This anthology originates from a research project What Could A Farm Be? initiated by the editor, Alastair Fuad-Luke, supported by the Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, in the province of South Tyrol/Süd Tirol/Alto Adige in the north-east of Italy. Outputs from the project which coordinated with local small farmers, were diverse, including: experimental products utilising waste sheep’s wool and dyes from local plants; many workshops exploring possibilities for new forms of orientation and production; and, a network of academics, practitioners, farmers and other rural professionals called muu-baa https://www.muu-baa.org/.

Field Explorations includes practices from South Tyrol but widens the scope to European and North American designers and artists who engage with alternative agri-cultural practices that challenge the hegemonic practices of global agribusiness. The anthology is organised in four sections: Farming Practices, Alter-Native Practices, Explorative Practices (Selected Case Studies); and Practices of New Entanglements. A summary of these practices is given by the editor under the title of “Practicing Anticipatory Assemblages for Near-Future Farming”.