Darwinian Agriculture

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691173761
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis Darwinian Agriculture by : R. Ford Denison

Download or read book Darwinian Agriculture written by R. Ford Denison and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-08-16 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As human populations grow and resources are depleted, agriculture will need to use land, water, and other resources more efficiently and without sacrificing long-term sustainability. Darwinian Agriculture presents an entirely new approach to these challenges, one that draws on the principles of evolution and natural selection. R. Ford Denison shows how both biotechnology and traditional plant breeding can use Darwinian insights to identify promising routes for crop genetic improvement and avoid costly dead ends. Denison explains why plant traits that have been genetically optimized by individual selection--such as photosynthesis and drought tolerance--are bad candidates for genetic improvement. Traits like plant height and leaf angle, which determine the collective performance of plant communities, offer more room for improvement. Agriculturalists can also benefit from more sophisticated comparisons among natural communities and from the study of wild species in the landscapes where they evolved. Darwinian Agriculture reveals why it is sometimes better to slow or even reverse evolutionary trends when they are inconsistent with our present goals, and how we can glean new ideas from natural selection's marvelous innovations in wild species.

Systems Research for Agriculture

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Publisher : Department of Agriculture
ISBN 13 : 9781888626162
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (261 download)

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Book Synopsis Systems Research for Agriculture by : Laurie E. Drinkwater

Download or read book Systems Research for Agriculture written by Laurie E. Drinkwater and published by Department of Agriculture. This book was released on 2016-06-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Understanding Options for Agricultural Production

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9401736243
Total Pages : 405 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Understanding Options for Agricultural Production by : G.Y. Tsuji

Download or read book Understanding Options for Agricultural Production written by G.Y. Tsuji and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first premise of this book is that farmers need access to options for improving their situation. In agricultural terms, these options might be manage ment alternatives or different crops to grow, that can stabilize or increase household income, that reduce soil degradation and dependence on off-farm inputs, or that exploit local market opportunities. Farmers need a facilitating environment, in which affordable credit is available if needed, in which policies are conducive to judicious management of natural resources, and in which costs and prices of production are stable. Another key ingredient of this facilitating environment is information: an understanding of which options are viable, how these operate at the farm level, and what their impact may be on the things that farmers perceive as being important. The second premise is that systems analysis and simulation have an impor tant role to play in fostering this understanding of options, traditional field experimentation being time-consuming and costly. This book summarizes the activities of the International Benchmark Sites Network for Agrotechnology Transfer (IBSNAT) project, an international initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). IBSNAT was an attempt to demonstrate the effectiveness of understanding options through systems analysis and simulation for the ultimate benefit of farm households in the tropics and subtropics. The idea for the book was first suggested at one of the last IBSNAT group meetings held at the University of Hawaii in 1993.

Traditional Arid Lands Agriculture

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Publisher : University of Arizona Press
ISBN 13 : 0816531293
Total Pages : 391 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (165 download)

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Book Synopsis Traditional Arid Lands Agriculture by : Scott E. Ingram

Download or read book Traditional Arid Lands Agriculture written by Scott E. Ingram and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2015-04-02 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traditional Arid Lands Agriculture is the first of its kind. Each chapter considers four questions: what we don’t know about specific aspects of traditional agriculture, why we need to know more, how we can know more, and what research questions can be pursued to know more. What is known is presented to provide context for what is unknown. Traditional agriculture, nonindustrial plant cultivation for human use, is practiced worldwide by millions of smallholder farmers in arid lands. Advancing an understanding of traditional agriculture can improve its practice and contribute to understanding the past. Traditional agriculture has been practiced in the U.S. Southwest and northwest Mexico for at least four thousand years and intensely studied for at least one hundred years. What is not known or well-understood about traditional arid lands agriculture in this region has broad application for research, policy, and agricultural practices in arid lands worldwide. The authors represent the disciplines of archaeology, anthropology, agronomy, art, botany, geomorphology, paleoclimatology, and pedology. This multidisciplinary book will engage students, practitioners, scholars, and any interested in understanding and advancing traditional agriculture.

Understanding Agriculture

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 84 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (425 download)

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Book Synopsis Understanding Agriculture by : National Research Council

Download or read book Understanding Agriculture written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1988-02-01 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book responds to the widespread recognition among experts that our educational system needs to change in order to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to ensure the future vitality of U.S. agriculture. Understanding Agriculture focuses on agricultural literacy (education about agriculture) and vocational agricultural education (education in agriculture). The section on agricultural literacy addresses the teaching of science through agriculture, teacher education and training, model educational programs, community support, and agricultural career exploration programs. Vocational agricultural education is examined in terms of program enrollment, availability and content, supervised occupational experiences, the Future Farmers of America program, and teacher education and supply.

Understanding Food Systems

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Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 : 0128044853
Total Pages : 373 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (28 download)

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Book Synopsis Understanding Food Systems by : Ruth MacDonald

Download or read book Understanding Food Systems written by Ruth MacDonald and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-05-25 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding Food Systems: Agriculture, Food Science, and Nutrition in the United States explores the complex and evolving system from which the United States gets its food. From farm, to home, and everything in-between, the authors use a scientific perspective that explains the fundamentals of agricultural production, food science, and human nutrition that will guide readers through the issues that shape our food system, including political, societal, environmental, economic, and ethical concerns. Presenting the role and impact of technology, from production to processing and safety, to cultural and consumer behavior perspectives, the book also explores the link between food systems and the history of nutrients and diet patterns, and how these influence disease occurrence. Current topics of concern and debate, including the correlations between food systems and diet-related diseases, such as obesity and diabetes are explored, as are the history and current status of food insecurity and accessibility. Throughout the text, readers are exposed to current topics that play important roles in personal food choices and how they influence components of the food system. Presents the evolution of the US food system, from historical beginnings, to current consumer and political roles and responsibilities Provides farm to fork insights on production and consumption practices in the United States Explores complex topics in call-out boxes throughout the text to help readers understand the various perspectives on controversial topics

Understanding the Common Agricultural Policy

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 9781844077779
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (777 download)

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Book Synopsis Understanding the Common Agricultural Policy by : Berkeley Hill

Download or read book Understanding the Common Agricultural Policy written by Berkeley Hill and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Published in 2011. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Participatory Research and Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management

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Publisher : IDRC
ISBN 13 : 1552501817
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (525 download)

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Book Synopsis Participatory Research and Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management by : Julian F. Gonsalves

Download or read book Participatory Research and Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management written by Julian F. Gonsalves and published by IDRC. This book was released on 2005 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intended for aspiring and new practitioners of Participatory Research and Development (PR&D) as well as field-based researchers in developing countries. Highlights that agricultural research and development has become a joint approach to deal with diverse biophysical environments, multiple livelihood goals, rapid changes in local and global economies, and an expanded range for stakeholders over agriculture and natural resources.

Cultivating Knowledge

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Publisher : University of Arizona Press
ISBN 13 : 0816539634
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (165 download)

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Book Synopsis Cultivating Knowledge by : Andrew Flachs

Download or read book Cultivating Knowledge written by Andrew Flachs and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A single seed is more than just the promise of a plant. In rural south India, seeds represent diverging paths toward a sustainable livelihood. Development programs and global agribusiness promote genetically modified seeds and organic certification as a path toward more sustainable cotton production, but these solutions mask a complex web of economic, social, political, and ecological issues that may have consequences as dire as death. In Cultivating Knowledge anthropologist Andrew Flachs shows how rural farmers come to plant genetically modified or certified organic cotton, sometimes during moments of agrarian crisis. Interweaving ethnographic detail, discussions of ecological knowledge, and deep history, Flachs uncovers the unintended consequences of new technologies, which offer great benefits to some—but at others’ expense. Flachs shows that farmers do not make simple cost-benefit analyses when evaluating new technologies and options. Their evaluation of development is a complex and shifting calculation of social meaning, performance, economics, and personal aspiration. Only by understanding this complicated nexus can we begin to understand sustainable agriculture. By comparing the experiences of farmers engaged with these mutually exclusive visions for the future of agriculture, Cultivating Knowledge investigates the human responses to global agrarian change. It illuminates the local impact of global changes: the slow, persistent dangers of pesticides, inequalities in rural life, the aspirations of people who grow fibers sent around the world, the place of ecological knowledge in modern agriculture, and even the complex threat of suicide. It all begins with a seed.

Understanding American Agriculture

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309178991
Total Pages : 214 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Understanding American Agriculture by : National Research Council

Download or read book Understanding American Agriculture written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-11-07 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) is the federal government's primary source of information on the financial condition, production practices, and resource use on farms, as well as the economic well-being of America's farm households. ARMS data are important to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and to congressional, administration, and industry decision makers when they must weigh alternative policies and programs that touch the farm sector or affect farm families. ARMS is unique in several respects. As a multiple-purpose survey with an agricultural focus, ARMS is the only representative national source of observations of farm-level production practices, the economics of the farm businesses operating the field (or dairy herd, greenhouse, nursery, poultry house, etc.), and the characteristics of the American farm household (age, education, occupation, farm and off-farm work, types of employment, family living expenses, etc.). No other data source is able to match the range and depth of ARMS in these areas. American agriculture is changing, and the science of statistical measurement is changing as well. As with every major governmental data collection with such far-reaching and important uses, it is critical to periodically ensure that the survey is grounded in relevant concepts, applying the most up-to-date statistical methodology, and invested with the necessary design, estimation, and analytical techniques to ensure a quality product. ARMS is a complex undertaking. From its start as a melding of data collected from the field, the farm, and the household in a multiphase, multiframe, and multiple mode survey design, it has increased in complexity over the decade of its existence as more sophisticated demands for its outputs have been made. Today, the survey faces difficult choices and challenges, including a need for a thorough review of its methods, practices, and procedures. Understanding American Agriculture : Challenges for the Agricultural Resource Management Survey summarizes the recommendations of the committee who wrote the survey.

Field Guide to California Agriculture

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Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520265432
Total Pages : 504 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (22 download)

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Book Synopsis Field Guide to California Agriculture by : Paul Starrs

Download or read book Field Guide to California Agriculture written by Paul Starrs and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2010-07-06 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book brings to life one of the most creative (and necessary) human endeavors and makes understandable the incredible complexity of California agriculture, one of the world's most daring experiments in feeding itself. A valuable resource that should be read by everyone—not just those of us who farm, but all of us who depend on farms."—Michael Ableman, farmer, photographer, and author of From the Good Earth, On Good Land, and Fields of Plenty. "No understanding of this state is possible without an understanding of its agriculture; that's how important this subject is."—Gerald Haslam, author of Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California "A fascinating, intriguing, and sometimes even humorous exploration of California's agriculture, from broccoli to marijuana and beyond. At long last, a book everyday people can read to understand the state's biggest industry."—Louis Warren, University of California, Davis

In the Blood

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691210721
Total Pages : 236 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

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Book Synopsis In the Blood by : Robert Wuthnow

Download or read book In the Blood written by Robert Wuthnow and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A vivid and moving portrait of America's farm families Farming is essential to the American economy and our daily lives, yet few of us have much contact with farmers except through the food we eat. Who are America's farmers? Why is farming important to them? How are they coping with dramatic changes to their way of life? In the Blood paints a vivid and moving portrait of America’s farm families, shedding new light on their beliefs, values, and complicated relationship with the land. Drawing on more than two hundred in-depth interviews, Robert Wuthnow presents farmers in their own voices as they speak candidly about their family traditions, aspirations for their children, business arrangements, and conflicts with family members. They describe their changing relationships with neighbors, their shifting views about religion, and the subtle ways they defend their personal independence. Wuthnow shares the stories of farmers who operate dairies, raise livestock, and grow our fruit and vegetables. We hear from corn and soybean farmers, wheat-belt farmers, and cotton growers. We gain new insights into how farmers assign meaning to the land, and how they grapple with the increasingly difficult challenges of biotechnology and global markets. In the Blood reveals how, despite profound changes in modern agriculture, farming remains an enduring commitment that runs deeply in the veins of today’s farm families.

Cornucopia

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Publisher : Hamilton Books
ISBN 13 : 0761855971
Total Pages : 92 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (618 download)

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Book Synopsis Cornucopia by : D. Patrick Johnson

Download or read book Cornucopia written by D. Patrick Johnson and published by Hamilton Books. This book was released on 2011-12-16 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cornucopia explores the health and economic implications of U.S. farm policy. Using a corn farm in rural South Dakota as his starting point, Johnson reviews the history of agricultural policies in America to understand how large-scale, industrial agriculture came to play such a large role in U.S. and world food production. He also discusses the role of agricultural policies in the on-going "food for fuel" debate, as well as the linkages between agricultural outputs and health outcomes. As the U.S. battles with a burgeoning epidemic of dietary disease - including some of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension in the developed world - it is especially important to understand where our food comes from and its relation to health, nutrition, and economic mobility. Ensuring America's health and well-being requires us to first return to the farm.

The Good Farmer

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351749749
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (517 download)

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Book Synopsis The Good Farmer by : Rob J.F. Burton

Download or read book The Good Farmer written by Rob J.F. Burton and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-09-13 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Developed by leading authors in the field, this book offers a cohesive and definitive theorisation of the concept of the 'good farmer', integrating historical analysis, critique of contemporary applications of good farming concepts, and new case studies, providing a springboard for future research. The concept of the good farmer has emerged in recent years as part of a move away from attitude and economic-based understandings of farm decision-making towards a deeper understanding of culture and symbolism in agriculture. The Good Farmer shows why agricultural production is socially and culturally, as well as economically, important. It explores the history of the concept and its position in contemporary theory, as well as its use and meaning in a variety of different contexts, including landscape, environment, gender, society, and as a tool for resistance. By exploring the idea of the good farmer, it reveals the often-unforeseen assumptions implicit in food and agricultural policy that draw on culture, identity, and presumed notions of what is 'good'. The book concludes by considering the potential of the good farmer concept for addressing future, emerging issues in agriculture. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of food and agriculture and rural development, as well as professionals and policymakers involved in the food and agricultural industry.

Farming for Our Future

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781585762378
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (623 download)

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Book Synopsis Farming for Our Future by : PETER H.. ROSENBERG LEHNER (NATHAN A.)

Download or read book Farming for Our Future written by PETER H.. ROSENBERG LEHNER (NATHAN A.) and published by . This book was released on 2021-12-07 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Farming for Our Future examines the policies and legal reforms necessary to accelerate the adoption of practices that can make agriculture in the United States climate-neutral or better. These proven practices will also make our food system more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Agriculture's contribution to climate change is substantial--much more so than official figures suggest--and we will not be able to achieve our overall mitigation goals unless agricultural emissions sharply decline. Fortunately, farms and ranches can be a major part of the climate solution, while protecting biodiversity, strengthening rural communities, and improving the lives of the workers who cultivate our crops and rear our animals. The importance of agricultural climate solutions can not be underestimated; it is a critical element both in ensuring our food security and limiting climate change. This book provides essential solutions to address the greatest crises of our time.

Freedom Farmers

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Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 1469643707
Total Pages : 209 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (696 download)

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Book Synopsis Freedom Farmers by : Monica M. White

Download or read book Freedom Farmers written by Monica M. White and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2018-11-06 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In May 1967, internationally renowned activist Fannie Lou Hamer purchased forty acres of land in the Mississippi Delta, launching the Freedom Farms Cooperative (FFC). A community-based rural and economic development project, FFC would grow to over 600 acres, offering a means for local sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and domestic workers to pursue community wellness, self-reliance, and political resistance. Life on the cooperative farm presented an alternative to the second wave of northern migration by African Americans--an opportunity to stay in the South, live off the land, and create a healthy community based upon building an alternative food system as a cooperative and collective effort. Freedom Farmers expands the historical narrative of the black freedom struggle to embrace the work, roles, and contributions of southern Black farmers and the organizations they formed. Whereas existing scholarship generally views agriculture as a site of oppression and exploitation of black people, this book reveals agriculture as a site of resistance and provides a historical foundation that adds meaning and context to current conversations around the resurgence of food justice/sovereignty movements in urban spaces like Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York City, and New Orleans.

Farming for Us All

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Author :
Publisher : Penn State Press
ISBN 13 : 0271097906
Total Pages : 398 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis Farming for Us All by : Michael Mayerfeld Bell

Download or read book Farming for Us All written by Michael Mayerfeld Bell and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2024-02-20 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change. Habitat loss. Soil erosion. Groundwater depletion. Toxins in our food. Inhumane treatment of farm animals. Increasing farm worker exploitation. Hunger and malnutrition in the midst of plenty. What will it take for farmers in the United States to embrace sustainable practices? Michael Mayerfeld Bell’s Farming for Us All first tackled this question twenty years ago, providing crucial insight into how the structure of US agriculture created this situation and exploring, by contrast, the practices of farmers who are working together to radically change how they think, learn, and grow. This updated edition of his now-classic work reflects on the lessons learned over the past two decades. Constrained by an oppressive nexus of markets, regulations, subsidies, and technology, farmers find themselves undermining their own economic and social security as well as the security of the land. Bell turns to Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), that state’s largest sustainable-agriculture group. He traces how PFI creates an agriculture that engages others—farmers, researchers, officials, and consumers—in a common conversation about what agriculture could look like. Through dialogue, PFI members crossbreed knowledge, discovering pragmatic solutions to help crops grow in ways that sustain families, communities, societies, economies, and environments. Farming for Us All makes the case that for sustainable farming to flourish, new social relations are as important to cultivate as new crops. This book is necessary—and hopeful—reading for anyone concerned about the present and future of food and farming.