recommend it to everyone.
by Le Temps Viendra
Starting this up locally. The book is a wealth of information and makes a good read to boot!
by Nicole Brooks
I met Pam when she came to speak to the Alliance for Women Scientists and Scholars for a Better World, and so know her to be inspiration on legs. I was therefore naturally drawn to read her new book and found it un-put-downable. Written in the same engaging, humorous, and very moving style in which Pam speaks, reading this story is like sitting down with her and hearing it firsthand at the same kitchen table over which the whole idea of Incredible Edible Todmorden was originally hatched.
I would encourage anyone even vaguely interested in the future of our planet, food, education, gardening and/or local communities to treat themselves to this book. Or if you really want to help your family and friends enjoy a Happy New Year, then give them copies of Incredible! for Christmas. They will enjoy the best of story-telling and Pam and her team make it easy for each one of us to follow up on their experience by providing practical guidelines at the end of the book for any level of participation in creating an Incredible Edible prefix to you home area.
Highly recommended – this is the stuff of which a bright future is made!
by Mr. D. N. Sumption
I bought this book, having seen co-author Pam Warhurst give an incredible talk about the subject to TEDx Houses of Parliament a couple of years ago. The book is written in a style that’s every bit as engaging as Pam’s rousing talk. It is the story of how Pam and others helped to galvanize a community by growing food everywhere that food could possible be grown – in vacant plots of land and containers all over the town of Todmorden: at the railway station, outside the police station, in the grounds of the local school, and even in the graveyard. As well as telling this fascinating and inspiring story, the book is also a manual for anyone who want to make a similar change in their own neighbourhood. And on top of all that, scattered throughout are some decent recipes for things to make with the food you’ve grown. If just one person in each town reads this inspiration book and acts upon it, then it really will start a revolution that will change the world.