Although the information is specifically tailored for Himalayan conditions, almost everyone will find some useful ideas and information in this comprehensive work. The whole handbook is 50 chapters in five volumes – a total of 792 pages, including 170 pages of colour photos and illustrations.

Volume Four of The Farmers' Handbook looks at permaculture zones 3 and 4 - sometimes known as the field zones. The eBook looks at sowing and growing green manures (crucial for ongoing fertility), no-till agriculture, agroforesty, integrating orchards into your fields, how to plant fruit tress, as well as layering and fencing techniques. It finishes with a crucial chapter on the much-discussed System of Rice Intensification.

Aside from gleaning valuable ideas for your own region, Chris and Jakob produced this free eBook in the hope it will inspire others to do likewise for their own region and climate zone. This is the kind of information sharing that will move humanity onto a sustainable platform of peace and low carbon prosperity.

Please note: These free eBooks are for personal use and circulation (please just link to this page), but cannot be used for commercial purposes. They are copyright of Chris Evans and Jakob Jespersen. The Farmers' Handbook is also still in a draft form and any suggestions of improvement are welcomed. Chris has the original editable version – if people are interested to translate this production into another language, or offer other suggestions, please contact Chris on: cevans (at) gn.apc.org. The original downloads may be found here.