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The Agricultural Dilemma: How Not to Feed the World (Earthscan Food and Agriculture)
by Glenn Davis StoneThe Agricultural Dilemma questions everything we think we know about the current state of agriculture and how to, or perhaps more importantly how not to, feed a world with a growing population. This book is about the three fundamental forms of agriculture: Malthusian (expansion), industrialization (external-input-dependent), and intensification (labor-based). The best way to understand the three agricultures, and how we tend to get it wrong, is to consider what drives their growth. The book provides a thoughtful, critical analysis that upends entrenched misconceptions such as that we are running out of land for food production and that our only hope is the development of new agricultural technologies. The book contains engaging and enlightening vignettes and short histories, with case studies drawn from across the globe to bring to life this important debate and dilemma. The book concludes by arguing there is a viable alternative to industrial agriculture which will allow us to meet the world's needs and it ponders why such alternatives have been downplayed, obscured, or hidden from view. This important book is essential reading for all studying and researching food production and agriculture, and more broadly for all interested in ensuring we are able to feed our growing population.
Agricultural Drought in Slovakia: NDVI and Satellite Based Data (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)
by Veronika Zuzulová Jaroslav Vido Bernard ŠiškaThis book gives an insight into the evaluation of drought in Slovakia and provides an assessment of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a method suitable for an evaluation of drought in agricultural land. Dry seasons in the time series from 1960 to 2014 were determined according to the monthly Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The field research was carried out on 12 sites including western Slovakia, Prešov, Trnava and Nitra regions. Data collected from satellite imagery, climate data analyses and drought indices was analysed to determine the value of NDVI as an evaluation tool.
Agricultural Ecology
by Joy TivyThis book analyses the nature of the relationships between crops, livestock and the bio-physical environment, and the extent to which man has managed and modified the products and environment to suit his/her own particular needs.
Agricultural Finance (Routledge Textbooks in Environmental and Agricultural Economics)
by Charles B. MossThis textbook integrates financial economics and management in the area of agricultural finance. The presentation of financial economics discusses how the credit needs of farmer/borrowers are met by depositors through commercial banks. The financial management content presents methods used to make farm financial decisions including farm accounting, capital budgeting, and the analysis of risk. The textbook begins by developing the farm financial market focusing primarily on the market for debt. Next, the textbook presents an overview of accounting concepts important for the credit market. The accounting section provides a detailed discussion of the Farm Financial Standards Council’s suggestions for agricultural financial statements. Following the financial accounting, the book presents the use of ratio analysis applied to the farm firm. Next, the text describes capital budgeting followed by an introduction to risk analysis. Finally, the book presents the effect of debt decisions on the farm firm. In addition to the primary topics, the textbook includes a discussion of agricultural banking and monetary policy and an analysis of the choice of historical cost and market valued accounting methodologies on the farm debt decision.
Agricultural Geography (Routledge Library Editions: Agribusiness and Land Use #19)
by W. B. Morgan R. J. MuntonOriginally published in 1971, this book is a systematic study of the major features and factors of the location and distribution of global agricultural enterprises. Special emphasis is given to approaches to the subject developed by economists and economic geographers, but all aspects of agricultural geography are reviewed including physical environmental problems. An introduction to the problem of classification and data collection together with instruction in some simple analytical techniques is given to equip the student with the basic methods for their own research.
The Agricultural Groundwater Revolution: Opportunities and Threats to Development
by Mark Giordano Karen G. VillholthWhile addressing the issues of using groundwater in agriculture for irrigation in the developing world, this book discusses the problems associated with the degradation and over-exploitation of using it. It explores the practiced and potential methods for its management in the context of agricultural development.
Agricultural Involution: The Processes of Ecological Change in Indonesia
by Clifford GeertzAgricultural Involution: The Processes of Ecological Change in Indonesia is one of the most famous of the early works of Clifford Geertz. It principal thesis is that many centuries of intensifying wet-rice cultivation in Indonesia had produced greater social complexity without significant technological or political change, a process Geertz terms "involution".Written for a US-funded project on the local developments and following the modernization theory of Walt Whitman Rostow, Geertz examines in this book the agricultural system in Indonesia and its two dominant forms of agriculture, swidden and sawah. In addition to researching its agricultural systems, the book turns to an examination of their historical development. Of particular note is Geertz's discussion of what he famously describes as the process of "agricultural involution" in Java, where both the external economic demands of the Dutch rulers and the internal pressures due to population growth led to intensification rather than change.
Agricultural Marketing and the EEC (Routledge Library Editions: Agribusiness and Land Use #1)
by Michael Butterwick Edmund Neville-RolfeOriginally published in 1971, this book resulted from a 2-year study of the implications of the Common Market agricultural policy in relation to agricultural marketing in Britain. It provides the background to agricultural policies and explains why marketing developed differently in Britain and European countries. There are specific chapters on cereals, sugar, diary produce, horticultural products, livestock and meat, vegetable oils and oilseeds, eggs and poultry-meat and other farm products such as hops potatoes and wool). The book discusses such issues as the possible effects on British agricultural and horticultural marketing of adopting the CAP and the role played by the producer organisations.
Agricultural Productivity: Measurement and Explanation (Routledge Revivals)
by Susan M. Capalbo John M. AntleThis book, first published in 1988, provides a comprehensive, integrated body of knowledge concerning agricultural productivity research, highlighting both its strengths and limitations. This book will be of value to scholars and research leaders for the knowledge it conveys of future productivity research, and will also be of interest to students of environmental studies.
Agricultural Resilience: Perspectives from Ecology and Economics (Ecological Reviews)
by Sarah M. Gardner Stephen J. Ramsden Rosemary S. HailsAgriculture as a social-ecological system embraces many disciplines. This book breaks through the silos of individual disciplines to bring ecologists and economists together to consider agriculture through the lens of resilience. It explores the economic, environmental and social uncertainties that influence the behaviour of agricultural producers and their subsequent farming approach, highlighting the importance of adaptability, innovation and capital reserves in enabling agriculture to persist under climate change and market volatility. The resilience concept and its relation to complexity theory is explained and the characteristics that foster resilience in agricultural systems, including the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services, are explored. The book discusses modelling tools, metrics and approaches for assessing agricultural resilience, highlighting areas where interdisciplinary thinking can enhance the development of resilience. It is suitable for those researching sustainable agriculture or those engaged in agricultural policy decisions and analysis, as well as students of ecology, agriculture and socioeconomics.
Agricultural Subsidies in the WTO Green Box: Ensuring Coherence with Sustainable Development Goals
by Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz Christophe Bellmann Jonathan HepburnDo the World Trade Organization's rules on 'green box' farm subsidies allow both rich and poor countries to achieve important goals such as food security, or do they worsen poverty, distort trade and harm the environment? Current WTO requirements set no ceiling on the amount of green box subsidies that governments can provide, on the basis that these payments cause only minimal trade distortion. Governments are thus increasingly shifting their subsidy spending into this category, as they come under pressure to reduce subsidies that are more directly linked to production. However, growing evidence nonetheless suggests that green box payments can affect production and trade, harm farmers in developing countries and cause environmental damage. By bringing together new research and critical thinking, this book examines the relationship between green box subsidies and the achievement of sustainable development goals, and explores options for future reform.
Agricultural Sustainability: Principles, Processes, and Prospects
by Saroja RamanTake a balanced look at ways to ensure food security and to work to erase hunger around the worldAgriculture is the most aggressively managed ecosystem. Agricultural Sustainability: Principles, Processes, and Prospects provides a comprehensive examination of all facets of agricultural sustainability, beginning with the history of the evolution of the concept to the present. Challenges to sustainability are clearly presented along with practical strategies to counter prospective problems. This vital resource considers options for the future, as well as reviewing past approaches for their value in today’s world.When one considers that the alternative to agricultural sustainability is the collapse of the world’s food systems, it is understood that compromise is impossible. Agricultural Sustainability takes a holistic approach to the issues that are involved in making agriculture ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible around the world. The book is divided into three parts. Part One clarifies the concept of agricultural sustainability, bringing a rational and balanced view of the core elements. Part Two discusses ways to promote sustainability in the world, including practical scientific and technological processes for improving yields while ensuring food security for future generations. Part Three peers into future decades, reviewing the vision documents of international agencies, their perceptions and expectations for the years ahead, and present dysfunctional aspects in the current food system. The book is extensively referenced and includes figures and charts to clearly explain data.The book examines: the historic evolution of the concept of agricultural sustainability the combined effects of a multiplicity of agricultural systems concepts for validating the sustainability of a production system the role of natural capital in production the role of science and technology in sustainable use managing land, water, biodiversity, and energy quantitative approaches to measuring agricultural sustainability the current status of agricultureand predictions for its growth in the coming decades case studies of agricultural growth from India and China problemsand possibilitiesof creating a hunger-free world by the end of this century Agricultural Sustainability is crucial, enlightening reading for field workers in NGOs and agricultural extensions; personnel in local, national, and international developmental organizations; and educators and students of sustainable agricultural production, food security, rural development, environmental science, and the conservation of natural resources.
Agricultural Water Management: Proceedings of a Workshop in Tunisia
by National Research Council of the National AcademiesThis report contains a collection of papers from a workshop---Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making for Sustainable Management of Scarce Water Resources for Agricultural Production, held in Tunisia. Participants, including scientists, decision makers, representatives of non-profit organizations, and a farmer, came from the United States and several countries in North Africa and the Middle East. The papers examined constraints to agricultural production as it relates to water scarcity; focusing on 1) the state of the science regarding water management for agricultural purposes in the Middle East and North Africa 2) how science can be applied to better manage existing water supplies to optimize the domestic production of food and fiber. The cross-cutting themes of the workshop were the elements or principles of science-based decision making, the role of the scientific community in ensuring that science is an integral part of the decision making process, and ways to improve communications between scientists and decision makers.
Agriculture and Air Quality: Investigating, Assessing and Managing
by Carole Bedos Sophie Génermont Jean-François Castell Pierre CellierThis book gives an overview of the relationships between agriculture and air quality, which is an issue of increasing importance for practitioners and policy makers. It provides the keys to understand natural and anthropogenic mechanisms governing emission and deposition of pollutants produced by and/or impacting agricultural activitiesIt identifies how management practices can help mitigating emissions and how public policies on air pollution progressively addressed the agricultural sectorThis book was written for students, researchers and agriculture actors as well as for public decision-makers
Agriculture and Ecosystem Resilience in Sub Saharan Africa: Livelihood Pathways Under Changing Climate (Climate Change Management)
by Yazidhi Bamutaze Samuel Kyamanywa Bal Ram Singh Gorettie Nabanoga Rattan LalThis volume discusses emerging contexts of agricultural and ecosystem resilience in Sub Saharan Africa, as well as contemporary technological advances that have influenced African livelihoods. In six sections, the book addresses the sustainable development goals to mitigate the negative impacts on agricultural productivity brought about by climate change in Africa. Some of the challenges assessed include soil degradation, land use changes, natural resource mismanagement, declining crop productivity, and economic stagnation. This book will be of interest to researchers, NGOs, and development organizations.Section 1 focuses on climate risk management in tropical Africa. Section 2 addresses the water-ecosystem-agriculture nexus, and identifies the best strategies for sustainable water use. Section 3 introduces Information Communication Technology (ICT), and how it can be used for ecosystem and human resilience to improve quality of life in communities. Section 4 discusses the science and policies of transformative agriculture, including challenges facing crop production and management. Section 5 addresses landscape processes, human security, and governance of agro-ecosystems. Section 6 concludes the book with chapters uniquely covering the gender dynamics of agricultural, ecosystem, and livelihood resilience.
Agriculture and Resilience in Australia’s North: A Lived Experience
by Keith Noble Tania Dennis Sarah LarkinsThis book examines the mechanisms and strategies farmers in North Australia adopt to manage the setbacks and challenges they face. This social research is based on farmers’ experiences, but also draws on the author’s own experience after his tropical fruit farm was destroyed by two Category 5 cyclones in five years.Through historical analysis, the book compares historic and contemporary aspirations for northern development, and discusses the influence of the built environment on individuals as well as access to health and other social services.Exploring the implications of individual resilience strategies for policy development within the broader context of northern development and evolving environmental governance, the book also highlights the fact that this is occurring in a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene.The book will provide a unique perspective and understanding to government, individuals and industries interested in northern Australia and its relationship to the world
Agriculture and Rural Development in a Globalizing World: Challenges and Opportunities (Earthscan Food and Agriculture)
by Prabhu Pingali; Gershon FederRapid structural transformation and urbanization are transforming agriculture and food production in rural areas across the world. This textbook provides a comprehensive review and assessment of the multi-faceted nature of agriculture and rural development, particularly in the developing world, where the greatest challenges occur. It is designed around five thematic parts: Agricultural Intensification and Technical Change; Political Economy of Agricultural Policies; Community and Rural Institutions; Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health; and Future Relevance of International Institutions. Each chapter presents a detailed but accessible review of the literature on the specific topic and discusses the frontiers in research and institutional changes needed as societies adapt to the transformation processes. All authors are eminent scholars with international reputations, who have been actively engaged in the contemporary debates around agricultural development and rural transformation.
Agriculture and the Development Process: A Study of Punjab (Routledge Library Editions: Agriculture #2)
by D. P. Chaudhri Ajit K. DasguptaFirst published in 1985. The need to increase agricultural output and to use increased output to generate sustained general economic development is a problem facing many Third World countries. This book explores in particular the agricultural growth of the Punjab in Northern India, a country which has long been a leader in the formulation of new development strategies. It shows how agricultural output is affected by, and affects, demographic changes, income distribution, state involvement and structural changes both in society and the economy. Agricultural growth in the Punjab is seen in an historical perspective. In addition, the different aspects of economic development are viewed in an integrated way so that much is learned about the contribution of agricultural growth to the development process. The conclusions drawn can be related to problems and trends worldwide.
Agriculture and the European Community (Routledge Library Editions: Agriculture #3)
by John S. Marsh Pamela J. SwanneyFirst published in 1980. From the earliest beginnings of the European Economic Community, it was recognised that a common market for agriculture would be one of the basic prerequisites for workable economic unity. And yet the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) remained a subject of much controversy and debate. The CAP, more than any other element of European policy, was seen to test the true depth of the commitment shown by Community members to the practice as well as the principle of economic integration. Agriculture and the European Community examines the reasons for the existence of the CAP and its format. It outlines the main instruments, price and structural policy, and the changing emphasis between them. It discusses in turn the effects of the CAP on producers’ income levels and on consumer prices; how far it had fulfilled the promises of the Treaty of Rome; the implications of the policy for third country trade; and its place within the Community as a whole. The study argues that, although incomes of Community farmers had improved, this is not simply the result of the CAP, nor was the geographical distribution of benefit in terms of farming income satisfactory. The policy has achieved a degree of success in securing food supplies and stabilising prices but the cost to the consumer has been high. Knowledge of the CAP had become almost essential to any understanding of modern European affairs. Agriculture and the European Community will serve as a straightforward introduction to the policy for students approaching the subject for the first time, especially in departments of Agricultural Economics, European Studies and Political Science.
Agriculture as an Alternative Investment: The Status Quo and Future Perspectives (Contributions to Finance and Accounting)
by Stefano Gatti Carlo Chiarella Vitaliano FiorilloUnder the pressure of climate and social changes, agriculture is called to play a fundamental role in the world food challenge of the next few decades. A severe reduction of arable land and water scarcity combined with a growing food demand, changes in the dietary preferences in many countries and, more recently, a growing threat to food security and logistics from supply chains interruptions and global trade fragmentation, all require the implementation of processes, techniques, and innovations able to increase productivity and make a better use of scarce resources.Against this backdrop, a growing number of investors and asset managers have started looking at agriculture as an interesting investment theme to exploit the long-term strategic opportunities emerging from technological innovation and social changes. The industry is undergoing a process of transformation driven, on the one hand, by the emergence of new data and technologies that promise enhancing process efficiency and improve yields and, on the other hand, by an increased attention on the GHG emissions of agricultural processes and the impact of farmland on climate change, water and land scarcity. All these factors call for a radical rethinking of many agriculture business models. This book provides a detailed overview and analysis of those new technologies with the greatest potential to disrupt agriculture products and processes by improving productivity and the management of food loss and waste, making a more efficient and sustainable use of resources and enhancing food security. Then, it discusses the implications for investors and asset managers, starting with an assessment of the status quo of agriculture investing and providing a thorough description of the agriculture asset class with an emphasis on its distinctive characteristics and the innovations in the technological processes used in agriculture and farming with the greatest potential to obtain long-term sustainable returns.
Agriculture, Biodiversity and Markets: Livelihoods and Agroecology in Comparative Perspective
by Stewart Lockie David CarpenterDebate about how best to ensure the preservation of agricultural biodiversity is caught in a counter-productive polemic between proponents and critics of market-based instruments and agricultural modernisation. This book argues that neither position does justice to the range of strategies that farmers use to manage agrobiodiversity and other livelihood assets as they adapt to changing social, economic, and environmental circumstances. Chapters explore relationships between the exploitation and conservation of agricultural biodiversity and the livelihoods of agricultural communities, and evaluate the capacity of national and multilateral institutions and policy settings to support the protection and capture by communities of agrobiodiversity values. The place of ecosystem services in valuing biodiversity in the marketplace is emphasized. A number of authors assess the potential for market-based instruments and initiatives to encourage the protection of biodiversity, while others compare agrobiodiversity/community relationships, and the effectiveness of instruments designed to enhance these, across international boundaries. The book takes a comparative approach, drawing on empirical case studies from across the developed and developing worlds. In doing so, the book does not simply point to similarities and differences in the experience of rural communities. It also shows how global trade and multilateral institutions bring these otherwise disparate communities together in networks that exploit and/or preserve agrobiodiversity and other resources.
Agriculture, Environment and Development: International Perspectives on Water, Land and Politics
by Antonio A.R IorisThis book deals with past legacies and emerging challenges associated with agriculture production, water and environmental management, and local and national development. It offers a critical interpretation of the tensions associated with the failures of mainstream regulatory regimes and the impacts of global agri-food chains. The various chapters include conceptual and empirical material from research carried out in Brazil, India and Europe. The assessment takes into account the dilemmas faced by farmers, companies, policy-makers and the international community related to growing food demand, water scarcity and environmental degradation. The book also questions most government reactions to those problems that tend to reproduce old, productivist approaches and are normally under the powerful influence of global corporations, mega-supermarkets and investment funds. Its overall message is that the trajectory of agriculture, rural development and environmental management are integral elements of the broader search for justice and novel socio-ecological thinking.
Agriculture, Environment and Development: International Perspectives on Water, Land and Politics
by Antonio Augusto Rossotto Ioris Bernardo Mançano FernandesThe Second Edition of this book is completely revised and updated throughout providing an overview of current challenges faced within the area of Agri-food in relation to policymaking, ecological conservation and socio-environmental justice. Including a range of new chapters, the book explores some of the conceptual and analytical gaps that are presented by current approaches to this topic. The series of interconnected chapters offers a critical reinterpretation of the tensions associated with the failures of mainstream regulatory regimes, land and resource grabbing, and the impacts of global agri-food chains at local, regional and inter-sectoral scales. The book also examines past legacies and emerging challenges associated with agriculture modernisation, politico-spatial disputes, climate change, social movements, gender, ethnicity and education. It likewise addresses the transformative potential of different combinations of biophysical, socio-technical and socio-spatial practices of food sovereignty.
Agriculture for Improved Nutrition: Seizing the Momentum
by Noora-Lisa Aberman Mathew Abraham Akhter U. Ahmed Summer Allen Suresh Chandra Babu Ekin Birol Anne Bossuyt Howarth E. Bouis Kevin Chen Gerald F. Jr Olivier Ecker Dr Jessica Fanzo Aulo Gelli Julie Ghostlaw Stuart Gillespie Daniel O. Gilligan Lawrence Haddad Derek Headey Mar Maestre Hazel Malapit William Masters Ruthie Musker Nicholas Nisbett Rajul Pandya-Lorch Prabhu L Pingali Daniel J. Raiten Marie T. Ruel Amy Saltzman Zimeiyi Wang Sivan YosefAgriculture's vast potential to improve nutrition is just beginning to be tapped. New ideas, research, and initiatives developed over the past decade have created an opportunity for reimagining and redesigning agricultural and food systems for the benefit of nutrition. To support this transformation, this book reviews the latest findings, results from on-the-ground programs and interventions, and recent policy experiences from countries around the world that are bringing the agriculture and nutrition sectors closer together. Drawing on IFPRI's own work and that of the growing agriculture-nutrition community, this book strengthens the evidence base for, and expands our vision of, how agriculture can contribute to nutrition. Chapters cover an array of issues that link agriculture and nutrition, including food value chains, nutrition-sensitive programs and policies, government policies, and private sector investments. By highlighting both achievements and setbacks, Agriculture for Improved Nutrition seeks to inspire those who want to scale up successes that can transform food systems and improve the nutrition of billions of people. Key features: -Investigates the latest evidence on the relationship between agriculture and nutrition. -Includes insights from internationally renowned researchers. -Presents data from real-world settings that is highly relevant to the challenges faced by developing countries. This book is ideal for policy-makers, practitioners, and students working in agriculture, international development and nutrition.
Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food Security: Lessons from Nepal (Sustainable Development Goals Series)
by Jagadish Timsina Tek N. Maraseni Devendra Gauchan Jagannath Adhikari Hemant OhjaThis book explains how a former net food exporting Nepal has become a net food importing country due to a lack of an integrated system-wide approach to planning and governance of agriculture and natural resources. It demonstrates how various components of the food system, such as agronomy, agrobiodiversity, plant health, post-harvest management, livestock and fisheries, and socio-economics including marketing and trade, have been managed in sectoral silos, crippling the very foundations of food systems innovations. The book also explores ways to tackle climate change impacts while considering gender, social equity, conservation agriculture practices, and crop modeling as cross-cutting themes. This book utilizes Nepal as a case study in relation to wider questions of food security and livelihoods facing South Asia and synthesizes lessons that are relevant to the Global South where countries are struggling to harmonize and integrate natural resources management for sustainable and effective food security outcomes. As such, it significantly contributes to the knowledge toward achieving various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.