|
Showing 1 - 3 of
3 matches in All Departments
Given the central role of the food and agriculture system in
driving so many of the connected ecological, social and economic
threats and challenges we currently face, Rethinking Food and
Agriculture reviews, reassesses and reimagines the current food and
agriculture system and the narrow paradigm in which it operates.
Rethinking Food and Agriculture explores and uncovers some of the
key historical, ethical, economic, social, cultural, political, and
structural drivers and root causes of unsustainability, degradation
of the agricultural environment, destruction of nature,
short-comings in science and knowledge systems, inequality, hunger
and food insecurity, and disharmony. It reviews efforts towards
'sustainable development', and reassesses whether these efforts
have been implemented with adequate responsibility, acceptable
societal and environmental costs and optimal engagement to secure
sustainability, equity and justice. The book highlights the many
ways that farmers and their communities, civil society groups,
social movements, development experts, scientists and others have
been raising awareness of these issues, implementing solutions and
forging 'new ways forward', for example towards paradigms of
agriculture, natural resource management and human nutrition which
are more sustainable and just. Rethinking Food and Agriculture
proposes ways to move beyond the current limited view of
agro-ecological sustainability towards overall sustainability of
the food and agriculture system based on the principle of
'inclusive responsibility'. Inclusive responsibility encourages
ecosystem sustainability based on agro-ecological and planetary
limits to sustainable resource use for production and livelihoods.
Inclusive responsibility also places importance on quality of life,
pluralism, equity and justice for all and emphasises the health,
well-being, sovereignty, dignity and rights of producers, consumers
and other stakeholders, as well as of nonhuman animals and the
natural world.
"What Dr Samuel Johnson did for English, Professor Amir Kassam has
done for Conservation Agriculture (CA). He is eminently well
qualified and has enlisted more than a hundred battle-hardened
champions to contribute 26 chapters amounting to over a thousand
scholarly pages. The content is formidable. Volume one, Systems and
Science, embraces: the need for CA; global developments; soil
health and landscape management; the roles of minimum soil
disturbance, mulch and cover crops; crops and cropping systems,
vegetable systems, perennial systems; integration of cropping and
livestock; mechanization; certification; institutional and policy
support. Volume two, Practice and Benefits, includes management of
crops and cropping systems, soil, weeds, insect pests and disease,
nutrients, carbon, and biodiversity; climate change mitigation and
adaptation; benefits to farmers and society; ecosystem services;
and rehabilitation of degraded farmland...This book can change the
future."review by David Dent in International Journal of
Environmental Studies This volume summarises research on key
components for successful Conservation Agriculture (CA). Chapters
review the latest research on ways of optimising no-till techniques
to minimise soil disturbance in relation to seeding, weeding and
other operations. Chapters also review ways to improve soil health
in CA, including mulch cover, cover crops, rotations and
intercropping. The book also includes case studies on optimising CA
in particular systems, including rice, root, tuber and
horticultural crops as well as integrating livestock in CA systems.
The book concludes by looking at certification schemes and
institutional support to promote good CA practice.
"What Dr Samuel Johnson did for English, Professor Amir Kassam has
done for Conservation Agriculture (CA). He is eminently well
qualified and has enlisted more than a hundred battle-hardened
champions to contribute 26 chapters amounting to over a thousand
scholarly pages. The content is formidable. Volume one, Systems and
Science, embraces: the need for CA; global developments; soil
health and landscape management; the roles of minimum soil
disturbance, mulch and cover crops; crops and cropping systems,
vegetable systems, perennial systems; integration of cropping and
livestock; mechanization; certification; institutional and policy
support. Volume two, Practice and Benefits, includes management of
crops and cropping systems, soil, weeds, insect pests and disease,
nutrients, carbon, and biodiversity; climate change mitigation and
adaptation; benefits to farmers and society; ecosystem services;
and rehabilitation of degraded farmland...This book can change the
future."review by David Dent in International Journal of
Environmental Studies This collection reviews ways of optimising
Conservation Agricultural (CA) practices and their benefits.
Chapters summarise research on optimising soil management, crop
nutrition and irrigation, as well as weed, insect pest and disease
management. The book also reviews ways of optimising the
environmental and social benefits of adopting CA practices.
Chapters discuss carbon and biodiversity management, the ways CA
can promote ecosystem services as well as the use of life cycle
assessment (LCA) techniques to monitor and improve CA. There are
also chapters on improving the economic and broader social benefits
of CA for farming communities.
|
|