Landsmart: A Practical Guide to Transforming Our Countryside

About the Book

'A terrific book' Michael Morpurgo
'Excellent' Helen Czerski
'A clear, concise and accessible guide to the pivotal question of our age' Guy Shrubsole

How can we get more from our land and meet humanity's growing needs of food, renewable energy, carbon storage and housing?

In Landsmart, BBC Countryfile's Tom Heap tours the British countryside showcasing the innovative farmers whose yields feed four times the global average, the soil scientists upending the limits to crop growth, and the conservationists and industry leaders salvaging habitat, harnessing solar and radically reimagining land use to provide a hopeful blueprint for a better future.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Introduction 1: The Home and Garden 2: Energy, Part One - Solar 3: Energy, Part Two - Beyond Solar 4: Farming, Part One - Arable 5: Farming, Part Two - Livestock 6: Peat and Carbon 7: Woodland 8: Nature 9: Science 10: Behavioural Change Conclusion: Conclusion

About the Author :
Tom Heap is a regular presenter on BBC1's Countryfile, specializing in the more investigative films, and has made many BBC Panorama documentaries on food, energy and the environment. Tom is also the presenter of Radio 4's new Rare Earth series and was the anchor of The Climate Show on Sky News. He was the creator and presenter of BBC Radio's flagship climate change podcast '39 Ways to Save the Planet'.

Review :
A terrific book... Every page is a challenge to how we think about the good earth about us, our climate, our soil, our food and how we live our lives. Land Smart is a call for positive change that we must not ignore. This excellent book charts an optimistic but realistic path to a smarter use of the land that we have, and maybe, if we're clever, shows how we can have it all. A timely and essential guide to a better future for our land and our planet, clearly written, packed with real world examples, and full of hope Land Smart is a clear, concise and accessible guide to the pivotal question of our age - how best to use the finite resource of land for food, energy and shelter whilst also fixing the climate and nature crises. Calmly and rationally, Tom Heap lays bare how industrial agriculture has laid waste to nature over too much of our land surface, fuelling climate breakdown - and maps a course to a smarter use of our land. A poignant analysis urging us to tread lightly and think deeply. I highly recommended this book, to those with a direct influence on land and all of us whose choices end up written in the soil. A refreshingly clear-eyed, pragmatic look at one of the most hotly contested issues of our time: how best to use our available land. Heap brilliantly navigates the food-nature-energy debates in this highly engaging, solution focused tour of Britain, which balances innovations with evidence to chart a hopeful path forwards. We all know about being climate smart, but as Tom Heap shows in this remarkable new book, if we really want to save the planet we're going to have to be land smart too. A brilliant weaving together of surprising facts and charming encounters. Tom Heap, a world class broadcaster, combines an infectious curiosity with a no-nonsense determination to get at the truth of what really works and what doesn't. Essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of energy, food and nature, which ought to be all of us Land Smart offers a punchy, pacy but also precise answer to some of the biggest challenges in front of us all. I'm left convinced that we can live with the land in a way that cares for nature, our climate and ourselves if we are canny and purposeful Rising demand for food, energy and carbon capture all place increased pressure on land, in the process reducing that available for nature. It's a huge issue, yet how to use land in smart ways is one of the least discussed questions of our times. A fascinating exploration of the work being done round the world - right now - to help stop climate change.