An Agricultural Testament is
Sir Albert Howard's best-known publication, and remains one of the seminal works in the history of
organic farmingagriculturalmovement.[1][2][3] Dedicated to his first wife and co-worker
Gabrielle, herself a plant physiologist, it focuses on the nature and management of
soil fertility, and notably explores
composting.[3] At a time when modern,
chemical-based
industrialized agriculture was just beginning to radically alter food production, it advocated natural processes rather than man-made inputs as the superior approach to farming. It was first
published in England in 1940, with the first American edition in 1943.[a]
Notes
^The online version of An Agricultural Testament states that the first American edition was 1945. This is an error. The hardcopy of the 1976 Special Rodale Press Edition clearly states: "First American edition, 1943". The online text otherwise appears to be identical with the hardcopy, including the replication of the comments from the inside flaps and back of the dust-cover.
References
^Howard, Sir Albert (1943),
An Agricultural Testament(PDF), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, archived from
the original(PDF) on 2 July 2010, retrieved 9 August 2010 pdf per Special
Rodale Press Edition, 1976. See cover note on significance of book.