This collection features five peer-reviewed reviews on ecosystem services delivered by forests. The first chapter summarises the current state of knowledge on the interactions between forest ecosystems and the climate system and the way in which forests influence the water cycle. The second chapter reviews the wealth of research on the range of species, functional groups and ecological processes which can develop as a result of the biodiversity in tropical forests. The chapter also considers the main threats to tropical forest biodiversity. The third chapter examines the importance of forest carbon content and the methods currently used to monitor it. The chapter also explores the mechanisms driving forest carbon storage and offers a considered discussion on whether forests should be considered sources or sinks of carbon. The fourth chapter highlights how sustainable forest management (SFM) can be used to maintain or enhance biodiversity in temperate and boreal forests. The chapter utilises two case studies to demonstrate successful implementation of SFM in Ireland and Canada. The final chapter considers the benefits of introducing agroforestry into agroecosystems, focussing on its influence on soil health. The chapter discusses the benefits of agroforestry systems on key soil physical, chemical and biological properties.

The book discusses recent innovation and diversification paths in agri-food, specifically the linkages among food research and innovation, production, consumption, gastronomy, and place branding as well as technology. It also focuses on EU policies and instruments in support of R&I activities in agri-food, and explores agri-food domains within the context of smart specialisation.

This book offers a critical analysis of the diverse knowledge and knowledge production processes through which 'alternative agro-food networks' can constitute a more plural 'knowledge economy'. It provides critical sociological and political economic insights that help problematise dominant capitalocentric and technocentric framings of the 'knowledge (bio)economy'. It will appeal to researchers, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in supporting inclusive research, policy and innovation agendas for sustainability.

Urban water management has to take an integrated approach that prioritizes sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) over gray infrastructure. This book elaborates on the planning and evaluation of pipework drainage systems with a focus on modern-day constraints to deliver a solution that favors sustainability as the overarching goal. The book includes a technical section on design of gray and green infrastructure, considering the total lifecycle costs of drainage systems. Advanced computer simulation techniques are discussed after covering the derivation of both standard and empirical equations for appropriate hydrology and hydraulics. The book provides an incorporation of reliability analyses for both green and gray infrastructure starting with techniques for forecasting flows, hydraulic performance, and lifecycle costs. The work also involves 3-D modeling, geospatial and big data analysis, and how these techniques are applied into city management—particularly beneficial to municipal engineers who are increasingly becoming involved in mapping the underground. Soil mechanics and subsurface drainage systems are analyzed and structural aspects of sewers are included. Finally, soil behavior in shear, retaining wall structures, and tunneling is briefly featured in the book. This book will be of interest to (under)graduate and postgraduate engineering students, drainage engineers, urban planners, architects, water engineers, developers, construction contractors, and municipal engineers.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the benefits and challenges of intensifying groundwater irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for improving smallholder agrarian livelihoods. Only about 3% of the groundwater resources of Sub-Saharan Africa are used for irrigated agriculture despite the subcontinent’s relative abundance of groundwater. The majority of the region’s smallholders are highly dependent on seasonal dryland cropping, making them extremely vulnerable to uncertain weather patterns and droughts. Improved irrigation capabilities through sustainable groundwater development could unleash smallholder farming and make it a major driver of economic growth, poverty reduction, climate resilience, and improved food security. So, why is groundwater so underused? Tapping into groundwater requires a major shift in farming practices and it has its own challenges and requirements – smallholder access to land and finance for irrigation infrastructure and equipment, gendered and equitable adoption options. This whole list is framed in terms of what the smallholder farmers need. Hence, this should also be put in this context, supply chains, energy access, resource availability, and institutional support. The chapters in this book present a picture that is not only heterogeneous across the region, but also hold some common denominators. They serve to enrich the discourse and help better understand the barriers along the pathways toward the sustainable and transformative adoption of groundwater irrigation. The scientific information provided herein would be of interest to researchers, practitioners, decision makers and planners with interest in the region. This book was originally published as a Special Issue of Water International journal.

This book provides an introduction to the significant role of physics in evolution, based on the ideas of matter and energy resource flow, organism self-copying, and ecological change. The text employs these ideas to create quantitative models for important evolutionary processes. Many fields of science and engineering have come up against the problem of complex design-when details become so numerous that computer power alone cannot make progress. Nature solved the complex-design problem using evolution, yet how it did so has been a mystery. Both laboratory experiments and computer-simulation attempts eventually stopped evolving. Something more than Darwin's ideas of heredity, variation, and selection was needed. The solution is that there is a fourth element to evolution: ecological change. When a new variation is selected, this can change the ecology, and the new ecology can create new opportunities for even more new variations to be selected. Through this endless cycle, complexity can grow automatically. This book uses the physics of resource flow to describe this process in detail, developing quantitative models for many evolutionary processes, including selection, multicellularity, coevolution, sexual reproduction, and the Serengeti Rules. The text demonstrates that these models are in conceptual agreement with numerous examples of biological phenomena, and reveals, through physics, how complex design can arise naturally. This will serve as a key text on the part physics plays in evolution, and will be of great interest to students at the university level and above studying biophysics, physics, systems biology, and related fields.

Science Communication in a Crisis: An Insider’s Guide identifies the principal challenges that scientists face when communicating with different stakeholder groups and offers advice on how to navigate the maze of competing interests and deliver actionable science when the clock is ticking. If a scientist’s goal is to deliver content and expertise to the people who need it, then other stakeholder groups—the media, the government, industry—need to be considered as partners to collaborate with in order to solve problems. Written by established scientist Christopher Reddy, who has been on the front lines of several environmental crisis events, the book highlights ten specific challenges and reflects on mistakes made and lessons learned. Reddy’s aim is not to teach scientists how to ace an interview or craft a soundbite, rather, through exploring several high-profile case studies, including the North Cape oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, and the 2021 Sri Lanka shipping disaster, he presents a clear pathway to effective and collaborative communication. This book will be a great resource for junior and established scientists who want to make an impact, as well as students in courses such as environmental and science communication.

A comprehensive resource for understanding the complexities of agricultural finance Agricultural Finance: From Crops to Land, Water, and Infrastructure is a pioneering book that offers a comprehensive resource for understanding the worldwide agriculture markets, from spikes in agricultural commodity prices to trading strategies, and the agribusiness industry generally to the challenges of feeding the planet in particular. The book also goes in-depth on the topics of land, water, fertilizers, biofuels, and ethanol. Written by Helyette Geman an industry expert in commodity derivatives this book explores the agricultural marketplace and the cycles in agricultural commodity prices that can be the key to investor success. This resource addresses a wide range of other important topics as well, including agricultural insurance, energy, shipping and bunker prices, sustainability, investments in land, subsidies, agricultural derivatives, and farming risk-management. Other topics covered include structured products and agricultural commodities ETFs; trade finance in an era of credit shortage; securitization and commodity-linked notes; grains: wheat, corn, soybeans; softs: coffee, cocoa, cotton; shipping as a key component of agricultural trade; and the major agricultural shipping routes and the costs. The book: * Offers the first comprehensive resource that deals with the all aspects of agricultural finance * Includes information that is crucial for pension funds, asset managers, hedge funds, agribusiness corporates, CTAs and regulators * Covers a range of topics from agricultural bunker prices, futures, options to major shipping routes and the costs This text is a must-have resource for accessing the information required to trade successfully in the agricultural marketplace.

This book has 11 chapters which systematically introduce the latest achievements in scientific research and technological application of the forage industry in China, and also cover the laws and polices related to forage production. The main focus of this monograph is the progress of forage science in China. Each chapter in this book contains numerous charts and diagrams further illustrating the impact of development activities in the area. It is the first book in its field and compiled by mobilizing all the research forces in the field of forage grass and under the leadership of China Agricultural University, Lanzhou University, and Sichuan Academy of Grassland Sciences with the support of other related universities and research institutes. China is the largest forage consumption country in the world. Every year, more than 2 billion herbivorous livestock need more than 350 million tons of forage but the supply each year is only 250 million tons. With the policy and financial support of the Central Government, the forage industry in China has been developed rapidly, great progress has been made in the science and technology in forage production, processing, and utilization, and its influence has been increased in the world.

This book provides a detailed discussion of four class-action discrimination cases that have recently been settled within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and have led to a change in the way in which the USDA supports farmers from diverse backgrounds. These settlements shed light on why access to successful farming has been so often limited to white men and/or families, and significantly this has led to a change for opportunities in the way the USDA supports famers from diverse backgrounds. With chapters focusing on each settlement Jett provides an overview of the USDA before diving into a closer discussion of the four key settlements, involving African American farmers (Pigford), Native Americans (Keepseagle), Woman famers (Love) and Latino(a) farmers (Garcia), and the similarities between each. This title places and emphasis on what is happening in farming culture today, drawing connections between these four settlements and the increasing attention on urban farming, community gardens, farmers markets, organic farming and the slow food movement, through to the larger issues of food justice and access to food. Fighting for Farming Justice will be of interest to scholars of food justice and the farming arena, as well as those in the fields of Agricultural Economics, Civil Rights Law and Ethic Studies.

This volume, Endophyte Biology: Recent Findings from the Kashmir Himalayas, is a unique compilation of the original, latest, and updated information on endophyte biology of the Kashmir Himalayas. The book presents an introduction to and definition of endophytes, the endophytic diversity of some important plants of the Kashmir Himalayas, bioprospection of endophytes for various drug metabolites, sustainable agriculture, and more. This book discusses the applications of endophytes in the agriculture, aroma, and pharmaceutical industries. Endophyte biology, the study of microorganisms, often fungi and bacteria, which live within living plant tissues, is an emerging discipline of science with a multitude of applications in ecology, agriculture, and industry. Despite having huge diversity of plants, the information about the endophyte biology is still in its infancy in this part of the world, and this book is an attempt to bridge the information gap on endophyte biology pertaining to the Kashmir Himalayas. This book will serve as a manual for research scholars as it presents the methodologies and techniques involved in endophyte biology research that can be applied in other regions of the world. Supplemented with illustrations, figures, and tables, the volume is a valuable reference for teachers and students at graduate and undergraduate level in colleges and universities as well as for scientists, researchers, and others.

- examines the five major religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism - and provides a balanced, objective critique of both the beliefs and practices employed which lead to both the protection and exploitation of animals - draws on scripture as well as leading historical and contemporary figures in the religions, from early Christian saints to royal figures like Ashoka - compares the teachings of old with contemporary practice and showcases what the major religions are doing to protect or exploit animals, from moving their investments away from animal-exploiting companies or running animal sanctuaries to participating in or condoning animal sacrifice, cruel sports and factory farming - challenges religious leaders and followers to re-examine their religion's teachings and to raise their official or personal practices in relation to the well-being of animals. - essential reading for those interested in the role of religion in animal welfare, human-animal studies, and animal ethics more broadly.

Microbes are widely used in large-scale industrial processes due to their versatility, easy growing cultivation, kinetic potential, and the ability to generate metabolites with a wide range of potential applications to various commercial sectors, such as the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, in addition to the potential for agriculture, biomedical, and several others. Among the metabolites of greatest commercial interest, and many obtained on an industrial scale, the wide range of enzymes, biofuels, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins, biopolymers, and many other classes of metabolites. This book is intended for Bioengineers, Biologist, Biochemist, Biotechnologists, microbiologist, food technologist, enzymologist, and related Professionals/ researchers. Explores recent advances in the valorization of agri-food waste Provides technical concepts on the production of various bio-products of commercial interest Discusses the main process conditions to overcome the difficulties of using waste as alternative raw materials Introduces technical-economic details on the advantages and disadvantages of exploring the waste recovery chain Explores the main technological advances in the recovery of residues in functional products

The first accessible text on the topic of animals as environmental predictors, bringing together the literature from as far back as 18th century through to the present day. - Covers wider terrain than other titles in a relatively unexplored subject area. The text discusses climate change (highly topical) and how animals may be able to be used to predict future weather and climatic events. There is international potential as the climate challenge is global, and the examples span worldwide case studies. The sources used include myths, anecdotes, news articles and stories backed up by relevant scientific literature in international peer-reviewed journals. Each chapter starts with a short fictitious story to set the scene and anecdotes from indigenous cultures are especially interesting. The author draws on his vast expertise in biochemistry and cell biology. The science does not impede the less technical reader, due to the engaging mix of stories, anecdotes, personal observations and scientific underpinnings.

Explores recent advances in the valorization of agri-food waste Provides technical concepts on the production of various bio-products of commercial interest Discusses the main process conditions to overcome the difficulties of using waste as alternative raw materials Introduces technical-economic details on the advantages and disadvantages of exploring the waste recovery chain Explores the main technological advances in the recovery of residues in functional products

The latest volume in the Developments in Structural Geology and Tectonics series from Elsevier, Tectonic and Structural Framework of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt is a collection of the most up-to date research and developments in the unique tectonic and structural geology of the Zagros. The Zagros fold-thrust belt is famous among geologists and is one of the most-studied terrains in the world. Because of its unique structures, the Zagros orogeny is challenging for many researchers and experts; this book is the essential reference that collates the newest data and fully explores that aspect. In addition, because the Zagros range is a potential source for hydrocarbons, it is of interest to petroleum geologists and exploration companies worldwide. This book is an essential, cutting-edge reference for oil companies, structural geologists, and students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Forestland investment has surged in the past few decades as a result of land ownership change in the forestry industry. Timberland investment and management organizations and real estate investment trusts have bought up land and resources that were divested by vertically integrated forest products companies. This book provides a seminal coverage of this seismic shift in the industry, exploring the philosophy, driving factors, valuation, theory, research, implementation, practice, and effects of forestland investment. Across 15 chapters the book reviews the history of forestland investment; discusses the optimal forest rotation; explains timberland appraisal; examines the return drivers of forestland; analyzes timberland index construction methods and results; prices timberland assets; reviews financial and real options; investigates real option values in forestland management; evaluates timber harvest contracts; examines new opportunities in the emerging woody bioenergy market; and eventually offers prospects on forestland investment in the future. It also discusses how forest carbon can be used as a nature-based climate solution. This book is essential reading for forestry business students and scholars, as well as practitioners and policymakers in the industry.

Farm finance is a topic that is not often discussed but is vital to the success and longevity of these unique family businesses. Sustainable Farm Finance draws upon the practical, on-farm financial experience of John Mitchell, a grazier in New South Wales who saved his family farm, transforming it from financial peril to a successful business. The story of his success, and how he achieved it, is told here with input and insights from economist Bruce Chapman and scientist David Lindenmayer, to create a useful and highly readable resource for property managers in Australia. Filled with tips and suggestions for how to better manage your own farm finance, as well as real-life examples of their application in regional Australia, this is an essential resource for farmers who wish to maximise the financial outcomes of their land.

Lentils: Potential Resources for Enhancing Genetic Gains describes the evolutionary aspects and agronomic potential of this important pulse with emphasis placed on wide hybridization, including molecular aspects and future breeding strategies. The existing variability among cultivated germplasm has been exploited to reach a desirable level of productivity. However, to attain further breakthroughs in increasing yield and improving stability in future cultivars, new sources of genes/alleles need to be identified and incorporated into cultivated varieties. This book provides specific use information, including wild lentil germplasm utilization, thus allowing for the selection of transgressive interspecific recombinants that can be adapted to specific environments.

This book examines social processes that have contributed to growing pesticide use, with a particular focus on the role governments play in urban aerial pesticide spraying operations. Beyond being applied to sparsely populated farmland, pesticides have been increasingly used in densely populated urban environments, and when faced with invasive species, governments have resorted to large-scale aerial pesticide spraying operations in urban areas. This book focuses on New Zealand's 2002-2004 pesticide campaign to eradicate the Painted Apple Moth, which is the largest operation of its kind in world history, whether we consider its duration (29 months), its scope (at its peak the spraying zone was 10,632 hectares/26,272 acres), the number of sprayings that were administered (the pesticide was administered on 60 different days), or the number of people exposed to the spraying (190,000+). This book provides an in-depth understanding of the social processes that contributed to the incursion, why the government sought to eradicate the moth through aerial pesticide spraying, the ideological strategies they used to build and maintain public support, and why those strategies were effective. Urban Aerial Pesticide Spraying Campaigns will be of great interest to students and researchers of pesticides, environmental sociology, environmental history, environmental studies, political ecology, geography, medical sociology, and science and technology studies.

The origin of agroforestry practices-growing trees and shrubs with food and fruit crops and grasses is traditional and very old-but the science of agroforestry is new. Years of experience and experiments have shown that agroforestry as a land-use system is capable of yielding both food and wood and at the same time helps in conserving and rehabilitating the ecosystems. It has the capability to increase the overall productivity of land, maintain the nutrient balance in the soil, and above all, protect the nature. In the recent years, agroforestry has been recommended as a core subject in the curriculum of B. Sc. (Forestry) and B. Sc. (Agriculture) courses of agricultural universities. This book has been divided into ten chapters covering very comprehensive information on all aspects of agroforestry including history, concepts, systems classification, tree-crop interactions, planning and management, diagnosis and design, policy and projects, and propagation and management practices of multipurpose trees. This book is co-published with NIPA. Taylor and Francis does not sell or distribute its print and electronic editions in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

delivers a realistic and feasible framework for creating resilient landscapes in an era of anthropogenic climate change. presents fifteen case studies of differing sociocultural, economic, and biophysical backgrounds that showcase opportunities and limitations for creating resilient landscapes throughout the world. provides that much-needed link between theory and practice to deliver forward-thinking, practical solutions. This book will be of great interest to students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers who are interested in the complex relationship between landscapes, climate change, biodiversity loss, and land-based conversion at local, national and global scales.

From fragile, corporate-controlled supply chains breaking down, to millions of already hyper-exploited farmworkers risking their lives in the fields without basic personal protective equipment, the COVID-19 pandemic made it painfully obvious that US agriculture does not work. Agrarian Crisis in the United States: Pathways for Reform situates the many food system problems that the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare in historical context across four key policy areas, namely, in land, labor, markets, and the environment. In applying and building from the work of Jürgen Habermas, Agrarian Crisis in the United States highlights how deep-seated problems concerning systemic racism, economic inequality, and political legitimacy endanger the US food and farm system’s future. Besides analyzing crises, it presents solutions that would make agriculture in the United States more just and resilient through the implementation of certain communication and policy strategies. Its original argument, as well as a novel set of remedies, will appeal to scholars and activists with interests in agrarian studies, environmental policy, and social movements.

This book introduces critical mapping as a problem-focused design approach for analyzing systemic societal problems like food, to scope out existing solutions, and find opportunities for sustainable design intervention. This book puts forth a framework entitled 'wicked solutions' that can be applied to determine issues that designers should address to make real differences in the world and yield sustainable change. The book assesses the current role of design in attaining food security in a sustainable, equitable, and just manner. Accomplishing this goal is not simple, if it was, it would not be called a wicked problem. But this book shows how a particular repertoire of design tools can be deployed to find solutions and strategize the development of novel outcomes within a complex and interconnected terrain. To address the wicked problem of food insecurity, inequity, and injustice, this book highlights seventy three peer-reviewed design outcomes that epitomize sustainable food design. This includes local and regional sustainable design outcomes funded or supported by public or private institutions and local and widespread design outcomes created by citizens. In doing so, this book sets the stage for an evidence-driven and -informed design future that facilitates the designers' visualization of wicked solutions to complex social problems, such as food insecurity. Drawing on an array of case studies from across the world, from urban rooftop farms and community cookers to mobile apps and food design cards, this book provides vitally important information about existing sustainable food design outcomes in a way that is organized, accessible, and informative. This book will be of great interest to academics and professionals working in the field of design and sustainable food systems. Students interested in learning about food and sustainability from across design studies, food studies, innovation and entrepreneurship, urban studies and global development will also find this book of great use.

Written by one of the leading figures in biosocial criminology and evolutionary psychology, this work explores the tight relationship between criminality and indiscriminate sexuality within the framework of life history theory. The underlying thesis is that traits associated with a strong libido, indiscriminately expressed, are intertwined with traits associated with criminal behavior; that is, excessive interest in sexual adventures pursued in an irresponsible way is undergirded by the same individual short-run hedonistic traits that define criminality. While traditional criminology tends to view sexual and criminal behavior as separate domains, many biosocial criminologists, evolutionary psychologists, neuroscientists, and behavioral and molecular geneticists are not at all surprised that a link exists between criminality and sexuality. Research shows that the statistical relationship between indiscriminate sexuality and criminal behavior is stronger than for most other variables associated with crime, although most studies dealing with this relationship are from outside the dominant environmentalism paradigm of criminology. Using life history theory as the theoretical umbrella for exploring the relationship between indiscriminate sexuality and criminal behavior, the book explores how and why criminal behavior is related to hypersexuality. Life history theory, which has a long and fruitful history of use among evolutionary biologists who use it to investigate the relationship between mating strategies and the environment among various species of animals (including humans) is particularly suited to understanding how an exclusive focus on mating effort is related to criminal behavior. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in criminology, psychology, and sociology, and anyone interested in examining the interconnection between biological, psychological, and socio-environmental factors in relation to criminal behavior.