Author : Devra Ivy Jarvis
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 520 pages
File Size : 27,52 MB
Release : 2007
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780231136488
Describes how farmers manage, maintain, and benefit from biodiversity in agricultural production systems. Includes the most recent research and developments in the maintenance of local diversity at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels.
Author : Krishna Kumar Choudhary
Publisher : Woodhead Publishing
Page : 486 pages
File Size : 20,53 MB
Release : 2019-05-04
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 0128175222
Climate Change and Agricultural Ecosystems explains the causative factors of climate change related to agriculture, soil and plants, and discusses the relevant resulting mitigation process. Agricultural ecosystems include factors from the surrounding areas where agriculture experiences direct or indirect interaction with the plants, animals, and microbes present. Changes in climatic conditions influence all the factors of agricultural ecosystems, which can potentially adversely affect their productivity. This book summarizes the different aspects of vulnerability, adaptation, and amelioration of climate change in respect to plants, crops, soil, and microbes for the sustainability of the agricultural sector and, ultimately, food security for the future. It also focuses on the utilization of information technology for the sustainability of the agricultural sector along with the capacity and adaptability of agricultural societies under climate change. Climate Change and Agricultural Ecosystems incorporates both theoretical and practical aspects, and serves as base line information for future research. This book is a valuable resource for those working in environmental sciences, soil sciences, agricultural microbiology, plant pathology, and agronomy. - Covers the role of chemicals fertilizers, environmental deposition, and xenobiotics in climate change - Discusses the impact of climate change on plants, soil, microflora, and agricultural ecosystems - Explores the mitigation of climate change by sustainable methods - Presents the role of computational modelling in climate change mitigation
Author : Jules N. Pretty
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 41,66 MB
Release : 2012-06-25
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1136529276
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.
Author : Mark A. Sutton
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 665 pages
File Size : 30,99 MB
Release : 2011-04-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 1139501372
Presenting the first continental-scale assessment of reactive nitrogen in the environment, this book sets the related environmental problems in context by providing a multidisciplinary introduction to the nitrogen cycle processes. Issues of upscaling from farm plot and city to national and continental scales are addressed in detail with emphasis on opportunities for better management at local to global levels. The five key societal threats posed by reactive nitrogen are assessed, providing a framework for joined-up management of the nitrogen cycle in Europe, including the first cost-benefit analysis for different reactive nitrogen forms and future scenarios. Incorporating comprehensive maps, a handy technical synopsis and a summary for policy makers, this landmark volume is an essential reference for academic researchers across a wide range of disciplines, as well as stakeholders and policy makers. It is also a valuable tool in communicating the key environmental issues and future challenges to the wider public.
Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 33,30 MB
Release : 1996-03-21
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 030917578X
Widespread use of broad-spectrum chemical pesticides has revolutionized pest management. But there is growing concern about environmental contamination and human health risksâ€"and continuing frustration over the ability of pests to develop resistance to pesticides. In Ecologically Based Pest Management, an expert committee advocates the sweeping adoption of ecologically based pest management (EBPM) that promotes both agricultural productivity and a balanced ecosystem. This volume offers a vision and strategies for creating a solid, comprehensive knowledge base to support a pest management system that incorporates ecosystem processes supplemented by a continuum of inputsâ€"biological organisms, products, cultivars, and cultural controls. The result will be safe, profitable, and durable pest management strategies. The book evaluates the feasibility of EBPM and examines how best to move beyond optimal examples into the mainstream of agriculture. The committee stresses the need for information, identifies research priorities in the biological as well as socioeconomic realm, and suggests institutional structures for a multidisciplinary research effort. Ecologically Based Pest Management addresses risk assessment, risk management, and public oversight of EBPM. The volume also overviews the history of pest managementâ€"from the use of sulfur compounds in 1000 B.C. to the emergence of transgenic technology. Ecologically Based Pest Management will be vitally important to the agrichemical industry; policymakers, regulators, and scientists in agriculture and forestry; biologists, researchers, and environmental advocates; and interested growers.
Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
Page : 156 pages
File Size : 38,68 MB
Release : 2018-04-30
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9251305056
This document presents key messages and the state-of-the-art of soil pollution, its implications on food safety and human health. It aims to set the basis for further discussion during the forthcoming Global Symposium on Soil Pollution (GSOP18), to be held at FAO HQ from May 2nd to 4th 2018. The publication has been reviewed by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soil (ITPS) and contributing authors. It addresses scientific evidences on soil pollution and highlights the need to assess the extent of soil pollution globally in order to achieve food safety and sustainable development. This is linked to FAO’s strategic objectives, especially SO1, SO2, SO4 and SO5 because of the crucial role of soils to ensure effective nutrient cycling to produce nutritious and safe food, reduce atmospheric CO2 and N2O concentrations and thus mitigate climate change, develop sustainable soil management practices that enhance agricultural resilience to extreme climate events by reducing soil degradation processes. This document will be a reference material for those interested in learning more about sources and effects of soil pollution.
Author : T. R. New
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 369 pages
File Size : 10,92 MB
Release : 2005-03-31
Category : Nature
ISBN : 0521825032
Invertebrate Conservation and Agricultural Ecosystems explores the diverse interests of invertebrate conservation and agricultural production. It is both an introduction to invertebrate conservation biology for agriculturists and an introduction to crop protection for conservation biologists, demonstrating how these two disparate fields may draw on each other for greater collective benefit. It draws on recent literature to show how invertebrate conservation in highly altered landscapes may be promoted and enhanced. The book deals with problems of, and approaches to, invertebrate conservation in highly managed agricultural ecosystems, and how biodiversity may be promoted without compromising agricultural production. It draws attention to the importance of invertebrates in agricultural systems and their role in ecosystem functions.
Author : Kuldeep Singh
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 36,79 MB
Release : 2024-04-16
Category : Computers
ISBN : 1394242948
Digital Agricultural Ecosystem The book comprehensively explores the dynamic synergy between modern technology and agriculture, showcasing how advancements such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and smart farming practices are reshaping the landscape to ensure food security in the era of climate change, as well as bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and practical implementation. Agriculture has historically been the foundation of human civilization and benefits communities all around the world. Agriculture has a creative, adaptable, and innovative history, and as the digital age draws closer, agriculture is once again poised for change. Each of the 20 chapters explores the connection between agricultural and technological advancements, and are divided into four key areas. Part 1 covers knowledge sharing in the digital agricultural ecosystem. In the context of modern agriculture, the chapters underscore the importance of information flow. Through comprehensive reviews of literature and assessments of farmer participation on social media platforms, these chapters illustrate the value of information sharing for sustainable agriculture. Part 2 explores the adoption and impact of digital technologies in agriculture. The use of cutting-edge digital technologies in agriculture is examined thoroughly in this section. The chapters included here outline how precision, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology have the potential to transform methods of agriculture and improve food systems. Part 3 addresses smart farming and sustainable agriculture. This section focuses on sustainability and offers details on eco-friendly production methods, the significance of smart farming in many nations, including India and the UK, and cost-effective fertilizer sprayer technologies. Part 4 examines the modeling and analysis of agricultural systems. This last section explores how mathematical modeling and data analytics are used in agricultural systems, with insights on everything from the study of credit access constraints in rural regions to water resource management in irrigation systems. Audience The diverse readership includes farmers, agronomists, agricultural researchers, policymakers, environmentalists, information technologists, and students from academic and professional fields who are eager to learn more about how digital innovation and sustainable agriculture can be used to address global issues such as climate change, food security, and smart farming.
Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 340 pages
File Size : 16,34 MB
Release : 2015-06-17
Category : Medical
ISBN : 030930783X
How we produce and consume food has a bigger impact on Americans' well-being than any other human activity. The food industry is the largest sector of our economy; food touches everything from our health to the environment, climate change, economic inequality, and the federal budget. From the earliest developments of agriculture, a major goal has been to attain sufficient foods that provide the energy and the nutrients needed for a healthy, active life. Over time, food production, processing, marketing, and consumption have evolved and become highly complex. The challenges of improving the food system in the 21st century will require systemic approaches that take full account of social, economic, ecological, and evolutionary factors. Policy or business interventions involving a segment of the food system often have consequences beyond the original issue the intervention was meant to address. A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System develops an analytical framework for assessing effects associated with the ways in which food is grown, processed, distributed, marketed, retailed, and consumed in the United States. The framework will allow users to recognize effects across the full food system, consider all domains and dimensions of effects, account for systems dynamics and complexities, and choose appropriate methods for analysis. This report provides example applications of the framework based on complex questions that are currently under debate: consumption of a healthy and safe diet, food security, animal welfare, and preserving the environment and its resources. A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System describes the U.S. food system and provides a brief history of its evolution into the current system. This report identifies some of the real and potential implications of the current system in terms of its health, environmental, and socioeconomic effects along with a sense for the complexities of the system, potential metrics, and some of the data needs that are required to assess the effects. The overview of the food system and the framework described in this report will be an essential resource for decision makers, researchers, and others to examine the possible impacts of alternative policies or agricultural or food processing practices.
Author : Dharmendra K. Gupta
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 214 pages
File Size : 37,92 MB
Release : 2019-10-24
Category : Science
ISBN : 3030216381
This book examines the way that lead enters the biosphere and the subsequent environmental impact. The contributing authors include international experts who provide methods for assessing and characterizing the ecological risk of lead contamination of soil and plants. Information is provided on the consequences for human health as a result of lead pollution. This book reveals that approximately 98% of stable lead in the atmosphere originates from human activities. Lead in Plants and the Environment reports on methods for detecting, measuring, and assessing the concentration of lead in plants. The authors provide a method for the measurement of 210Pb isotopes in plants. This method can be applied extensively in different environmental settings, not only as a way of revealing sources of lead, but also as a way to monitor lead transport in plants and animals that ingest them. The chapters include coverage on the following topics: · Lead bioavailability in the environment and its exposure and effects · Radioanalytical methods for detecting and identifying trace concentrations of lead in the environment · Lead contamination and its dynamics in soil plant systems · Lead pollution monitoring and remediation through terrestrial plants in mesocosm constructed wetlands · A review of phytoremediation of lead This book is a valuable resource to students, academics, researchers, and environmental professionals doing field work on lead contamination throughout the world.
