Land Use Diversification for Sustainable Rainfed Agriculture


Book Description

Rainfed Agriculture Has A Distinct Place In Indian Agriculture, Occupying 68 Per Cent Of The Total Cultivated Area And Supporting 40 Per Cent Of Human And 60 Per Cent Of Livestock Population. Agriculture In Rainfed Areas Continues To Be A Gamble Because Farmers In The Rainfed Region Face Many Uncertainties. In The Light Of Growing Population And Demand To Increase The Food Production Especially In The Developing Countries With Arid And Csemi-Arid Climate, This Book Mainly Focuses On The Land Use Diversification Involving Multi-Disciplinary Approaches For Sustainability In The Rainfed Regions.The Present Book Consists Of Twenty-Three Articles In All By Experts From Various Central & State Government Organisations, Agricultural Universities And Research Organisations Concerned With Rainfed Agriculture. These Articles, Covering Various Aspects Of Land Use Diversification For Sustainable Rainfed Agriculture, Have Been Arranged Into Five Sections: (A) Diversification: Need Of The Hour, (B) Natural Resources Dynamics, (C) Alternate Land Uses, (D) Case Studies, And (E) Capacity Building. Each Of The Articles Is Highly Informative And It Is Hoped That This Book Will Give An Interesting Insight Into The Varied Rainfed Agriculture Related Problems In India. It Highlights The Possible Measures Sustainable Management Of Land And Water Resources, Land Use Diversification, Alternate Land Uses Based On Climate, Soil And Crop Suitability, Etc. That Would Help Increase The Cropland As Well As Crop And Fodder Production In Rainfed Areas. The Present Book Enriched With Selected Case Studies Will Be Particularly Useful For Students, Teachers, Researchers And Scientists Working In The Area Of Rainfed Agriculture And Agricultural Planning For Sustainable Development.




Sustainable Intensification


Book Description

Continued population growth, rapidly changing consumption patterns and the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are driving limited resources of food, energy, water and materials towards critical thresholds worldwide. These pressures are likely to be substantial across Africa, where countries will have to find innovative ways to boost crop and livestock production to avoid becoming more reliant on imports and food aid. Sustainable agricultural intensification - producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts - represents a solution for millions of African farmers. This volume presents the lessons learned from 40 sustainable agricultural intensification programmes in 20 countries across Africa, commissioned as part of the UK Government's Foresight project. Through detailed case studies, the authors of each chapter examine how to develop productive and sustainable agricultural systems and how to scale up these systems to reach many more millions of people in the future. Themes covered include crop improvements, agroforestry and soil conservation, conservation agriculture, integrated pest management, horticulture, livestock and fodder crops, aquaculture, and novel policies and partnerships.




Agroecological Practices For Sustainable Agriculture: Principles, Applications, And Making The Transition


Book Description

Good agroecological practices are indispensable for the development of sustainable agriculture. In this book, principles, diversity and applications of agroecological practices for a range of systems are presented, transforming scientific research and participatory knowledge of production into practical application. It illustrates a broad range of research and teaching being used within the farming community to demonstrate best practice and current state-of-play within the field. Agroecological methods used in crop farming, grass-based livestock farming, fish production, and other complex farming systems are discussed. Conclusions are drawn from studies to provide an outlook on future trends of agroecological practices and on policies supporting implementation.Due to emphasis on real-life application, it is relevant not only to students of the agricultural sciences and public policy, but also to researchers, stakeholders and policy makers involved in the development of sustainable agriculture.




The Nile Basin


Book Description

The supply and management of fresh water for the world’s billions of inhabitants is likely to be one of the most daunting challenges of the coming century. For countries that share river basins with others, questions of how best to use and protect precious water resources always become entangled in complex political, legal, environmental, and economic considerations. This book focuses on the issues that face all international river basins by examining in detail the Nile Basin and the ten countries that lay claim to its waters. John Waterbury applies collective action theory and international relations theory to the challenges of the ten Nile nations. Confronting issues ranging from food security and famine prevention to political stability, these countries have yet to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of how to manage the Nile’s resources. Waterbury proposes a series of steps leading to the formulation of environmentally sound policies and regulations by individual states, the establishment of accords among groups of states, and the critical participation of third-party sources of funding like the World Bank. He concludes that if there is to be a solution to the dilemmas of the Nile Basin countries, it must be based upon contractual understandings, brokered by third-party funders, and based on the national interests of each basin state. “This excellent book makes a significant contribution to the rational discussion of Nile conflicts and should be helpful to many of the other 282 international river basins facing similar problems.”—Peter P. Rogers, Harvard University




Agroforestry - The Future of Global Land Use


Book Description

This volume contains a solid body of the current state of knowledge on the various themes and activities in agroforestry worldwide. It is organized into three sections: the Introduction section consists of the summaries of six keynote speeches at the 2nd World Congress of Agroforestry held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2009; that is followed by two sections of peer-reviewed thematic chapters grouped as “Global Perspectives” (seven chapters) and “Regional Perspectives” (eleven chapters), authored by professional leaders in their respective agroforestry-related fields worldwide. A total of 130 professionals from institutions in 33 countries in both developing and the industrialized temperate regions of the world contributed to the book as chapter authors and/or reviewers. Thus, the book presents a comprehensive and authoritative account of the global picture of agroforestry today.




Rainfed Farming Systems


Book Description

While a good grasp of the many separate aspects of agriculture is important, it is equally essential for all those involved in agriculture to understand the functioning of the farming system as a whole and how it can be best managed. It is necessary to re-assess and understand rain-fed farming systems around the world and to find ways to improve the selection, design and operation of such systems for long term productivity, profitability and sustainability. The components of the system must operate together efficiently; yet many of the relationships and interactions are not clearly understood. Appreciation of these matters and how they are affected by external influences or inputs are important for decision making and for achieving desirable outcomes for the farm as a whole. This book analyses common rain-fed farming systems and defines the principles and practices important to their effective functioning and management.




Farming Systems and Poverty


Book Description

A joint FAO and World Bank study which shows how the farming systems approach can be used to identify priorities for the reduction of hunger and poverty in the main farming systems of the six major developing regions of the world.




Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century: The New Dynamic


Book Description

Farming Systems Research has three core characteristics: it builds on systems thinking, it depends on the close collaboration between social and biophysical sciences, and it relies on participation to build co-learning processes. Farming Systems Research posits that to contribute towards sustainable rural development, both interdisciplinary collaborations and local actor engagement are needed. Together, they allow for changes in understanding and changes in practices. This book gives an overview of the insights generated in 20 years of Farming Systems Research. It retraces the emergence and development of Farming Systems Research in Europe, summarises the state-of-the-art for key areas, and provides an outlook on new explorations, especially those tackling the dynamic nature of farming systems and their interaction with the natural environment and the context of action.




Dryland Opportunities


Book Description

Drylands cover 41 percent of the earth' s terrestrial surface. The urgency of and international response to climate change have given a new place to drylands in terms both of their vulnerability to predicted climate change impacts and their potential contribution to climate change mitigation. This book aims to apply the new scientific insights on complex dryland systems to practical options for development. A new dryland paradigm is built on the resources and capacities of dryland peoples, on new and emergent economic opportunities, on inward investment, and on the best support that dryland science can offer.




Integrated Watershed Management in Rainfed Agriculture


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive presentation of the realization of improved rainfed agriculture yield in semi-arid and dry land areas. The incentive of watershed programs is to increase the return on investment with over 20% for 65% of the projects that are currently underperforming. Besides techniques to improve the livelihood of the many small