Peatlands form important landscape elements in many parts of the world and play significant roles for biodiversity and global carbon balance. This new edition has been fully revised and updated, documenting the latest advances in areas such as microbial processes and relations between biological processes and hydrology. As well as thoroughly referencing the latest research, the authors expose a rich older literature where an immense repository of natural history has accumulated. The Biology of Peatlands starts with an overview of the main peatland types (marsh, swamp, fen, and bog), before examining the entire range of biota present (microbes, invertebrates, plants, and vertebrates), together with their specific adaptations to peatland habitats. Detailed coverage is devoted to the genus Sphagnum, the most important functional plant group in northern peatlands, although tropical and southern hemisphere peatlands are also covered. Throughout the book the interactions between organisms and environmental conditions (especially wetness, availability of oxygen, and pH) are emphasized, with chapters on the physical and chemical characteristics of peat, the role of peat as an archive of past vegetation and climate, and peatland succession and development. Several other key factors and processes are then examined, including hydrology and nutrient cycling. The fascinating peatland landforms in different parts of the world are described, together with theories on how they have developed. Human interactions with peatlands are considered in terms of management, conservation, and restoration. A final chapter, new to this edition, focuses on the role of peatlands as sources or sinks for the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane, and the influences of climate change on peatlands. This timely and accessible text is suitable for students and researchers of peatland ecology, as well as providing an authoritative overview for professional ecologists and conservation biologists.

PGPR Amelioration in Sustainable Agriculture: Food Security and Environmental Management explores the growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that are indigenous to soil and plant rhizosphere. These microorganisms have significant potential as important tools for sustainable agriculture. PGPR enhance the growth of root systems and often control certain plant pathogens. As PGPR amelioration is a fascinating subject, is multidisciplinary in nature, and concerns scientists involved in plant heath and plant protection, this book is an ideal resource that emphasizes the current trends of, and probable future of, PGPR developments. Chapters incorporate both theoretical and practical aspects and may serve as baseline information for future research. This book will be useful to students, teachers and researchers, both in universities and research institutes, especially working in areas of agricultural microbiology, plant pathology and agronomy.

This book presents an inclusive, and resilient solution to Africa'ss wide-ranging food security challenges, particularly in fragility, conflict, and violence-affected countries. It assesses the costs and benefits of using two frontier agriculture technologies, insect farming and plant hydroponics, to create a circular food economy in Africa.

This book examines an interdependent approach to happiness and well-being, one that contrasts starkly with dominant approaches that have originated from Western culture(s). It highlights the diversity of potential pathways towards happiness and well-being globally, and answers calls - voiced in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals - for more socially and environmentally sustainable models. Leading global organizations including the OECD, UNICEF, and UNESCO are now proposing human happiness and well-being as a more sustainable alternative to a myopic focus on GDP growth. Yet, the definition of well-being offered by these organizations derives largely from the philosophies, social sciences, and institutional patterns of Europe and the United States. Across seven chapters this book carefully probes the inadequacy of these approaches to well-being globally and reveals the distorting effect this has on how we imagine our world, organize institutions, and plan our collective future(s). It shares a wealth of evidence and examples from across East Asia - a region where interdependence remains foregrounded - and concludes by provocatively arguing that interdependence may provide a more sustainable approach to happiness and well-being in the 21st century. A timely and accessible book, it offers fresh insights for scholars and policymakers working in the areas of psychology, health, sociology, education, international development, public policy, and philosophy. This is an open access book.

360 Degree Waste Management, Volume One: Fundamentals, Agricultural and Domestic Waste, and Remediation presents an interdisciplinary approach to understanding various types of agricultural and domestic waste, including their origin, management, recycling, disposal, effects on ecosystems, and social and economic impacts. By applying the concepts of sustainable, affordable and integrated approaches for improvement of waste management, the book confronts social, economic and environmental challenges. Thus, researchers, waste managers and environmental engineers will find critical information for identifying long-term answers to problems of waste management that require complex understanding and analysis. Presenting key concepts in the management of agricultural and domestic or municipal waste, this new volume includes aspects on the microbiology of waste management, advanced treatment processes, environmental impacts, technological developments, the economics of waste management and future implications.

Institutions like schools, hospitals, and universities are not well known for having quality, healthy food. In fact, institutional food often embodies many of the worst traits of our industrialized food system, with long supply chains that are rife with environmental and social problems and growing market concentration in many stages of food production and distribution. Recently, however, non-profit organizations, government agencies, university research institutes, and activists have partnered with institutions to experiment with a wide range of more ethical and sustainable models for food purchasing, also known as values-based procurement. Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers brings together in-depth case studies from several of promising models of institutional food purchasing that aim to be more sustainable, healthy, equitable, and local. With chapters written by a diverse set of authors, including leaders in the food movement and policy researchers, this book: Documents growing interest among non-profit organizations and activists in institutional food interventions through case studies and first-hand experiences; Highlights emerging evidence about how these new procurement models affect agro-food supply chains; and Examines the role of policy and regional or geographic identity in promoting food systems change. Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers makes the case that institutions can use their budgets to change the food system for the better, although significant challenges remain. It is a must read for food systems practitioners, food chain researchers, and foodservice professionals interested in values-based procurement.

After the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, societies, economies, countries, and regions face unprecedented challenges in mainly the health, social, economic dimensions simultaneously. Countries need to recover pre-pandemic economic growth quickly, boost productivity and job creation, invest in smart healthcare systems and services, and work towards a climate-neutral and circular economy. On the one hand, companies and economies need to use the opportunities of the transition to a greener economy. The demand for greener products and services can boost the creation of new jobs. On the other hand, circular economy, with its potential impact on the life cycle of products, can contribute to the creation of sustainable growth and jobs. This book explores new and emerging frameworks, tools, strategies to support companies and economies towards the green and digital transformation in Asia, with special focus on ASEAN. It will analyze the role of disruptive technologies, cutting-edge green technologies and in these emerging practices in Asia and how they can boost the creation of new business opportunities, more jobs and economic growth for the recovery of Asian economies in post-covid-19 scenarios. The book aims is an international platform to bring together academics, scholars, researchers, decision makers, policy makers, and practitioners to share new theories, research findings, and case studies, to enhance understanding and collaboration in green growth, digital economy, environmental impact, green public procurement, sustainable performance, the transition to a more circular economy, and more in Asia, with a special focus on ASEAN.