The André Leu Collection: The Myths of Safe Pesticides, Poisoning Our Children, and Growing Life

The Myths Of Safe Pesticides

The chemical-based conventional agriculture industry claims that the synthesized concoctions they sell as pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides are safe when used as directed, but does the scientific evidence truly support their assertions?

Organic agriculturist and lecturer André Leu delves into a wealth of respected scientific journals to present the peer-reviewed evidence that proves the claims of chemical companies and pesticide regulators are not all they seem. Leu translates technical jargon into layman's terms to break down the five most repeated myths about pesticide use: independent scientific analysis shows that pesticides are not at all as safe as industry leaders and regulatory agencies claim.

The pesticide industry argues that human agriculture, and thereby the global population itself, cannot survive without using pesticides and herbicides, but Leu warns that human health is at great risk unless we break free of their toxic hold and turn to more natural methods of pest and weed regulation.

Learn the truth behind:

• The "Rigorously Tested" Myth. Are pesticides tested for safety before going on the market?
• The "Very Small Amount" Myth. Can even a small amount o f chemical residue be harmful?
• The "Breakdown" Myth: Do pesticides rapidly biodegrade, and are the breakdown products truly harmless?
• The "Reliable Regulatory Authority" Myth. Do the regulatory authorities review unbiased evidence before declaring a product safe?
• The "Pesticides Are Essential to Farming" Myth. Are pesticides the only thing keeping our planet from starvation?

Copyright 2014, softcover, 168 pages.

Poisoning Our Children

Parenting was never easy. While loving, teaching and nourishing children, parents also seek to protect them from harm. The past few generations, however, have been silently attacked by thousands of manmade, poisonous chemicals carried into homes and children's bodies in our food supply.

The chemical-based conventional agriculture industry claims that the synthesized concoctions they sell as pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides are safe when used as directed, but does the scientific evidence truly support their assertions?

When pesticide residues are found in 77 percent of all foods in the United States, it's important to know the truth. Organic agriculturist André Leu has weeded through a wealth of respected scientific journals to present peer-reviewed evidence proving that the claims of chemical companies and pesticide regulators are not all they seem.

Parents are encouraged to educate themselves on this serious danger to the health and development of our most vulnerable population, our children.

Copyright 2018, softcover, 206 pages

Learn more about Regeneration International.

Growing Life: Regenerating Farming and Ranching

As modern farming and ranching evolve away from mass consolidation and industrialization, a new strategy is rapidly emerging: regenerative agriculture. These new systems being implemented across the globe require a shift in the mindset of the land manager and operator, away from being primarily reliant on external inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, and toward dependence on knowledge, measurement and management. In this first-of-its-kind book, André Leu invites everyone to start moving a positive, regenerative direction where our actions support growing abundant life.

Inside this book, the first in a series, explore the fundamentals of regenerative agriculture, including specific, proven steps designed to grow healthy food, while protecting our natural resources like clean water, soil and air.

Readers will also learn:

• the role of photosynthesis in a farming system;
• successful tactics for ground cover and weed management;
• soil health and nutrition principles;
• ways to build functional biodiversity; and
• implementation and execution tactics.

This includes a helpful appendix on vetted, natural inputs. Plus, enjoy inspiring pieces inside by Gary Zimmer, author of The Biological Farmer, and Vandana Shiva, global author and advocate for natural, family farming.

Copyright 2021, softcover, 248 pages.

Advanced Praise:

Regeneration is the essential next stage of organic and agro-ecological agriculture. André Leu’s new book is essential reading for farmers, gardeners, and proponents of regenerative and organic food and farming. When future generations look back on how we managed to reverse global warming and climate change, and avoid climate catastrophe, they will thank organic farmers like André Leu for teaching a new generation of farmers how to maximize soil health and photosynthesis, restore ecosystems, produce healthy nutrient-dense food, and sequester excess atmospheric CO2. — Ronnie Cummins International Director of Organic Consumers Association

In his powerful and well written new book, Growing Life, André Leu introduces us all to the concepts of regenerative organic agriculture, asks provocative questions, then shares answers only decades of experience could possibly hope to inspire, and then finally invites us on a journey to, as André says, “become your own researcher”. Every farmer needs to read, discover, and realign their priorities to focus on the power of basic biological principles to feed us all while regenerating the soil resources we need to survive as a species. André has captured the very essence of the word regenerative by clearly and simply explaining the basic building blocks of healthy soil, showcasing how the science of biology dictates that we can improve the resource we need while using it to grow food. The science of regenerative organic agriculture uncovers how the systems are complex, but the implementation isn’t complicate — Jeff Moyer, Rodale Institute, CEO, author of Roller/Crimper No-Till

I believe it’s a must read. It’s a study and guide book on the road to regeneration of soils and farms so they can have resilience and be sustainable. — Gary Zimmer, farmer, author of The Biological Farmer

André Leu brings the earth’s living processes, farmers’ knowledge and ecological sciences of living systems back to the heart of growing food.— Dr. Vandana Shiva Advocate, researcher, author of Food, Farming & Health

Growing Life is a handbook to save the planet. André Leu offers practical steps and brilliant insights derived from nature herself. Its science-based foundational principles can antidote the widespread damage that our earth has suffered. Thank you André. — Jeffrey Smith, bestselling author, filmmaker, and Executive Director at the Institute for Responsible Technology­­