This textbook addresses the main economic principles required by agricultural economists involved in rural development. The principles of 'micro-economics' or 'price-theory' are of relevance to economists everywhere, but this book reinforces the message of their relevance for rural development by explaining the theory in the specific context of the agricultural and food sectors of developing countries. Hypothetical and actual empirical illustrations drawn almost exclusively from such countries distinguish this book from other economic principles texts that draw their examples almost invariably from industrialised countries, and also from books more oriented to the issue of rural development. The first half of the book deals with the underlying principles of production, supply and demand. These are essential tools for the study and management of the agricultural sector and food markets. In the second half, supply and demand are bought together into a chapter of equilibrium and exchange. This is followed by chapters on trade and the theory of economic welfare. In the final chapter it is shown that much of the material in the earlier chapters can be combined by agricultural economists into a system for analysing and comparing the effects of alternative agricultural policies. The ability of agricultural economics to provide a consistent framework for the analysis of policy problems thus enables it to make a key contribution to rural development.

Farmers all over the world have to decide what to produce and how to go about it. In the tropics, small farmers have to work with a limited resource-base which usually does not lead itself to highly productive systems of consistent crop and animal production. Yet those people who live in developing tropical countries should be concerned that their farmers do produce more from the limited resources with which they have to work. The principles of farm management economics and the applications of the tools and techniques of farm management analysis and planning can help small farmers in tropics to produce ‘a bit more’ from their lot. For the benefit of teachers and students of agriculture, farm extension advisors and agricultural planners and managers, this book sets out the principles and practices of farm management economics on small holdings in the tropics in a clear, simple, useful and usable way.

Oil palm is widely cultivated in tropical countries for use in food processing, personal care products and other applications such as biodiesel. Cultivation faces a range of challenges such as its environmental impact (e.g. in deforestation and biodiversity loss) as well threats from pests and diseases. There is an urgent need to make oil palm cultivation more efficient and environmentally sustainable. This collection reviews the key research addressing this challenge. Volume 1 begins by reviewing trends in production and key challenges facing the sector. Part 2 focusses on developments in understanding oil palm physiology, genetics and genetic diversity and their application to improved breeding techniques. The final part of the book discusses developments in cultivation practices. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert authors, this collection will be a standard reference for researchers, oil palm growers, palm oil processors as well as government and non-governmental agencies responsible for more sustainable oil palm cultivation. Volume 1 is accompanied by Volume 2 which covers pests and diseases, quality and sustainability issues

We live in an increasingly fragmented world, with islands of natural habitat cast adrift in a sea of cleared, burned, logged, polluted, and otherwise altered lands. Nowhere are fragmentation and its devastating effects more evident than in the tropical forests. By the year 2000, more than half of these forests will have been cut, causing increased soil erosion, watershed destabilization, climate degradation, and extinction of as many as 600,000 species.
"Tropical Forest Remnants" provides the best information available to help us
understand, manage, and conserve the remaining fragments. Covering geographic areas from Southeast Asia and Australia to Madagascar and the New World, this volume summarizes what is known about the ecology, management, restoration, socioeconomics, and conservation of fragmented forests. Thirty-three papers present results of recent research as
well as updates from decades-long projects in progress. Two final chapters synthesize the state of research on tropical forest fragmentation and identify key priorities for future work.

Within the tropical fruits, the papaya, Carica papaya L. (family Caricaceae Dumort.), is presented as the main representative being cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical areas mostly in developing countries. Papaya's nutritional value, beneficial to health, as well as various industrial applications of their products, led to be economically important for both developing and developed countries. Within this broad field of knowledge, this book aims to contribute to better understanding of the topic. The organization of the chapters and sections is also straightforward; Chapter One presents what papaya is (Carica papaya L.), its taxonomy, distribution, origin and morphology. Closing the first part, Chapters Three and Four show the nutritional and medical values, discussing vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers, the industrial applications of using papaya and various parts of the plant, as a source of proteolytic enzymes and some active compounds reported to antimicrobial, anticancer, amongst other properties, illustrating the fatty acid composition, triacylglycerol profile and papaya seed oil of malaysian papaya fruits. In the second part of the book, the readers should find the relevant aspects of papaya microbiology related to fresh fruits quality and safety and the beneficial effects of microorganisms isolated from papaya, such as some Latic Acid Bacteria strains that have been proposed to be potentially probiotics, as shown in Chapters Five and Six. Finally the book addresses the importance of Integrated Management of the Papaya Ringspot Virus, which is transmitted by several aphid species and could commit 100% of the crop as described in Chapter Seven and the biotechnological strategies for control of papaya virus diseases as show in Chapter Eight.

"I don't want to suppose. I want to know." -Julia Frances Morton

"Fruits of Warm Climates" is "the" encyclopedia for those who want to know. In one definitive volume, Morton explores the world of tropical and subtropical fruit, providing information on the history of the plants, cultivation techniques, food and alternative uses, nutrition, varieties, and much more. Written in a professional yet accessible voice, "Fruits of Warm Climates" is a must-have for anyone interested in tropical horticulture.

Valuable for researchers as well as home and commercial growers, "Fruits of Warm Climates" masterfully packages the essential information on familiar and not-so-familiar tropical fruit. With over 400 pages containing hundreds of images, the volume is overflowing with information on countless varieties of fruits. Years after its original publication, "Fruits of Warm Climates" remains a leading text on the subject and the pinnacle work of economic botanist Julia F. Morton. It is an important resource for every agricultural, research, and science library.

Julia F. Morton was Research Professor of Biology and Director of the Morton Collectanea (a research and information center devoted to economic botany) at the University of Miami. She received a D. Sc. from Florida State University in 1973 and was elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1974. She has held numerous positions in the field including President of the Florida State Horticulture Society, a member of the Board of Trustees of Fairchild Tropical Garden, and served on the Board of Directors of the Florida National Parks and Monuments Association. She is the author of 10 books and co-author of 12 others.

In most African countries, banana production has been consigned to subsistence production. However, a few countries, especially in Francophone West Africa, have recognised the commercial importance of banana, and have used their special relationship with France to export bananas. This has led to the dualization of the banana sector, with the traditional system existing side by side with a modern sector geared towards export trade. This book is one of the few comprehensive studies that have incorporated both the agronomic and economic aspects of banana production and marketing in Africa. It looks at all facets of banana production, from an historical perspective to the various traditional and modern technologies involved. The marketing aspect covers both the domestic and international trade, with emphasis on the preferential (ACP / DOM Lome Convention) and the open markets of the European Union. The book is a major contribution to understanding the internationalisation of the banana trade and to its ever-increasing investment portfolio, as the backbone of many a developing tropical economy. Although the emphasis is placed on Cameroon, other relevant African, tropical and subtropical banana-producing countries are mentioned where necessary, especially in the export sector where a degree of competition existed. Further, agricultural practices, soils, meteorological and climatological characteristics, pests and diseases, personnel and banana varieties grown, mean that findings in Cameroon are of relevance to other banana-producing countries, especially in Africa. Meanwhile, other African and tropical countries still contemplating entry into banana exports would benefit from the Cameroon experience. The book is of especial relevance to agronomists, entomologists, economists, farm managers, government policy makers, large, medium and small scale banana growers, and students and teachers in universities and schools of agriculture.

In the tropical and subtropical areas of the world, food grains make up the bulk of the diet for most people. Food grains together with fiber and specialty crops are also principal cash producers. It is with these commodities that this Guide for Field Crops in the Tropics and Subtropics concerns itself. The Guide deals with general situations; local applications are beyond the range of this moderate-size volume, but the basic information presented will permit area-by-area adaptations. This concise, up-to-date Guide is composed of 40 chapters. The first four are general introductory chapters, and treat rather extensively the important subjects of climate, soil, cropping, and farming systems as related to the tropics and subtropics. The other 36 chapters are divided as follows: 6 on cereal crops, 9 on food legumes, 6 on oil crops, 7 on root or tuber crops and bananas, 6 on major fiber crops and 2 on other cash crops. These chapters do not attempt to deal with the factors of providing inputs such as national supplies of fertilizer, insecticides and fungicides.