Permaculture by Sepp Holzer, A Review

Permaculture by Sepp Holzer
Paperback, 232 pages
Chelsa Green Publishing

Sepp Holzer is a fascinating man who farms more than 100 acres of steep mountainside in Austria 1,500 meters above sea level. His farm is an intricate network of terraces, raised beds, ponds, waterways and tracks, well covered with productive fruit trees and other vegetation. Holzer began farming this land in 1962, when was just 19 years old. He has become know in Austria and the rest of the world as a maverick and has earned the nickname “Rebel Farmer”. Holzer farms his own way and has been the subject of fines and threats of jail time for standing on his convictions. This book is really a terrific read, the author goes into great detail laying out his philosophy of farming (something very different from mainline farming) and explaining how he built his productive and beautiful “Krameterhof”. Holzer is practical man who has actually done “permaculture” not some self-proclaimed expert without dirt under his nails or profitable balance sheet under his belt. This book is full of fascinating ideas that I had never seen anywhere else. His raised beds are nothing like anything I’ve ever heard of in the USA. The book has many color photos and diagrams, including his stone cellars and earthen animal shelters. I highly recommend this book, just the kind of thing for reading after chores on these long winter nights. There are few authors that have the experience or knowledge of Sepp Holzer. His model of farming is just the thing we need to revive our agrarian roots and change the dreadful course of American agriculture.