Author Prof Jim Lynch is widely known and very experienced, well-connected with wide international networks, and globally distinguished. He was awarded the UNESCO Prize in Microbiology and Einstein Medal and Distinguished Scientist of the US Department of Agriculture. His OUP textbook Soil Microbiology was a bestseller. Taps directly into the topical area of the COVID-19 pandemic and One Health. Affordable and accessible to a wide interdisciplinary audience.

This book helps readers understand the concepts of marketed and marketable surplus, as well as the role of the government and marketing agencies, including those in the private sector, in improving market efficiency. It also examines the impact of various socioeconomic, technological, institutional, infrastructure, and price factors on the marketed surplus of major crops. While Indian agriculture has become increasingly market-oriented and monetized, the importance of market orientation of agriculture is also being recognized at the international level. The proportion of agricultural production that is marketed by farmers has increased significantly over the last few decades in India: in the early 1950s, about 30-35 per cent of food grains output was marketed, which has now increased to more than 70 per cent. In this context, the marketed surplus is proportionately higher in the case of commercial crops than subsistence crops. Recognizing its importance, the Government of India initiated a nation-wide survey to estimate marketable surplus and post-harvest losses in the early 1970s, which continued up to the late 1990s. As Indian agriculture, has undergone significant transformation, and no reliable estimates of marketed and marketable surplus are available, the study was conducted to estimate the marketed and marketable surplus of major food crops in leading producing states, and to examine important factors which determine the level of marketed surplus for various categories of farms. The results of this study offer a valuable resource for designing effective food procurement, distribution and price policies. Further, they provide reliable estimates of household farm retention pattern for self-consumption, seed, feed, wages and other payments in kind, which can be used as the basis for planning infrastructure development of storage and distribution. This essential information can help policy-makers determine how much marketed surplus is generated by the different categories of farmers and how marketable surplus would respond to changes in diverse economic and non-economic variables, allowing them to design policies accordingly.

This book presents a collection of articles concerning key topics which examine the impacts of climate change and variability on agriculture. The application region is the southeastern United States. The main topics include an investigation of the effect of variations in the spatial scale of climate change scenarios on an agricultural integrated assessment, methods of simulating adaptations of climate change, and the relationship between large scale climate variability and local climate and vegetation. This book will be very useful for researchers and policy makers involved in climate change impacts.

Modern web-based applications are pertinent for businesses, as they often encourage their core competencies and capabilities. As such, the agribusiness sector must begin to take advantage of the open networks and advances in communication and information technologies in order to grow their businesses exponentially. Driving Agribusiness With Technology Innovations highlights innovative business models and theories that encourage the use of emerging technological advances to produce thriving enterprises. Featuring extensive coverage on relevant topics including digital environments, mobile agriculture, supply chain platforms, and internet marketing models, this publication is an important reference source for business managers, practitioners, professionals, and engineers who are interested in discovering emerging technology trends for agribusiness.

Experts from inside and outside the USAID program evaluate the effectiveness of governmental intervention aimed at ensuring adequate agricultural production and food security in Third-World nations. They consider in depth the question of how best to assure food security with the least amount of investment of scarce resources, looking in particular at the results of the $1 billion annual expenditure on Third-World agriculture by the USAID program.

A text for the student & the professional.

Application of Machine Learning in Smart Agriculture is the first book to present a multidisciplinary look at how technology can not only improve agricultural output, but the economic efficiency of that output as well. Through a global lens, the book approaches the subject from a technical perspective, providing important knowledge and insights for effective and efficient implementation and utilization of machine learning. As artificial intelligence techniques are being used to increase yield through optimal planting, fertilizing, irrigation, and harvesting, these are only part of the complex picture which must also take into account the economic investment and its optimized return. The performance of machine learning models improves over time as the various mathematical and statistical models are proven. Presented in three parts, Application of Machine Learning in Smart Agriculture looks at the fundamentals of smart agriculture; the economics of the technology in the agricultural marketplace; and a diverse representation of the tools and techniques currently available, and in development. This book is an important resource for advanced level students and professionals working with artificial intelligence, internet of things, technology and agricultural economics.

Agricultural Nanobiotechnology: Biogenic Nanoparticles, Nanofertilizers and Nanoscale Biocontrol Agents presents the most up-to-date advances in nanotechnology to improve the agriculture and food industry with novel nanotools for the controlling of rapid disease diagnostic and enhancement of the capacity of plants to absorb nutrients and resist environmental challenges. Highlighting the emerging nanofertilizers, nanopesticides and nanoherbicides that are being widely explored in order to overcome the limitations of conventional agricultural supplements, the book provides important insights to enable smart, knowledge-driven selection of nanoscale agricultural biomaterials, coupled with suitable delivery approaches and formulations will lead to promising agricultural innovation using nanotechnology. Agricultural Nanobiotechnology: Biogenic Nanoparticles, Nanofertilizers and Nanoscale Biocontrol Agents explores emerging innovations in nanobiotechnology for agriculture, food, and natural resources to address the challenges of food security, sustainability, susceptibility, human health, and healthy life. The book is ideal for the multidisciplinary scientists whose goal is to see the use of nanomaterials in agriculture to reduce the amount of spread chemicals, minimize nutrient losses in fertilization and to generate increased yield through pest and nutrient management.

Since the dawn of social science, theorists have debated how and why societies appear to change, develop and evolve. Today, this question is pursued by scholars across many different disciplines and our understanding of these dynamics has grown markedly. Yet, there remain important areas of disagreement and debate: what is the difference between societal change, development and evolution? What specific aspects of cultures change, develop or evolve and why? Do societies change, develop or evolve in particular ways, perhaps according to cycles, or stages or in response to survival necessities? How do different disciplines-from sociology to anthropology to psychology and economics-approach these questions? This book provides complex and nuanced answers to these, and many other, questions. First, the book invites readers to consider the broad landscape of societal dynamics across human history, beginning with humanity's origins in small nomadic bands of hunter gatherers through to the emergence of post-industrial democracies. Then, the book provides a tour of several prominent existing theories of cultural change, development and evolution. Approaches to explaining cultural dynamics will be discussed across disciplines and schools of thought, from "meme" theories to established cumulative cultural evolutionary theories to newly emerging theories on cultural tightness-looseness. The book concludes with a call for theoretical integration and a frank discussion of some of the most unexamined structures that drive cultural dynamics across schools of thought.

Women on the Land tells the remarkable story of women's contribution to agriculture and forestry during the two World Wars. It traces the formation and history of the Women's Land Army, and shows how women, mostly untrained and from non-farming backgrounds, helped maintain food production for a beleaguered nation, by filling the places of men away at the war. At the height of the First World War the Land Army had a full-time membership of 23,000 members, a number that was to exceed 80,000 during the Second World War. The book pays tribute to women like Lady Denman, who administered the Land Army during the Second World War and who was its chief inspiration and driving force, and also outlines the part played by other women's groups in wartime. Containing many first-hand reminiscences by the women who served, and a number of evocative illustrations, Women on the Land highlights the years when women were effectively to challenge long-established preconceptions as to what properly constituted 'women's work'.

Detection canines have been utilized throughout the world for over a century, and while numerous attempts have been made to replicate the canine's ability to detect substances by mechanical means, none has been as successful. The olfactory system is a highly intricate and sophisticated design for chemical sensing, and the olfactory capacity of many animals, including canines, is considered unmatched by machine due to not only their great sensitivity and superior selectivity but also their trainability and mobility. These unique features have led to the use of such animals as "whole-animal" biosensors. Amplifying the benefits and diminishing the limitations of detection canines' interdisciplinary research is crucial to understanding canine olfaction and detection and enhancing this powerful and complex detector. The past 50 years have produced vast advancements in animal behavior/training technology to develop canines into more proficient and reliable sensors, while scientific research has provided tremendous support to help practitioners better understand how to utilize this powerful sensor. This book assembles a diverse group of authors with expertise in a variety of fields relating to detection canines and the chemical sensing industry, including both research and operational perspectives on detection canines. It illustrates how science enhances our understanding of how canines are employed for solving some of the world's leading detection challenges.

The food market is changing from a producer-controlled to a consumer-directed market. A main driving force is consumer concern about agricultural production methods and food safety. More than before, the consumer demands transparency of the production and processing chain.
A food chain can be quite complex and the use of models has become indispensable to handle this complexity. Modelling tools are becoming increasingly important to guide the decisions for production of high-quality and safe agricultural foods. With the aid of models it becomes possible to control and predict quality attributes, so that product innovation can be done more efficiently. However, quality is an elusive concept, and there is always an aspect of subjectivity and uncertainty.
A novel approach in the agro-food chain would be to tackle subjective elements and uncertainty in modelling by using Bayesian statistics and Bayesian Belief Networks. Bayesian approaches use prior probabilities (partly accounting for subjectivity) to estimate posterior probabilities, resulting in higher accuracy than is possible with classical statistical techniques. Thus, the variability and uncertainty in data and decisions, inherent in a complex food chain, can be dealt with.

"The result is a refreshing balance between readability and practicality, underpinned by true science and the appliance of science... as a comprehensive resource on the breadth of information available with the combination of general principles, up-to-date advice, coupled with an excellent provision of further reading and resources for every chapter, makes this an essential addition to any poultry library!" (Dr Stephen A. Lister, review in Avian Pathology) Diseases remain a significant burden to poultry production and its future, with outbreaks of disease resulting in catastrophic financial losses to the sector. Whilst it is widely recognised that vaccines have a major role in inducing protection, they can only be considered as part of the solution to this rapidly growing problem. Optimising poultry flock health instead reviews ways of optimising preventative measures to reduce the risk of disease in flocks. The book reviews the wealth of recent research on the mechanisms of transmission for infectious diseases and how this understanding can be used to improve poultry flock health. By showing how poultry flock health can be optimised at different stages of production, the book showcases the extent of preventative measures available to farmers and producers, as well as how these measures can be implemented effectively to protect their flocks against disease.

In this book, Po-Yi Hung uses tea production as a lens to investigate the tension between nature and society under the market economy in frontier China. By focusing on the landscape of the 'ancient tea forest' (guchalin), this book aims to understand the interactions among tea trees, entrepreneurs, the state, and the Bulang, an ethnic minority population. Intensive ethnographic research conducted by the author examines local Bulang villagers' everyday lives as entrepreneurs in the market economy at a time of changing moralities and cultural renovations. The author explores the dilemmas that arise in this unique region between tradition and modernity, territorial margin and connected space, and nature and development.

This book, written by global experts, provides a comprehensive and topical analysis on the economics of chocolate. While the main approach is economic analysis, there are important contributions from other disciplines, including psychology, history, government, nutrition, and geography. The chapters are organized around several themes, including the history of cocoa and chocolate - from cocoa drinks in the Maya empire to the growing sales of Belgian chocolates in China; how governments have used cocoa and chocolate as a source of tax revenue and have regulated chocolate (and defined it by law) to protect consumers' health from fraud and industries from competition; how the poor cocoa producers in developing countries are linked through trade and multinational companies with rich consumers in industrialized countries; and how the rise of consumption in emerging markets (China, India, and Africa) is causing a major boom in global demand and prices, and a potential shortage of the world's chocolate.

The collectivization of Soviet agriculture in the late 1920s and 1930s forever altered the country's social and economic landscape. It became the first of a series of bloody landmarks that would come to define Stalinism. This revelatory book presents--with analysis and commentary--the most important primary Soviet documents dealing with the brutal economic and cultural subjugation of the Russian peasantry. Drawn from previously unavailable and in many cases unknown archives, these harrowing documents provide the first unimpeded view of the experience of the peasantry during the years 1927-1930.
The book, the first of four in the series, covers the background of collectivization, its violent implementation, and the mass peasant revolt that ensued. For its insights into the horrific fate of the Russian peasantry and into Stalin's dictatorship, "The War Against the Peasantry "takes""its place an as unparalleled resource."

Food security is defined as the ability of countries, regions, or households to meet their required levels of food consumption at all times. Food security is an important component of human welfare, and it can act as an indicator of a region's development. This book addresses the roles of trade, policy development, and economic cooperation in creating sustainable food security in the West African region. The largely micro-level analysis is conducted on empirical data from the household where decisions on production and consumption take place. Food security is discussed in terms of its component parts, namely: availability of food (production and trade), its accessibility (incomes and poverty status), and its utilisation (health and nutrition).

Food quality is the foundation for the maintenance of human health, and one of the most important elements in health prevention systems. However, the production of healthy and safe food requires access to high-quality agricultural products, which are free from pollutants that can result from poor quality soil, water, unbalanced chemical fertilization or the use of crop protection products. In recent years, food produced according to organic farming standards, which is based on eliminating the use of fertilizers, pesticides or genetically modified seeds, has become increasingly popular. This book presents the results of a comparison of the quality of raw materials, such as cereals, vegetables, fruits, honey and other bee products, produced in organic and conventional farming systems, and selected products made from them. This book covers environmental, social and economic aspects of organic food production from a sustainable development perspective, and provide answers to the following questions: Does organic farming ensure obtaining high-quality agricultural products that are safe for health? Can food produced from organic raw materials be considered more valuable in the human diet compared to conventional food? Is organic farming able to meet the food needs of the world population?

This book addresses the important issue of food prices across EU Member States. Although recent attention has focused on events in world commodity markets following the spikes in world prices in 2007-2008 and 2011, there has been comparatively little attention addressing food price dynamics at the retail level. This volume addresses the characteristics of retail food price behaviour and the nature and drivers of price transmission across the EU. There are several inter-related features of the research reported here. First, the volume reports the characteristics of retail food inflation across the EU and the extent to which it differs from non-food inflation. Second, given the different experience of food inflation across EU Member States, it details the process of price transmission as shocks from upstream and world markets are passed through the food sector to the retail stage. Third, it addresses how the extent and nature of price transmission is determined by various aspects of competition throughout the domestic food sector and how the nature of vertical contracting between stages can determine the price transmission process. Finally, it outlines the potential of high-frequency, product-specific scanner data to address price dynamics and adjustment issues and how scanner data can also be used to measure food price inflation. The book will be of interest to researchers on price transmission and competition issues in the EU and, given the wider interest on these issues coupled with the novel use of scanner data, to researchers further afield. The contributions will also be of interest to policymakers and stakeholders as they seek to make sense of, and to address, regulation issues as they relate to the food sector.

Nitrogen Assessment: Pakistan as a Case-Study provides a detailed overview of issues and challenges related to nitrogen use and overuse, thus serving as a reference for researchers in Pakistan and providing important insights for other geographic regions. Excess and inefficient nitrogen use in crops and livestock sectors is polluting our rivers, seas, atmosphere, and ecosystems, contributing to climate change, hampering biodiversity, and contributing to stratospheric ozone depletion. This book covers the importance of nitrogen in relation to food security, human health, and economic stability in South Asia. It also discusses nitrogen status, sources, sinks, and drivers of nitrogen use in Pakistan, focusing on current nitrogen measures and policies. Nitrogen pollution is one of the biggest challenges of 21st Century, and the international scientific community is beginning to recognize the significance of nitrogen pollution and to explore how to combat it. The editors' institution, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, partners with South Asia Nitrogen Hub, which includes about 30 organizations from South Asia and UK working on nitrogen assessment, budgeting, awareness, and policy guidance, as well as possible measures to reduce nitrogen pollution. Nitrogen Assessment: Pakistan as a Case-Study provides an important guide to this work and is written in a way that is accessible to an audience with a wide range of experience from advanced students to seasoned researchers.

Trade in temperate zone farm products between the developed countries has been beset with problems since the GATT's inception in 1947. The basic problem was always that the conditions in world agricultural markets were distorted by the national agricultural policies followed by all developed countries - policies which national authorities were reluctant to adapt to conform with the requirements of a liberal international trading system for agricultural products. This book describes and analyses the attempts that were made to make trade in agriculture less distorted, more stable and predictable, and less of a dangerous source of political friction between nations, in successive rounds of negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in the 45-year period from GATT's inception in 1947 to the end of the Uruguay Round in 1993. While the book analyses the development of international trade policy throughut the post-war period, particular attention is given to the Kennedy, Tokyo and Uruguay Rounds of GATT negotiations in which the problems of trade in agricultural products were confronted.

Presents a major case study of how agriculture and biodiversity conservation can work in harmony towards more sustainable outcomes for both the environment and local communities. Shows how Cuba has provided a unique testbed for such approaches through its specific political status and focus on traditional agricultural methods. Provides the essential background for understanding future options for agriculture and conservation in Cuba, as it emerges from economic and political isolation.

AI, Edge, and IoT Smart Agriculture integrates applications of IoT, edge computing, and data analytics for sustainable agricultural development and introduces Edge of Thing-based data analytics and IoT for predictability of crop, soil, and plant disease occurrence for improved sustainability and increased profitability. The book also addresses precision irrigation, precision horticulture, greenhouse IoT, livestock monitoring, IoT ecosystem for agriculture, mobile robot for precision agriculture, energy monitoring, storage management, and smart farming. The book provides an overarching focus on sustainable environment and sustainable economic development through smart and e-agriculture. Providing a medium for the exchange of expertise and inspiration, contributions from both smart agriculture and data mining researchers around the world provide foundational insights. The book provides practical application opportunities for the resolution of real-world problems, including contributions from the data mining, data analytics, Edge of Things, and cloud research communities working in the farming production sector. The book offers broad coverage of the concepts, themes, and instruments of this important and evolving area of IOT-based agriculture, Edge of Things and cloud-based farming, Greenhouse IOT, mobile agriculture, sustainable agriculture, and big data analytics in agriculture toward smart farming.

Named #1 of 15 Best New Biotechnology Books to Read in 2021 by BookAuthority. This volume explores and explains the vast uses and benefits of algae as food, feed, and fuel. It covers the most advanced applications of algae in the food and feed industries and for environmental sustainability. With chapters written by experts and which were extensively reviewed by many well-known subject experts and professionals, Phycobiotechnology: Biodiversity and Biotechnology of Algae and Algal Products for Food, Feed, and Fuel provides an abundance of valuable information. Algae are a genetically diverse group of organisms with a wide range of physiological and biochemical characteristics that have unique capabilities in the fields of agriculture, pharmaceuticals, industry, and environment. Algae hold the potential to become the planet's next major source of energy and a vital part of the solution for climate change and dependence on fossil fuels. Many varieties of algae are also known to be an abundant source of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that can boost the human immune system.