General Biology

Full Story and book tour dates: http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2015/01/26/lentil-underground/ Video by Roxanne Makasdjian and Phil Ebiner “Lentil Underground,” a new book by a recent Ph.D. and ongoing researcher at UC Berkeley, makes the case that lentils — and similar legumes — could help restore American farmland and farmers whose soil and profits have been depleted by decades of industrial agriculture. Liz Carlisle wrote the book, just out from Gotham Books, on her way to her degree in geography, from research into diversified farming that she did for her dissertation. A native of Montana, she dug into the culture of a small group of farmers there who started growing lentils as an answer to sustainability problems caused by America’s fabled fields of grain — corn and wheat, especially. Carlisle found a key mentor in UC Berkeley journalism professor Michael Pollan, best known for his books promoting a more sustainable food system. Carlisle completed her degree last semester, but remains a fellow with Berkeley’s Center for Diversified Farming Systems. She's also working closely with the Berkeley Food Institute, department of geography, and the Berkeley Student Food Collective. http://www.berkeley.edu http://www.facebook.com/UCBerkeley http://twitter.com/UCBerkeley http://instagram.com/ucberkeleyofficial ...