Microfarms: Organic Market Gardening on a Human Scale

From the bestselling author of The Market Gardener - key principles for biointensive market gardening and powerful stories of successful growers who are farming profitably on a human-scale

Microfarms is a guide to setting up and running profitable small-scale vegetable farms using organic, low-tech, and highly intensive production methods grounded in ecological principles.

This full-color, richly illustrated resource brings to life the core principles of Jean-Martin Fortier’s time-tested approach and includes eight detailed case studies showcasing a diverse range of market gardeners who have started successful farms using Jean-Martin’s biointensive techniques. Key features of the book include:

• A distillation of Jean-Martin’s methods, rooted in agroecology, permaculture, and humanscale business principles
• An exploration of the four essential pillars: proper crop planning, low-tech/low-investment farm tools, organic fertility management, and sound business practices
• Strategies for enhancing farm profitability through direct marketing channels including farm stands, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes, and farmers markets
• Proven techniques to boost crop yields while preserving biodiversity and improving the livelihoods of those working on the farm
• Engaging stories of successful new market gardeners, detailing their varied journeys, from initial setup and land procurement to crop planning, team coordination, and sales and revenue.

Microfarms champions local agriculture on a human-scale, advocating for a food system that honors the environment, nurtures communities, and supports farmers. This book is an essential read for new and aspiring small-scale farmers, market gardeners, homesteaders, proponents of local food systems, and food lovers everywhere.

Jean-Martin Fortier, a distinguished author, educator, and proponent of regenerative agriculture on a human scale, has been spearheading a movement in sustainable farming alongside his wife, Maude-Helene Desroches. For over twenty years, their venture, Les Jardins de la Grelinette, an efficient and productive 2-acre microfarm, has thrived on the principles of biointensive agriculture.

In 2015, Jean-Martin established la Ferme des Quatre-Temps, a research farm where he trains apprentices and develops new strategies for market gardening, including year-round production. His methods are taught worldwide through the Market Gardener Masterclass, an online course designed to empower and educate small-scale farmers around the world. He is the founder of Growers & Co., a tool and apparel company which celebrates sustainable, local, and equitable food producers.

Jean-Martin is the author of The Winter Market Gardener and The Market Gardener, which has sold over a quarter of a million copies in nine languages. His contributions to organic farming and regenerative agriculture earned him the Meritorious Service Cross from the Governor General of Canada. He farms and lives in Quebec, Canada.