I will preface this review by saying that I am an assistant professor of soil science in a department of agronomy at a land grant institution in the UI will preface this review by saying that I am an assistant professor of soil science in a department of agronomy at a land grant institution in the US, and happen to teach several classes on soil science and soil conservation. I am also a certified professional soil scientist.
I loved the first two thirds of the book. The summaries of the history of erosion and civilization were both interesting, and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I greatly enjoyed it. However, from that point on, Montgomery delves into problems with erosion in modern agriculture from the industrial revolution forward. It is during this segment of the book that Montgomery begins to do a lot of "hand waving", and basically gives a "fan boy" like thumbs up to the organic movement while thumbing his nose by just about every non-organic farmer. There are many very concerning aspects of organic farming, in terms of soil erosion, that were not covered - such as the need for in-season cultivation as a common method of controlling weeds, or the greater number of machinery passes through fields required for organic ag - leading to more soil compaction and thus more erosion. Increased soil organic matter alone cannot compensate for soil loss due to these practices. Also, the author blames pesticides on the loss of soil microbial diversity, but conveniently does not acknowledge the fact that pesticides are still used in organic ag... but only from an approved list of outdated chemicals that are no better or worse than those used by modern agriculture today. I have no problem with organic farmers or their methods. I support research into organic methods because I see great potential for the development of new organic practices that can 1) help improve the soils of organic farms and help the farmer's bottom line, and 2) be adapted into modern farming practices. The debate between so-called "traditional" farming and "organic farming" is far more nuanced than Montgomery admits - at least for when it comes to soil erosion. When it comes down to it, if a "modern farmer" sees that there is potential to improve their soil, save them costs, and improve their yields, then they will try it. However those practices need to be proven first.
Montgomery did support no-till, conservation tillage, and cover crops; which I expected and was very happy to see. However, he presents the use of the practices in such a way that the reader could assume that these are not used by farmers using modern agricultural practices. This seemed intentionally misleading, and conveniently fit the seemingly pro-organic narrative of the final 1/3 of the book. In Kansas, for example, over 66% of the farmland in the state is under conservation tillage or no-tillage practices, and cover crop use is on the rise... and that's just one of the many "bread basket" Midwestern states!
Lastly, the way Montgomery presented the use of GMOs is both misleading, and just plain wrong. He writes of the technology as if it is a time-bomb of ecological disaster waiting to happen. This fear-mongering approach is both wrong and unproductive. GMOs are highly regulated, not by just the US government, but by 30+ other governments across the globe. The use of genetic modification is one tool in a very large tool box containing a wide variety of tools being used to help our growing population adapt to climate change - particularly in areas with high risk of drought, saline and/or sodic soils, or even in areas that were eroded due to prior mismanagement. Taking away that tool is not a wise thing to do with a growing population and predictably less water availability. He also conveniently omits the description of other plant breading techniques out there that are USDA organic approved, such as mutagenesis - a far less regulated method that, to me, seems to have the potential for far worse ecological outcomes. It's "organic" though! I do hope that the readers of this book are educated enough to not form their opinions on genetic modification based on the views from a geologist, but instead seek out actual experts in that field of research who are more able to provide them with accurate and informed information.
In summary, I would recommend reading the first seven chapters. After that, just put the book back on the shelf and forget about it. That said, I thank Dr. Montgomery for his fantastic summary of the history of erosion and it's impact on civilizations, and for the effort he made towards bringing attention to this important issue....more
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