Whole-Farm Planning

Why do whole-farming planning? What makes it more effective than other ways of managing farms? The answers to these questions lie in a quiet rediscovery through science that is fundamentally changing the way modern humans see and must manage the world. The goal of this whole-farm planning manual is to reintroduce a macroscopic method of making and testing decisions on the farm and in larger wholes in which we live. This NOFA guide has information on: • Lessons from systems science (including tools) • Assessing the whole farm (what are we managing? the people, physical and mental assets, money) • Understanding the farm ecosystems (the water and mineral cycles, dynamics of the biological community, the energy flow) • Choosing appropriate tools • Making a framework to test decisions Including examples and statements from practicing farmers, and more holistic resources and alternative business models.