Agricultural geography changed dramatically during the last decades of the 20th century, reflecting the transformation of the farming industry itself. This text embraces these changes, applying ideas and methods from contemporary social science, as it moves beyond farm-based production to address current issues affecting the production and consumption of food and fibre throughout the world. processes, integration of agriculture into the wider agri-food system, concern with attaining sustainable production systems, and the importance of both government and supra-government policies. Examples are drawn from North America, Western Europe and the developing world. Key issues addressed include: the globalisation of agricultural production; the growing importance of supermarkets and fast-food outlets; the changing nature of government regulation; the persistence of hunger and famine in parts of the developing world; and attempts to develop sustainable agricultural systems using biotechnology. The book should appeal especially to Geography students, but should also be of interest to a broader range of students in sociology, economics and development studies, and anyone interested in agriculture, food production and consumption, and rural development.

'Axel Linden is a shepherd-philosopher with James Herriot's knack for mishap and an almost Chekhovian deadpan humour.' Observer 'Endearing and liberating.' Idler Magazine 'A sublime little book.' Cotswold Life _______ Why do we keep sheep? Alex Linden ruminates as he watches his sheep ruminating. Naive and inexperienced, he has ditched his doctoral studies in order to move to a fully working farm in the country with his family, where he is tasked with the responsibility of caring for a herd of sheep. Linden records his new life in his diary, as he tries to manage life on the farm, the ever-escaping sheep and the trials and tribulations that come with being a shepherd - shearing, lambing and confronting the slaughterhouse. As time passes and he gradually settles into the rhythm of shepherding, his naivete fades away and is replaced with stark realisations about what is now his everyday life. He finds himself applying his experiences of animal husbandry to consider our place - as individuals and as a collective organism - in the universe. Is he really the one caring for the sheep, or are they the ones keeping him? Linden finds both companionship in his flock and a sound, if complex, moral framework for examining the lives we lead. The result is a sensitive and entertaining meditation on the small wonders in our world.

Sepp Holzer farms steep mountainsides in Austria 1,500 meters above sea level. His farm is an intricate network of terraces, raised beds, ponds, waterways and tracks, well covered with productive fruit trees and other vegetation, with the farmhouse neatly nestling amongst them. This is in dramatic contrast to his neighbors' spruce monocultures.In this book, Holzer shares the skill and knowledge acquired over his lifetime. He covers every aspect of his farming methods, not just how to create a holistic system on the farm itself, but how to make a living from it. Holzer writes about everything from the overall concepts, down to the practical details.In Sepp Holzer's Permaculturereaders will learn:

How he sets up a permaculture system

The fruit varieties he has found best for permaculture growing

How to construct terraces, ponds, and waterways

How to build shelters for animals and how to work with them on the land

How to cultivate edible mushrooms in the garden and on the farm

and much more

Holzer offers a wealth of information for the gardener, smallholder or alternative farmer yet the book's greatest value is the attitudes it teaches. He reveals the thinking processes based on principles found in nature that create his productive systems. These can be applied anywhere.

Support for smallholder agriculture is seen as increasingly important, both to boost the food security and incomes of the rural poor and to provide food for urban populations. But to achieve scale in agricultural interventions, NGOs must move beyond a project-by-project approach and instead enable farmers to engage with market players. Small Farmers, Big Change considers learning from the experience of Oxfam's global agricultural scale-up initiative as well as from wider agricultural markets-based programming. This book includes very practical examples of achieving wider change in smallholder agriculture, through influencing policy and investment decisions, linking smallholders into markets and value chains, and innovating service provision for small farmers. The case studies outline what steps were taken to facilitate new types of farmer organization and alliances with an emphasis on promoting equitable livelihoods and developing rural women's economic leadership. Drawn from Africa, Latin America and Asia, the cases include information about challenges faced and what remains to be done in the future. This book should be read by the staff of donor agencies, policy makers, NGO practitioners, academics and students of development studies and the environment.

Wild crop relatives are now playing a significant part in the elucidation and improvement of the genomes of their cultivated counterparts. This work includes comprehensive examinations of the status, origin, distribution, morphology, cytology, genetic diversity and available genetic and genomic resources of numerous wild crop relatives, as well as of their evolution and phylogenetic relationship. Further topics include their role as model plants, genetic erosion and conservation efforts, and their domestication for the purposes of bioenergy, phytomedicines, nutraceuticals and phytoremediation. Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources comprises 10 volumes on Cereals, Millets and Grasses, Oilseeds, Legume Crops and Forages, Vegetables, Temperate Fruits, Tropical and Subtropical Fruits, Industrial Crops, Plantation and Ornamental Crops, and Forest Trees. It contains 125 chapters written by nearly 400 well-known authors from about 40 countries.

An in-depth survey of the major commodities of the world
* Profiles each commodity in detail
* Provides in-depth statistics on production
* Includes an invaluable directory
Contents:
* Introductory essays
* Covers all major agricultural and mineral products including aluminium, coal, cotton, nickel, petroleum, bananas, rice, rubber, tea, coffee, tobacco, wheat, natural gas, soybeans, zinc, lead and phosphates
* Each commodity is profiled in detail with information on physical appearance, history, uses, major markets, trends in demand, major importers and exporters
* Statistical details of recent levels of production at a global and individual country level
* Recent trends in prices with indexes of export prices
* A directory of organizations concerned with commodities.

A study of the development and acquisition of technology by a group of small- and medium-sized rural industries in the Sichuan province, China. The enterprises are mainly collective ones, but they are compared with other ownership groups, such as private and state enterprises.;Careful analysis, using time series data and a survey sample of rural collective industries in two counties in China, reveals that the Chinese technology system is ineffective in reaching all private and public ownership groups, especially the rural collective enterprises, and does not promote cooperation and assistance.;This book should be of interest to economists, developmentalists, NGOs, social scientists and private and public consultants within the developmental field.

How to achieve sustainable agricultural production without compromising environmental quality, agro-ecosystem function and biodiversity is a serious consideration in current agricultural practices. Farming systems' growing dependency on chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, nutrients etc.) poses serious threats with regard to crop productivity, soil fertility, the nutritional value of farm produce, management of pests and diseases, agro-ecosystem well-being, and health issues for humans and animals. At the same time, microbial inoculants in the form of biofertilizers, plant growth promoters, biopesticides, soil health managers, etc. have gained considerable attention among researchers, agriculturists, farmers and policy makers. The first volume of the book Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural Productivity - Research Perspectives highlights the efforts of global experts with regard to various aspects of microbial inoculants. Emphasis is placed on recent advances in microbiological techniques for the isolation, characterization, identification and evaluation of functional properties using biochemical and molecular tools. The taxonomic characterization of agriculturally important microorganisms is documented, along with their applications in field conditions. The book exploresthe identification, characterization and diversity analysis of endophytic microorganisms in various crops including legumes/ non-legumes, as well as the assessment of their beneficial impacts in the context of promotingplant growth. Moreover, it provides essential updates onthe diversity and role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Further chaptersexamine in detailbiopesticides, thehigh-density cultivation of bioinoculants in submerged culture, seed biopriming strategies for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, andPGPR as abio-control agent. Given its content,the book offers a valuable resource for researchers involved in research and development concerningPGPR, biopesticides and microbial inoculants.

Learn to identify, modify, and manipulate the genes controlling key quality traits in field crops This informative book provides state-of-the-art information on improving nutritional quality as well as yield volume in field crops such as wheat, maize, rice, barley, oats, lentils, pigeon peas, soybeans, cool season legumes, and crops whose seeds are used to make oils. With contributions from leading authorities in the field, this book will bring you up to date on the uses of agronomic management, conventional plant breeding, and modern biotechnologies in improving the quality of important food, feed, and fiber products. Quality Improvement in Field Crops examines: factors that impact the end-use quality of wheat and ways to improve wheat's quality for milling and baking agronomic practices that impact the quality of maize ways to improve the nutritional value of rice and legumes techniques for using molecular markers to improve the quality of lentil crops breeding methods that can improve the quality of the oils derived from oilseed crops protein quality/sulfur metabolism in soybeans and much more This book is dedicated to the World Food Laureate (the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for food scientists), Dr. G. S. Khush--the father of the Green Revolution in rice farming--in recognition of his tremendous contributions to global food and nutritional security for the world's population.

The Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation the American president signs. Negotiated every five to seven years, it has tremendous implications for food production, nutrition assistance, habitat conservation, international trade, and much more. Yet at nearly 1,000 pages, it is difficult to understand for policymakers, let alone citizens. In this primer, Dan Imhoff and Christina Badaracco translate all the "legalease" and political jargon into an accessible, graphics-rich 200 pages. Readers will learn the basic elements of the bill, its origins and history, and perhaps most importantly, the battles that will determine the direction of food policy in the coming years. The authors trace how the legislation has evolved, from its first incarnation during the Great Depression, to today, when America has become the world's leading agricultural powerhouse. They explain the three main components of the bill-farm subsidies, food stamps or SNAP, and conservation programs-as well as how crucial public policies are changing. As Congress ramps up debate about the next farm bill, we all need to understand the implications of their decisions. Will there be limits on subsidies to huge agribusinesses? Can we shift toward programs that reward sustainable farming practices? Will hungry kids get the help they need? These are questions that affect not only farmers, but everyone who eats. You have a stake in the answers. The Farm Bill is your guide.

Central to human life and civilization, soils are an integral part of the physical and cultural environment. Although we may take them for granted, the rise and fall of civilizations is closely linked with the use and abuse of soil and water resources. It is therefore important to evaluate soils for their quality and link them to appropriate uses and services. This book provides information on soil classification and shows how to key out taxa relevant to UAE soils. The latest soil inventory of United Arab Emirates reveals that a rather uniform looking desert landscape has, in fact, a diversity of subsurface features. These features confirm the soil diversity in terms of classification, chemistry, physics, mineralogy, fertility, suitability for different uses and vulnerability to land degradation. United Arab Emirates Keys to Soil Taxonomy presents information for keying out the soils of the United Arab Emirates into separate classes and provides a guide to associated laboratory methods. The classification used predominantly is extracted from the 11th edition of the USDA-NRCS Keys to Soil Taxonomy, and sections relevant to the soils found in the UAE are included here. Primarily, this key is designed to fit the soil system of the United Arab Emirates. Information not found in the USDA key has been added, including criteria and classes for: 1) differentiating anhydritic soils from gypsic soils, 2) identifying "lithic" subgroups for Aquisalids and Haplosalids, 3) identifying "salidic" subgroups within the great groups of Gypsids, Calcids, Psamments, and Orthents, and 4) incorporation of phases for soil taxa. A subsurface diagnostic horizon and mineralogy class (anhydritic), not reported earlier in the world soil literature and, recently found in the UAE, has also been added to the book. The book also offers a mechanism for updating the current soil surveys, and will facilitate the correlation of soils from new surveys in the UAE. Additionally, it will help the international soil science community to converse about UAE soils, and facilitate comparison to soils of other regions. These linkages allow countries with similar mapping and classification procedures and similar soils to transfer agriculture technology without conducting long-term experiments under similar environmental conditions, especially for Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia).

Now in its second edition, this text discusses the methodology adopted to determine different types of parameters necessary for the design, analysis and monitoring of various activities in agricultural and environmental engineering. The text includes different experiments and instrumentation techniques for analysis of food and its preservation in an easy-to-follow style for the students, researchers, practicing engineers and specialist professionals. The text also describes in detail modern instrumental techniques such as chromatographic methods, IR, UV, NMR, mass spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and thermogravimetric analysis, and provides solved problems based on these instruments.

This volume discusses the sustainability of Egypt's agriculture and the challenges involved. It provides a comprehensive review and the latest research findings, and covers a variety of topics under the following themes: * Integrated natural resources management for sustainable production * Integrated biopesticides and biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture * Integrated plant and animal production for a sustainable food supply * Policies for sustainable agriculture in Egypt The volume closes with a summary of the key conclusions and recommendations from all chapters. Together with the companion volume Sustainability of Agricultural Environment in Egypt: Part I, it offers an essential source of information for postgraduate students, researchers, and stakeholders alike.

Explore the benefits of and necessity for sustainable agriculture Here is an easy-to-read, practical introduction to sustainable agriculture: what it means and why it is needed. It is the first book to synthesize the goals of sustainable agriculture into eight comprehensive steps. The Next Green Revolution presents a convincing critique of our current agricultural system and an introduction to an alternative system which gives more consideration to future generations. Interwoven through the book are Dr. Horne's reflections on social justice, quality of life, and how farmers and rural communities are inextricably linked.The Next Green Revolution draws on the unique perspective of Dr. James E. Horne, President of a leading nonprofit agriculture organization, the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. It is inspired by his experience as a traditional agriculturalist and educator coming to grips with the failings of the conventional system and searching for an alternative. Writing in the first person, he describes growing up in a sharecropper family in Oklahoma, running his own ranch, and consulting with farmers as an agricultural economist. He shares what he learned as the Kerr Center experimented with new "sustainable" approaches to old problems on the Center's ranch/farm, and his experiences working with the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. With The Next Green Revolution, you will explore: the major problems of contemporary industrial agriculture definitions of sustainable agriculture the historical roots of sustainable agriculture the politics of sustainable agriculture sustainable agriculture practices changes needed to encourage a sustainable agricultureand the eight steps to sustainable agriculture, which address: soil health and erosion water quality and use organic waste management crop and livestock adaptation biodiversity environmentally benign pest management energy use farm diversification profitabilityThe Next Green Revolution is a well-researched introduction to the field, written with a minimum of jargon.

The numbers of the urban poor are on the increase; at the same time their position has been made more vulnerable by the recent food and economic crises. City authorities need to find innovative strategies to eradicate urban hunger and improve the livelihoods of the urban poor.Urban agriculture provides such a strategy by enhancing access to fresh and nutritious food, and contributing to local economic development and social inclusion of the urban poor, especially women. It also has the effect of greening cities, promoting the productive reuse of urban waste, and reducing vulnerability to climate change.To do this urban agriculture must be cross-cutting and multi-functional. So how can policy be developed to include all the relevant sectors and disciplines, including agriculture, urban land use planning, health, waste management, social housing and slum upgrading, and parks and nature management?"Cities, Poverty and Food" presents the experience of RUAF Foundation in multi-stakeholder policy formulation and action planning for urban agriculture. RUAF has carried out programs in over 20 cities in 17 countries, under the Cities Farming for the Future program, implemented between 2005 and 2008 (see also www.ruaf.org).This book provides valuable insights and guidelines which are essential reading for the staff of municipal authorities, producer groups and community-based organizations; for NGO field workers; university researchers; agricultural extension officers and others who seek to enhance participatory governance, urban food security, urban poverty alleviation and improved urban environmental management.

"Someday" Big Fred Hewett used to say in his Humboldt Saloon in Aberdeen, Washington, "these pictures will show how the boys used to do it." He knew the day would come when the Pacific Northwest's "Big Woods" would be only a fog-blurred memory and the cry "Logs! More Logs!" would no longer be heard ringing up and down the skidroads. With the superb views of timber photographer Darius Kinsey, comprising more than 200 pictures made from wet plate celluloid negatives, 11" x 14", and processed by his pioneer wife, Tabitha, author Andrews dramatically presents a panorama of lumbering's great days in these woods from 1890 to 1925. Shown in sharp detail are the first axes, 12-foot crosscut saws, the first oxen and horses, the first donkey engines and "lokeys". Then the story continues into the "highball" days, the high production period with the steel tower skidders and miles of steel rigging.

This book provides selected authorship on anthropogenic impacts caused by arsenic, lead, chromium and other pollutants and contaminants emanating from identified activities (e.g. tanning industry, effect of irrigation water and exposure to living tissue). The basis of the study is to improve on the knowledge and spread awareness to the general public. In this book, identified impacts associated with arsenic, chromium, lead, salinity induced processes, effluents and selected synthetic tannins provide a preview of how identified anthropogenic activities can degrade and affect terrestrial, aquatic and human health. In light of this, the individual chapters pursue (to some extent) an experimental and descriptive approach in explaining these aspects. All the contributors of these chapters are specialists in their areas of specialization with very strong research backgrounds. Thus, the book has a formidable basis of communicating the science that is relevant for agronomical activities when evaluating the effluent generation from anthropogenic view, its disposal, potential impacts towards irrigation related to specific geographical areas and the human occupational risks involved overall. It is, therefore, apparent that identifying the denudating aspects of the ecosystems is a paramount step towards building appropriate diagnostic, preventive and curative capabilities in managing the environmental sustainably.

Despite food being safer, more affordable and more available than at any time in human history, consumers are increasingly skeptical and critical of today's food system. In Size Matters, Charlie Arnot provides thought provoking insight into how the food system lost consumer trust, what can be done to restore it, and the remarkable changes taking place on farms and in food companies, supermarkets and restaurants every day as technology and consumer demand drive radical change. The very systems and technologies that are mistrusted by consumers are driving a revolution that empowers individual consumers to find the perfect recipe of taste and nutrition to meet their specific needs and desires. Size Matters pulls back the curtain to examine the irony, competing priorities and new realities that shape today's food system.

For more than 20 years, Swiss architect Martino Pedrozzi has been working on the partial reconstruction of derelict dwellings on alpine pastures in the mountains of southern Switzerland. His interventions in Valle di Blenio and Val Malvaglia, at altitudes around 6,500 ft in the canton of Ticino, are part of a scheme to protect and preserve the cultivated landscape shaped by generations of local farmers grazing their cattle. Pedrozzi collected and put in place again stones that had been used as building materials for the ancient dry-stone walled structures, which have been abandoned in recent decades. This recomposition is meant to reconstruct a public space and to retain landmarks in the barren alpine landscape, and to form a monument for the civilisation that has been sustained by it for centuries. This book documents Pedrozzi's work and highlights the problem of rural exodus: a constant phenomenon in the history of human life, caused by conflict, economic change, natural disasters, and climate change. Here it is about mountain dwellings no longer used because alpine agriculture has been given up in favour of better opportunities and more comfortable ways of life. Text in English and Italian.

Ralph Moody was eight years old in 1906 when his family moved from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Through his eyes we experience the pleasures and perils of ranching there early in the twentieth century. Auctions and roundups, family picnics, irrigation wars, tornadoes and wind storms give authentic color to Little Britches. So do adventures, wonderfully told, that equip Ralph to take his father's place when it becomes necessary. Little Britches was the literary debut of Ralph Moody, who wrote about the adventures of his family in eight glorious books, all available as Bison Books. Purchase the audio edition.

This book, the only one of its kind on ravine lands, reflects the significant advances made over the past two decades in our understanding of gully erosion, its controlling factors, and various aspects of gully erosion. It also addresses central research gaps and unanswered questions, which include historical studies on gully erosion to better understand the different stages of their formation; appropriate measuring techniques for monitoring or assessing the geological and hydrological parameters and processes involved in gully development; interaction of hydrological and other soil degradation processes; ecology and biodiversity of fragile ravines; impact of climate and environmental changes on soil erosion processes; development of effective and reliable gully erosion models; effective gully prevention and control measures; watershed-based management options; and ravine rehabilitation policies. The present book is a highly timely publication and deals with various aspects of ravine ecology and rehabilitation of degraded lands, particularly with the aid of biological approaches. As such, it offers a valuable guide for all scientists working in the fields of soil conservation / rehabilitation and agroforestry, students, environmentalists, educationists, and policymakers. More importantly, it focuses on the rehabilitation of one of the world's most degraded and fragile ecosystems, ensuring the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers and landless families living in harsh ecologies that are more vulnerable to climate change.

Medicinal Plants: Culture, Utilization and Phytopharmacology covers over 400 species. Each chapter gathers valuable information from a wide variety of sources, and supplies it to the user in convenient table format, arranged alphabetically by scientific name, followed by the common name. Data topics include: major constituents (active ingredients) and medicinal values of plants; toxicity or hazardous components; essential oils; value-added products and possible uses; cultivation and harvesting; diseases and insects found in medicinal plants. Three appendices (alphabetical listing of plants by common name, followed by the scientific name; essential oils and their derivation; active ingredients and their sources) provide handy cross-references to the Tables.

Following the Fukushima nuclear accident, a large volume of monitoring data has been collected about the soil, air, dust, and seawater, along with data about an immense number of foods supplied to the market. Little is known, however, about the effect of radioactive fallout on agriculture, information about which is vital. Although more than 80% of the damaged area is related to agriculture, in situ information specifically for agriculture is scarce. This book provides data about the actual movement and accumulation of radioactivity in the ecological system-for example, whether debris deposited on mountains can be a cause of secondary contamination, under what conditions plants accumulate radioactive cesium in their edible parts, and how radioactivity is transferred from hay to milk. Because agriculture is so closely related to nature, many specialists with different areas of expertise must be involved in answering these questions. In the case of rice, researchers in rice cultivation as well as in soil, hydrology, and radioactivity measurement are working together to reveal the paths or accumulation of radioactivity in the field. For this purpose, the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences of The University of Tokyo has diverse facilities available throughout Japan, including farmlands, forests, and meadowlands. Many academic staff members have formed groups to conduct on-site research, with more than 40 volunteers participating. This book presents the data collected from the only project being systematically carried out across Japan after the Fukushima accident.