- Table View
- List View
The Organic Backyard Vineyard: A Step-by-Step Guide to Growing Your Own Grapes
by Tom PowersInterest in wine shows no signs of slowing down—wine tours, tastings, and vacations are now common and homeowners often have space dedicated to their collection. The logical next step? Learning to grow and make your own.In The Organic Backyard Vineyard expert Tom Powers walks the small grower through the entire process of growing grapes, with a month-by-month maintenance guide covering all regions of the U.S. and Canada. He explains everything a beginning grape grower needs to know: how to design and build a vineyard, how to select grapes for each region, how to maximize yield using organic maintenance techniques, how to build a trellis, how to harvest at peak flavor, and how to store grapes for winemaking.This edition includes organic growing information and all new photography.
Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener: How to Create Unique Vegetables and Flowers
by Joseph TychonievichBrighter zinnias, fragrant carnations, snappier green beansPlant Breeding for the Home Gardener makes it easier than ever to breed and grow your own varieties of vegetables and flowers. This comprehensive and accessible guide explains how to decide what to breed, provides simple explanations on how to cross plants, and features a basic primer on genetics and advanced techniques. Case studies provide breeding examples for favorite plants like daffodils, hollyhocks, roses, sweet corn, and tomatoes.
A Short History of the Honey Bee: Humans, Flowers, and Bees in the Eternal Chase for Honey
by E. Readicker-Henderson Ilona McCartyThere are around 16,000 species of bee. Only seven of these are responsible for creating the world's sweetest treat—honey. Combining Ilona's gorgeous photography and E. Readicker-Henderson's engaging text, A Short History of the Honey Bee follows the journey from flower to hive to honey throughout history.A Short History of the Honey Bee starts with the story of the honey bee—why it is named Apis mellifera, how it has evolved from a solitary creature to one that travels in groups, why it stings, and how pollination really works. Readicker-Henderson then moves on to the honey, detailing its history from a wild food foraged for on cliffs to the many varieties available for purchase today. But it is the everyday importance of the bee that remains the central message. Forty percent of the world's food supply—including apples, tomatoes, and strawberries—is dependent on pollination by honeybees. Colony collapse, when the worker bees suddenly disappear and leave behind the queen and the hive, is an ecological and agricultural crisis. For this reason alone we need to be more aware of the significance of bees.
Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees: Honey Production, Pollination, Bee Health (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Malcolm T. Sanford Richard E. BonneyEnjoy the sweet rewards of keeping your own honey bees. Learn how to plan a hive, acquire bees, install a colony, keep your bees healthy, and harvest honey. Full of practical advice on apiary equipment and tools, this comprehensive guide also includes an overview of colony life and honey bee anatomy.
Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle, 3rd Edition: Health, Handling, Breeding (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Heather Smith ThomasWhether you’re raising one cow or a herd, this comprehensive guide shows you everything you need to know to successfully manage your beef cattle operation. Heather Smith Thomas stresses the importance of understanding bovine behavior while covering breed selection, calving, feeding, housing, medical care, and humane slaughter practices. Along with in-depth information on raising grass-fed animals and dealing with toxic pasture plants, you’ll also find advice on creating a viable business plan and identifying niche markets for your beef.
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, 3rd Edition: Care, Feeding, Facilities (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Gail DamerowGail Damerow shows you how to choose the right breeds for your needs, build efficient chicken coops, provide necessary medical attention for your animals, and much more. Whether you’re raising broilers for meat or preparing your chickens to win a blue ribbon at the next county fair, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens will help you achieve your poultry-raising goals.
Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats, 4th Edition: Breeds, Care, Dairying, Marketing (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Jerry Belanger Sara Thomson BredesenA great choice for the small or backyard farmer, dairy goats require a smaller investment than cows and produce milk that makes delicious yogurt and cheese. This fourth edition includes more on pygmy goats, health care, breeding, and making dairy products. You’ll have everything you need to you need to know to successfully raise your own dairy goats.
Storey's Guide to Raising Horses, 2nd Edition: Breeding, Care, Facilities (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Heather Smith ThomasRaising horses successfully requires good preparation, hard work, and a sincere interest in your animals’ well-being. With in-depth information on all aspects of horsekeeping, including grooming, foaling, housing, diet, exercise, and medical care, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know to raise healthy and happy horses.
Storey's Guide to Raising Pigs, 3rd Edition: Care, Facilities, Management, Breeds (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Kelly KloberLearn how to successfully raise your own pigs. Stressing the importance of sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices, Kelly Klober provides expert tips on making your hog operation more efficient and profitable. Storey’s Guide to Raising Pigs will give beginners the confidence they need to succeed, while inspiring experienced farmers to try new techniques and experiment with new breeds.
Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits, 4th Edition: Breeds, Care, Housing (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Bob BennettWhether you’re interested in raising rabbits for show, meat, fur, or as pets, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know to keep your animals healthy and productive. Offering expert advice on breed selection, housing, feeding, humane handling, routine medical care, and dealing with diseases, Bob Bennett also provides tips on how to make raising rabbits a financial lucrative endeavor. Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits will help both the commercial producer and the backyard fancier achieve their rabbit-raising goals.
Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep, 4th Edition: Breeding, Care, Facilities (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Paula Simmons Carol EkariusDrawing from years of hands-on experience, Paula Simmons and Carol Ekarius provide expert advice on breed selection, lambing, feeding, housing, pasture maintenance, and medical care. You’ll also find tips on profitably marketing your meat and fiber products, as well as information on obtaining organic certifications.
Storey's Guide to Training Horses, 2nd Edition: Ground Work, Driving, Riding (Storey’s Guide to Raising)
by Heather Smith ThomasSafely and successfully train your own horse. Stressing the importance of understanding equine behavior, Storey’s Guide to Training Horses provides a series of progressive exercises that can easily be adjusted to suit your horse’s personality. Whether you’re raising an animal for farm work, competition, or show, you’ll learn everything you need to develop a well-trained and happy horse.
2011 The Little Data Book On Information And Communication Technology
by World BankThis Little Data Book presents tables for over 213 economies showing the most recent national data on key indicators of information and communications technology (ICT), including access, quality, affordability, efficiency,sustainability, and applications.
Africa's Power Infrastructure
by Anton Eberhard Orvika Rosnes Maria Shkaratan Haakon VennemoAfrica's chronic power problems have escalated in recent years into a crisis affecting 30 countries, taking a heavy toll on economic growth and productivity. The region has inadequate generation capacity, limited electrification, low power consumption, unreliable services, and high costs. It also faces a power sector financing gap on the order of $21 billion a year. It spends only about a quarter of what it needs to spend on power, much of this on operating expenditure required to run the continent's high-cost power systems, leaving little for the huge investments needed to provide a long-term solution. Further development of regional power trade would allow Africa to harness larger scale more cost-effective energy sources, reducing energy system costs by $2 billion a year and saving 70 million tons of carbon emissions annually. Economic returns to investments in cross-border transmission are particularly high. But reaping the promise of regional trade depends on a handful of major exporting countries raising the large volumes of finance needed to develop generation capacity for export. It would also require political will in a large number of importing countries that could potentially meet more than half their power demand through trade. Power sector inefficiencies are high, deterring investment in new capacity and electrification. There are three types of sector inefficiencies. First, there are utility inefficiencies, which include system losses, under-collection of revenue and over-manning. These result in a major waste of resources adding up to $4.40 billion a year. Under-collection is the largest component of utility inefficiencies amounting to $1.73 billion, following by system losses at $1.48 billion and by over-manning at $1.15 billion. The second type of sector inefficiency is under-pricing of power. By setting tariffs below the levels needed to cover the actual costs, SSA countries forego revenues of $3.62 billion a year. The third type of inefficiency is poor budget execution. Only 66% of the capital budgets allocated to power are actually spent, with about $258 million in public investment earmarked for the power sector being diverted elsewhere in the budget. Full cost recovery tariffs would already be affordable in countries with efficient large scale hydro or coal-based systems, but not in those relying on small scale oil-based plants. Once regional power trade comes into play, generation costs will fall, and full cost recovery tariffs could be affordable in much of Africa. One of the key policy challenges is to strengthen sector planning capabilities, too often overlooked in today's hybrid markets. A serious recommitment to reforming state-owned enterprises should emphasize improvements in corporate governance more than purely technical fixes. Improving cost recovery is essential for sustaining investments in electrification and regional power generation projects. Closing the huge financing gap will require improving the creditworthiness of utilities and sustaining the recent upswing in external finance to the sector This book is based on extensive data collection undertaken between 2006 and 2008 by the Africa Country Infrastructure Country Diagnostic, an initiative of the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa delegated to the World Bank under the guidance of the African Union, African Development Bank and other multi-lateral and bilateral development institutions.
Africa's Water and Sanitation Infrastructure
by Sudeshna Ghosh Banerjee Elvira MorellaThe welfare implications of safe water and sanitation cannot be overstated. The economic gains from provision of improved services to millions of unserved Africans in enormous. The international adoption of Millennium Development Goals brought the inadequacies of service provision sharply into focus. With only 58% and 31% enjoying access to water and sanitation services respectively, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only continent that is off-track in achieving the MDGs in 2015. The problem is compounded by the fact that a rigorous and credible baseline did not exist on coverage to improved water and sanitation and resources required to meet the MDGs. This book aims to contribute to this gap by collecting a wealth of primary and secondary information to present the most up-to-date and comprehensive quantitative snapshot of water and sanitation sectors. The book evaluates the challenges to the water and sanitation sectors within the urban and rural areas and deepen our understanding of drivers of coverage expansion in the context of financing, institutional reforms, and efficiency improvements. Finally, the book establishes the investment needs for water and sanitation with a target of meeting the MDGs and compares with the existing financing envelopes, disaggregated by proportions that can be recouped by efficiency gains and net financing gaps. The directions for the future draw on lessons learned from best practices and present the menu of choices available to African countries. There is no recipe book that neatly lays out the possible steps the country should adopt to enhance coverage and quality of service. The challenges differ to a significant extent among African countries and solutions must be tailored to individual national or regional conditions.
Agricultural Innovation Systems
by the editors at The World BankResearch, education, and extension investments, while usually necessary, are often insufficient alone to bring knowledge, technologies, and services that enable farmers and entrepreneurs to innovate. Efforts to strengthen research systems and increase the availability of knowledge have not increased innovation or the use of knowledge in agriculture at the pace or the scale required by the intensifying and proliferating challenges confronting agriculture. Agricultural Innovation Systems: An Investment Sourcebook contributes to the identification, design, and implementation of the investments, approaches, and complementary interventions most likely to strengthen agricultural innovation systems (AIS) and to promote innovation and equitable growth. The Sourcebook provides a menu of tools and operational guidance, as well as good practice lessons, to illustrate approaches to designing, investing in, and improving these systems. Managing the ability of agriculture to meet rising global demand and to respond to the changes and opportunities will require good policy, sustained investments, and innovation—not business as usual. Experience indicates that aside from a strong capacity in R&D, the ability to innovate is often related to collective action and coordination, exchange of knowledge among diverse actors, incentives and resources available to form partnerships and develop business, and an enabling environment. While consensus is developing about what is meant by 'innovation' and 'innovation system,' no detailed blueprint exists for making agricultural innovation happen at a given time, in a given place, for a given result. That said, the AIS approach, which looks at these multiple conditions and relationships that promote innovation in agriculture in specific contexts, has moved from a concept to a subdiscipline with principles of analysis and action. Drawing on approaches that have been tested at different scales in different settings, this Sourcebook emphasizes the lessons learned, benefits and impacts, implementation issues, and prospects for replicating or expanding successful practices. The Sourcebook reflects the experiences and evolving understanding of numerous individuals and organizations concerned with agricultural innovation, including the World Bank. It targets the key operational staff who design and implement lending projects in international and regional development agencies and national governments, as well as the practitioners who design thematic programs and technical assistance packages. The Sourcebook can also be an important resource for the research community and nongovernmental organizations.
Assessment of the Risk of Amazon Dieback
by Sebastian M. Scholz Walter VergaraThe Amazon basin is a key component of the global carbon cycle. Not only is the old-growth rainforests in the basin huge carbon storage with about 120 billion metric tons of carbon in their biomass, but they also process annually twice the rate of global anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions through respiration and photosynthesis. In addition, the basin is the largest global repository of biodiversity and produces about 20 percent of the world's flow of fresh water into the oceans. Despite the large CO2 efflux from recent deforestation, the Amazon rainforest is still considered to be a net carbon sink or reservoir because vegetation growth on average exceeds mortality. However, current climate trends and human-induced deforestation may be transforming forest structure and behavior. Amazon forest dieback would be a massive event, affecting all life-forms that rely on this diverse ecosystem, including humans, and producing ramifications for the entire planet. Clearly, with changes at a global scale at stake, there is a need to better understand the risk, and dynamics of Amazon dieback. Therefore, the purpose of the book is to assist in understanding the risk, process and dynamics of potential Amazon dieback and its implications.
Berg Water Project: Communication Practices for Governance and Sustainability Improvement
by Lawrence J. M. HaasThe past decade has witnessed a major global shift in thinking about water, including the role that water infrastructure plays in sustainable development. This rethinking aims to balance better the social, economic, and environmental performance aspects in the development and management of large dams. Infrastructure strategies must complement strategies for water, environment, and energy security and for emerging concerns to reduce vulnerability in water resource systems to climate change on the horizon. Communication is central to multi-stakeholder dialogue and partnerships at all levels needed to achieve sustainability and governance reform in water resource management and infrastructure provision. At the same time, communication drives the advocacy to mobilize political will and public support for beneficial change and continuous improvement in practices. This case study emphasizes that is not only important to mobilize all opportunities to reconcile water demand and supply in river basins that are coming under increasing levels of water stress, but also to integrate effectively governance and anti-corruption reforms and sustainability improvements into all stages of the planning and project cycle-adding value for stakeholders.
Broadband for Africa: Developing Backbone Communications Networks in the Region
by Mark D. WilliamsMany countries in Sub-Saharan Africa see broadband ICT as an essential part of their long-term economic development strategy. Backbone networks are the high-capacity networks that lie at the heart of communications systems and allow the delivery of the high volumes of data needed for broadband. What high-capacity backbone networks that do exist in the region are typically limited to major urban areas and some inter-city routes. Competition between backbone networks is underdeveloped so the price of services remains high and quality is often poor. This pattern of network development is the result of high costs and regulatory restrictions on network development. Where countries have fully liberalized their telecommunications markets and promoted infrastructure competition, prices have fallen and quality improved. Backbone network policy should focus on promoting competition, reducing the cost of network construction and encouraging network development into currently underserved areas. Competition can be promoted by removing regulatory restrictions such as limits on the number of licenses and constraints on type of infrastructure and services that licensees can offer. The cost of backbone network development can be reduced by utilizing energy and transport infrastructure and reducing legal costs such as obtaining planning permission. Stimulating backbone network development beyond major urban areas can be achieved through establishing public-private partnerships to encourage operators to build networks into currently underserved areas.
Broadband Strategies Handbook
by Carlo Maria Rossotto Tim KellyThe Broadband Strategies Handbook is a guide for policymakers, regulators, and other relevant stakeholders as they address issues related to broadband development. It aims to help readers, particularly those in developing countries, by identifying issues and challenges in broadband development, analyzing potential solutions to consider, and providing practical examples from countries that have addressed broadband-related matters. The Handbook looks at how broadband is defined, why it is important, and how its development can be encouraged. Throughout the volume, broadband is viewed as an ecosystem consisting of both supply and demand components, both of which are equally important if the expansion of broadband networks and services is to be successful. In addressing the challenges and opportunities that broadband gives rise to, the Handbook discusses the policies and strategies that government officials and others should consider when developing broadband plans, including the legal and regulatory issues, what technologies are used to provide broadband, how to facilitate universal broadband access, and how to generate demand for broadband services and applications.
Building Broadband: Strategies and Policies for the Developing World
by Siddhartha Raja Yongsoo Kim Tim KellyAccess to broadband connectivity is a country's passport to the global information society and knowledge economy of the future. However, the adoption and use of broadband technology today remains extremely uneven and threatens to create a new digital divide. At the end of 2009, countries in North America and the European Union accounted for more than 50 percent of the world's 1 billion fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions, but South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa together accounted for less than 3 percent. The experience with mobile telephony though shows the potential for growth in the information and communication technology sector in developing countries. Almost 75 percent of the world's mobile telephone subscriptions are in low- and middle-income countries, which have also promoted exciting innovations and realized significant economic development benefits. In fact, a growing number of countries are seeking to spur broadband development. To aid governments as they design their own programs, this volume offers examples and ideas from some of the most successful broadband markets: particularly the Republic of Korea, but also Finland, France, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 'Building Broadband' does not suggest a universal solution but rather provides a long list of policies and programs organized within a strategic framework that allows solutions tailored to country circumstances. The essential building blocks identified are useful everywhere because they focus on improving incentives and the climate for private investment. This is a policy that even countries with very limited resources will be able to exploit.
Changing the Face of the Waters: The Promise and Challenge of Sustainable Aquaculture
by World BankAquaculture--the farming of fish and aquatic plants--has become the world's fastest-growing food production sector, even as the amount of wild fish caught in our seas and fresh waters declines. From fish foods and pharmaceuticals to management of entire aquatic ecosystems, acquaculture is truly changing the face of the waters. Increased growth, however, brings increased risk, and aquaculture now lies at a crossroads. One direction points toward the giant strides in productivity, industry concentration, and product diversification. Another direction points toward the dangers of environmental degradation and the marginalization of small fish farmers. Yet another direction invites aquaculture to champion the poor and provide vital environmental services to stressed aquatic environments. 'Changing the Face of the Waters' offers a cutting-edge analysis of the critical challenges facing aquaculture, balancing aquaculture's role in economic growth with the need for sound management of natural resources. The book also provides guidance on sustainable aquaculture by evaluating alternative development pathways, placing particular emphasis on the application of lessons from Asia to Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Aimed at policy makers, planners, and scientists, this book provides a comprehensive frame of reference for orienting ideas and initiatives in this dynamic industry.
China's Information Revolution
by Christine Zhen-Wei Qiang Christine Zhen-WeiSince 1997, China has devoted considerable resources to information and communications technology (ICT) development. China has the world's largest telecommunications market, and its information technology industry has been an engine of economic growth-growing two to three times faster than GDP over the past 10 years. E-government initiatives have achieved significant results, and the private sector has increasingly used ICT for production and service processes, internal management, and online transactions. The approaching 10-year mark provides an excellent opportunity to update the policy to reflect the evolving needs of China's economy. These needs include the challenges posed by industrialization, urbanization, upgraded consumption, and social mobility. Developing a more effective ICT strategy will help China to achieve its economic and social goals. Addressing all the critical factors is complex and requires long-term commitment. This book highlights several key issues that need to be addressed decisively in the second half of this decade, through policies entailing institutional reform, to trigger broader changes. This books is the result of 10 months of strategic research by a World Bank team at the request of China's State Council Informatization Office and the Advisory Committee for State Informatization. Drawing on background papers by Chinese researchers, the study provides a variety of domestic perspectives and local case studies and combines these perspectives with international experiences on how similar issues may have been addressed in other countries.
Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resources Planning and Project Design
by Casey M. Brown Patrick A. RayConfronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resources Planning and Project Design describes an approach to facing two fundamental and unavoidable issues brought about by climate change uncertainty in water resources planning and project design. The first is a risk assessment problem. The second relates to risk management. This book provides background on the risks relevant in water systems planning, the different approaches to scenario definition in water system planning, and an introduction to the decision-scaling methodology upon which the decision tree is based. The decision tree is described as a scientifically defensible, repeatable, direct and clear method for demonstrating the robustness of a project to climate change. While applicable to all water resources projects, it allocates effort to projects in a way that is consistent with their potential sensitivity to climate risk. The process was designed to be hierarchical, with different stages or phases of analysis triggered based on the findings of the previous phase. An application example is provided followed by a descriptions of some of the tools available for decision making under uncertainty and methods available for climate risk management. The tool was designed for the World Bank but can be applicable in other scenarios where similar challenges arise.
Convergence in Information and Communication Technology
by Siddhartha Raja Rajendra SinghGrowth in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector has exploded over the past 20 years. Continuous dynamic market and technology developments in this sector have led to a phenomenon known as convergence, which is defined in this volume as the erosion of boundaries between previously separate ICT services, networks, and business practices. Some examples include cable television networks that offer phone service, Internet television, and mergers between media and telecommunications firms. The results are exciting and hold significant promise for developing countries, which can benefit from expanded access, greater competition, and increased investments. However, convergence in ICT is challenging traditional policy and regulatory frameworks. With convergence occurring in countries across the spectrum of economic development, it is critical that policy makers and regulators understand and respond in ways that maximize the benefits while mitigating the risks. This volume analyzes the strategic and regulatory dimensions of convergence. It offers policy makers and regulators examples from countries around the world as they address this phenomenon. The authors suggest that countries that enable convergence are likely to reap the greater rewards, but the precise nature of the response will vary by country. Hence, this book offers global principles that should be tailored to local circumstances as regulatory frameworks evolve to address convergence.