Can private standards bring about more sustainable production practices? This question is of interest to conscientious consumers, academics studying the effectiveness of private regulation, and corporate social responsibility practitioners alike. Grabs provides an answer by combining an impact evaluation of 1,900 farmers with rich qualitative evidence from the coffee sectors of Honduras, Colombia and Costa Rica. Identifying an institutional design dilemma that private sustainability standards encounter as they scale up, this book shows how this dilemma plays out in the coffee industry. It highlights how the erosion of price premiums and the adaptation to buyers' preferences have curtailed standards' effectiveness in promoting sustainable practices that create economic opportunity costs for farmers, such as agroforestry or agroecology. It also provides a voice for coffee producers and value chain members to explain why the current system is failing in its mission to provide environmental, social, and economic co-benefits, and what changes are necessary to do better.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1958.

Charting the political, social, and environmental history of efforts to conserve crop diversity. Many people worry that we're losing genetic diversity in the foods we eat. Over the past century, crop varieties standardized for industrial agriculture have increasingly dominated farm fields. Concerned about what this transition means for the future of food, scientists, farmers, and eaters have sought to protect fruits, grains, and vegetables they consider endangered. They have organized high-tech genebanks and heritage seed swaps. They have combed fields for ancient landraces and sought farmers growing Indigenous varieties. Behind this widespread concern for the loss of plant diversity lies another extinction narrative that concerns the survival of farmers themselves, a story that is often obscured by urgent calls to collect and preserve. Endangered Maize draws on the rich history of corn in Mexico and the United States to uncover this hidden narrative and show how it shaped the conservation strategies adopted by scientists, states, and citizens. In Endangered Maize, historian Helen Anne Curry investigates more than a hundred years of agriculture and conservation practices to understand the tasks that farmers and researchers have considered essential to maintaining crop diversity. Through the contours of efforts to preserve diversity in one of the world's most important crops, Curry reveals how those who sought to protect native, traditional, and heritage crops forged their methods around the expectation that social, political, and economic transformations would eliminate diverse communities and cultures. In this fascinating study of how cultural narratives shape science, Curry argues for new understandings of endangerment and alternative strategies to protect and preserve crop diversity.

PHYSIOLOGY OF SALT STRESS IN PLANTS Discover how soil salinity affects plants and other organisms and the techniques used to remedy the issue In Physiology of Salt Stress in Plants, an editorial team of internationally renowned researchers delivers an extensive exploration of the problem of soil salinity in modern agricultural practices. It also discusses the social and environmental issues caused by salt stress. The book covers the impact of salt on soil microorganisms, crops, and other plants, and presents that information alongside examinations of salt's effects on other organisms, including aquatic fauna, terrestrial animals, and human beings. Physiology of Salt Stress in Plants describes the morphological, anatomical, physiological, and biochemical dimensions of increasing soil salinity. It also discusses potential remedies and encourages further thought and exploration of this issue. Readers are encouraged to consider less hazardous fertilizers and pesticides, to use safer doses, and to explore and work upon salt resistant varieties of plants. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: Thorough introductions to salt stress perception and toxicity levels and the effects of salt stress on the physiology of crop plants at a cellular level Explorations of the effects of salt stress on the biochemistry of crop plants and salt ion transporters in crop plants at a cellular level Practical discussions of salt ion and nutrient interactions in crop plants, including prospective signalling, and the effects of salt stress on the morphology, anatomy, and gene expression of crop plants An examination of salt stress on soil chemistry and the plant-atmosphere continuum Perfect for researchers, academics, and students working and studying in the fields of agriculture, botany, entomology, biotechnology, soil science, and plant physiology, Physiology of Salt Stress in Plants will also earn a place on the bookshelves of agronomists, crop scientists, and plant biochemists.

Presents the latest knowledge of improving the stress tolerance, yield, and quality of rice crops One of the most important cereal crops, rice provides food to more than half of the world population. Various abiotic stresses--currently impacting an estimated 60% of crop yields--are projected to increase in severity and frequency due to climate change. In light of the threat of global food grain insecurity, interest in molecular rice breeding has intensified in recent years. Progress has been made, but there remains an urgent need to develop stress-tolerant, bio-fortified rice varieties that provide consistent and high-quality yields under both stress and non-stress conditions. Molecular Breeding for Rice Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Nutritional Quality is the first book to provide comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of this critical topic, containing the physiological, biochemical, and molecular information required to develop effective engineering strategies for enhancing rice yield. Authoritative and in-depth chapters examine the molecular and genetic bases of abiotic stress tolerance, discuss yield and quality improvement of rice, and explore new approaches to better utilize natural resources through modern breeding. Topics Include rice adaptation to climate change, enriching rice yields under low phosphorus and light intensity, increasing iron, zinc, vitamin and antioxidant content, and improving tolerance to salinity, drought, heat, cold, submergence, heavy metals and Ultraviolet-B radiation. This important resource: Contains the latest scientific information on a wide range of topics central to molecular breeding for rice Provides timely coverage molecular breeding for improving abiotic stress tolerance, bioavailability of essential micronutrients, and crop productivity through biotechnological methods Features detailed chapters written by internationally-recognized experts in the field Discusses recent progress and future directions in molecular breeding strategies and research Molecular Breeding for Rice Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Nutritional Quality is required reading for rice researchers, agriculturists, and agribusiness professionals, and the ideal text for instructors and students in molecular plant breeding, abiotic stress tolerance, environmental science, and plant physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and biotechnology.

Agricultural system models enhance and extend field research...to synthesize and examine experiment data and advance our knowledge faster, to extend current research in time to predict best management systems, and to prepare for climate-change effects on agriculture. The relevance of such models depends on their implementation. Methods of Introducing System Models into Agricultural Research is the ultimate handbook for field scientists and other model users in the proper methods of model use. Readers will learn parameter estimation, calibration, validation, and extension of experimental results to other weather conditions, soils, and climates. The proper methods are the key to realizing the great potential benefits of modeling an agricultural system. Experts cover the major models, with the synthesis of knowledge that is the hallmark of the Advances in Agricultural Systems Modeling series.

Irrigation of pear, raspberry and blueberry is less studied relative to apple and peach, for example. Various researchers have tried different techniques to reduce vegetative growth, but regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and partial rootzone drying (PRD) are the most favourable and cost-effective techniques, maintaining and, in some cases, increasing yields because allocation of photosynthetic carbohydrates to fruits is favoured compared to vegetative growth. Good knowledge of phenological stages susceptible to water stress is a prerequisite for the successful application of RDI and PRD as various factors effect separately or together the application of RDI and PRD. It should be emphasised that plants grown in open fields are highly dependent to climatic factors, and this is demonstrated by the fact that the same researchers have gathered drastically different results in various environments. RDI is applied in countries in arid climates as it saves water more than in humid or temperate climates. Different cultivars and rootstocks have different response to RDI and PRD. Thus, the application time depends very much from the genotype, because application at early age of the tree may have negative consequences. Under the climatic conditions of Kosovo, which fluctuate year after year, application of regulated deficit irrigation may start at the end of May or beginning of June. While for early cultivars, may apply even after harvest. As in raspberries we have two types of cultivars, floricane and primocane. Therefore, cultivar also plays a crucial role in deficit irrigation. Under the conditions of our country, PRD application for floricane varieties may also be delayed because there is sufficient rainfall in spring, while for primocane varieties by the end of May - beginning of June, but the monitoring of raspberry orchards still indicates the right moment to begin. The correct application of RDI on pear increases flowering, number of fruits (reduces fruit size), yield and reduces vegetative growth including canopy size. The use of deficit irrigation in combination with mulching is a new technology and our preliminary results on pear have shown that it reduces canopy volume and trunk diameter, which is considered very positive, beside the positive advantages of mulching. RDI and PRD technique is being improved and adapted to different environmental conditions.

This book examines the most up-to-date research in the agricultural field. Chapter One reviews the role of plant cuticle in the postharvest of fruits and vegetables. Chapter Two provides a critical comparison between some emergent methods for bioactive compound extraction from fruits and vegetables residues. Chapter Three analyses the effect of exogenous abscisic acid spray on phenolic and scavenging free radical activity of olives during storage. Chapter Four studies the sustainable production of maguey (Agave salmiana) to improve the mezcal agroindustry competitiveness. Chapter Five describes the structure, sources, properties and potential applications of cereal arabinoxylans. Chapter Six focuses on the problems that arise from the wide use of pharmaceutical drugs and their entry routes to the natural systems. Chapter Seven describes the effect of a microwave-assisted hydrolytic treatment on the degradability of shrimp exoskeletons.

This book examines the most up-to-date research in the agricultural field. Chapter One analyses the achievements, applications, potential and the future avenues of bioenergy production from sugarcane. Chapter Two discusses the importance of humic substances for soil quality and plant protection. Chapter Three studies corn production intercropping with the fodder plant Urochloa brizantha in different production systems. Chapter Four reviews the potential applications of the hydrolysates for the production of fuels and valuable chemicals. Chapter Five describes the characteristics, cultivation techniques, and post-harvest management of red kiwifruit. Chapter Six discusses the importance and methods for valorisation of five different fruits of the forest. Chapter Seven reports the development of an efficient and affordable micro-irrigation system that could help enhance farm productivity especially during conditions where water supply is very limiting.

This book examines the most up-to-date research in the agricultural field. Chapter One reviews the use of agricultural waste as potential feedstock for activated carbon development. Chapter Two presents the potential uses of chlorogenic acid from vegetables and industrial waste. Chapter Three provides an overview consuming antioxidants from fruits and vegetables for sustainable human wellness. Chapter Four analyses advances in fruit growing technology. Chapter Five focuses on plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) mediated plant disease resistance.