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.