Biodynamic agriculture first originated in central Europe but is now practised in farms, vineyards and gardens all over the world. At the heart of the biodynamic approach are the eight preparations -- Horn manure, Horn silica, Yarrow, Chamomile, Nettle, Oak bark, Dandelion and Valerian -- which are often produced by local biodynamic practitioners using well-established recipes. But as the biodynamic approach expands beyond its European origins, its methods have been increasingly adapted to meet the needs and challenges -- climates, fauna, seasons and regulations -- of different regions around the globe. This fascinating book presents the results of a unique study, carried out by the Agricultural Section at the Goetheanum, Switzerland, into how the biodynamic preparations are used in fifteen countries worldwide, including Egypt, Brazil, New Zealand, India and across Europe. The detailed case studies explore how the preparations are modified to suit their locations, as well as offering an insight into the work of each practitioner and how their understanding has evolved over the years. Contributors include Ueli Hurter, Dr. R. Ingold, Dr. M. Kolar, J. Schoenfelder, Dr. A. Sedlmayr and A. van Leewen. This book is a valuable reference into the production and application of the preparations around the world and an inspiring endorsement of how biodynamic principles hold true in such varied environments.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of production and processing in the food industry is an important tool for improving sustainability. Environmental assessment and management in the food industry reviews the advantages, challenges and different applications of LCA and related methods for environmental assessment, as well as key aspects of environmental management in this industry sector. Part one discusses the environmental impact of food production and processing, addressing issues such as nutrient management and water efficiency in agriculture. Chapters in Part two cover LCA methodology and challenges, with chapters focusing on different food industry sectors such as crop production, livestock and aquaculture. Part three addresses the applications of LCA and related approaches in the food industry, with chapters covering combining LCA with economic tools, ecodesign of food products and footprinting methods of assessment, among other topics. The final part of the book concentrates on environmental management in the food industry, including contributions on training, eco-labelling and establishing management systems. With its international team of editors and contributors, Environmental assessment and management in the food industry is an essential reference for anyone involved in environmental management in the food industry, and for those with an academic interest in sustainable food production.

In this book the author has selected important topics like global warming, e-wastes management, solid waste management, organic farming, vermicomposting and alternatives to fossil fuels. Lot of information and data are included for the benefit of science and engineering students as well as research scholars working on these lines. Hope this book will be useful to them as reference book and will be a priced collection for their own library. All the topics are debatable, some say in favour while other say against of it while the author has tried to analyze all topics from scientific background. Global warming, though not agreed by many people, has already started showing its symptoms by irregular rains, hot summer in some places while cold winter somewhere else indicating the imbalance of nature. A systematic, low cost and employment generating approach has been discussed to manage the solid waste menace of the urban locality. Easy vermicomposting technique and its prospects and problems are discussed in detail for the benefit of people. The necessity of alternatives to petroleum fuel for keeping the wheels of nations progress always in dynamic speed has also been narrated with facts and figures. Hope, all these will attract the readers to refer the book in different perspective

The articles included in this book focuses on; Digital divide in rural India, e-Agriculture issues, Cyber extension, overview on Village Knowledge Centres VKCs, Community Information Centre iniative in Orissa, SATCOM application in Karnataka State, Model e-Villages in Arunachal Pradesh State of North-East India, Nationwide InDG web portal initiative for rural development, Kisan Mobile Sandesh KMS, Dynamic Market Information DMI by Web and Mobile in Tamil Nadu, Expert systems for pest and diseases diagnosis in rubber, Interactive Multimedia Compact Disc IMCD, Village Information Centres among Dairy Farmers in Tamil Nadu, KISSAN initiative of Kerala State, Mobile Agricultural School and Services MASS in Jharkhand, Farmers Database creation in Darjeeling District of West Bengal, Village Resource Centres VRCs in Uttaranchal, Pest Surveillance of Rice using satellite data, Techmode Approach for Distance Learning Courses for Field Veterinarians in Maharastra, Information Retrieval System for Buffalo Reproduction, Web Portals and Digital Data base in Agroforestry, Watershed Modelling using GIS and Remote Sensing in Gujarat State, e-Readiness and Participation Level of Akshya and KISSAN Kerala Beneficiaries and VRC & CIC Network in Assam and Internet utilization pattern, evaluation of Kissan Call Centres KCCs, ICT adoption level, impact, stakeholders feedback, policy implications and recommendations.

Agro-informatics is the application in agriculture with innovative ideas, techniques and scientific knowledge to expand the horizons of the Computer Science. The book contains the details about the information technology applied to management and analysis of agricultural data The book covers the diverse areas ranging from artificial intelligence, artificial neural networks, decision support system, expert system, geographic information system, information system related to agriculture, genetic algorithm, programming language with backend tool to develop softwares The book contains fifteen s that highlight and discuss the various dimensions of agro-informatics. It is hoped that the book will provide the basic and fundamental knowledge of understanding the concepts of Bioinformatics. This book is prepared, taking into consideration the changing needs of the undergraduate curricula of various universities involved in offering courses on agro-informatics The book will also be a guide for the researchers The book would also provide the required computer knowledge to the students of State Agricultural Universities and other ICAR Institutions to sharpen their understanding of agro-informatics.

In recent years, the role of information and communications technologies in the development of agriculture and environmental issues has received significant attention in different types of international forums. With new technologies constantly developing, there is a need for research dedicated to technological progress. Innovations and Trends in Environmental and Agricultural Informatics provides emerging research on the design, development, and implementation of complex agricultural and environmental information systems, addressing the integration of several scientific domains including agronomy, mathematics, economics, and computer science. While highlighting topics such as image quality assessment, environmental policy, and supervised classification, this publication explores the applications and progress of various technologies within agricultural and environmental professions. This book is an important resource for researchers, professionals, academics, students, and scientists seeking current research on the rapidly evolving field of technology integration in agricultural production and environmental issues.