Text Book of Agricultural Heritage


Book Description

This book is intended as a text book for under-graduate students in agriculture It will be a valuable references to professional faculty members, agricultural scientists, and students. Agricultural heritage indicates the values and traditional practices and methods adopted in ancient India; moreover, it is relevant to present day agriculture for sustainable agriculture. Agricultural heritage increase awareness and implant a sense of pride amongst the people of the rich unique heritage of Indian agriculture, to know as our agriculture has sustainable practices for generations and to stimulate scientific research based on traditional technology. This book is intended as a text book for under graduate students in agriculture. It will be a valuable reference to professional faculty members, agricultural scientists, and students. The book is consisting of twelve chapters, providing in depth description of key contents, issues and topics. The first chapter introduces the Agricultural Heritage, the second chapter focuses on ancient agricultural practices, third chapter explains Past and present status of agriculture and farmers in society, fourth elaborates history of agricultural development, fifth describes indigenous technology knowledge in agriculture and allied agricultural sector, sixth is devoted to crop voyage. agriculture scope, importance of agriculture and agricultural resources available in India have been explained in seventh chapter, eighth is devoted to crop significance and classifications, ninth chapter highlights the national agriculture setup in India, tenth describes the current scenario of Indian agriculture, chapter eleventh depicted to Indian agricultural concerns and future prospects. Chapter twelve describes on Indian Council of Agriculture Research institutes and chapter thirteen focuses on different types of model questions. The books has got true reflections of 5th Dean’s Committee recommendations in giving the syllabuses for the students in under graduate level to the State Agricultural Universities in the country and legacy of referral works in continuation and to follow up present day modern agriculture. The book would come to help with much contribution to the students, researchers, planners and policy makers throughout the country and abroad.




Textbook of Agricultural Heritage


Book Description

The present book has been designed to cover the undergraduate syllabus of Agricultural Heritage as per ICAR 5th Deans' Committee report. It covers the entire syllabus in one concise volume, which is spread over in 16 chapters viz. introduction to Indian agricultural heritage, ancient agricultural practices and present day agriculture, past and present status of agriculture and farmers, astronomy: prediction of monsoon, ancient soil classification and soil fertility, irrigation and water harvesting, description of Indian civilization and agriculture by travellers, Indian agriculture from past to modern era, plant protection through indigenous traditional method, crop voyage in India and world, history of rice, sugarcane and cotton, gardening in ancient and medieval period: arbori-horticulture orchard, vegetable farming: floriculture perfumes and medicinal plants, crop significance and its classification, importance, scope, researches and national agricultural setup, current scenario of Indian agriculture. Presentation of the book is simple, lucid and unambiguous for easy understanding of the subject matter. It is hoped that this book will be greater use for undergraduate students of agriculture, teachers, extension workers and all other interested in agricultural heritage.




Forgotten Agricultural Heritage


Book Description

Contemporary agriculture is often criticized for its industrial scale, adverse effects on nutrition, rural employment and the environment, and its disconnectedness from nature and culture. Yet there are many examples of traditional smaller scale systems that have survived the test of time and provide more sustainable solutions while still maintaining food security in an era of climate change. This book provides a unique compilation of this forgotten agricultural heritage and is based on objective scientific evaluation and evidence of the value of these systems for present and future generations. The authors refer to many of these systems as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) and show how they are related to the concepts of heritage and the World Heritage Convention. They demonstrate how GIAHS based on family farms, traditional indigenous knowledge and agroecological principles can contribute to food and nutrition security and the maintenance of agro-biodiversity and environmental resilience, as well as sustain local cultures, economies and societies. Two substantial chapters are devoted to descriptions and assessments of some 50 examples of designated and potential GIAHS from around the world, including rice-fish culture in China, mountain terrace systems in Asia, coffee agroforestry in Latin America, irrigation systems and land and water management in Iran and India, pastoralism in East Africa, and the dehesa agrosilvopastoral system of Spain and Portugal. The book concludes by providing policy and technical solutions for sustainable agriculture and rural development through the enhancement of these systems.







Agriculture Heritage


Book Description

Agricultural heritage is an important book not only for the students pursuing a career in agriculture, but it is also for the people who have a keen interest in agriculture. The book sequentially explains the heritage of agriculture as it evolved. It describes the agriculture from the period it started and the conditions at that period, from Stone Age time. The book includes the insight of the global importance of the agricultural heritage system (GIAHS) journey of agriculture in India is an interesting story since it has a vast division of stages in it. This text is written to increase the understanding and significance of agriculture. It starts with the introduction of agriculture and the historical facts of it. Chapters maintain a continuous natural flow the information. The book is framed in the manner in which all the topics are covered in a compact form to reduce the exaggerated reading efforts.




Farming While Black


Book Description

Farming While Black is the first comprehensive "how to" guide for aspiring African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity as agriculturists and for all farmers to understand the distinct, technical contributions of African-heritage people to sustainable agriculture. At Soul Fire Farm, author Leah Penniman co-created the Black and Latino Farmers Immersion (BLFI) program as a container for new farmers to share growing skills in a culturally relevant and supportive environment led by people of color. Farming While Black organizes and expands upon the curriculum of the BLFI to provide readers with a concise guide to all aspects of small-scale farming, from business planning to preserving the harvest. Throughout the chapters Penniman uplifts the wisdom of the African diasporic farmers and activists whose work informs the techniques described--from whole farm planning, soil fertility, seed selection, and agroecology, to using whole foods in culturally appropriate recipes, sharing stories of ancestors, and tools for healing from the trauma associated with slavery and economic exploitation on the land. Woven throughout the book is the story of Soul Fire Farm, a national leader in the food justice movement.--AMAZON.




Restoring Heritage Grains


Book Description

Including recipes for baking with Einkorn Wheat is the most widely grown crop on our planet, yet industrial breeders have transformed this ancient staff of life into a commodity of yield and profit--witness the increase in gluten intolerance and 'wheat belly'. Modern wheat depends on synthetic fertilizer and herbicides that damage our health, land, water, and environment. Fortunately, heritage 'landrace' wheats that evolved over millennia in the organic fields of traditional farms do not need bio-chemical intervention to yield bountifully, are gluten-safe, have rich flavor and high nutrition. Yet the robust, majestic wheats that nourished our ancestors are on the verge of extinction. In Restoring Heritage Grains, author Eli Rogosa of the Heritage Grain Conservancy, invites readers to restore forgotten wheats such as delicious gluten-safe einkorn that nourished the first Neolithic farmers, emmer--the grain of ancient Israel, Egypt, and Rome that is perfect for pasta and flatbreads, rare durums that are drought-tolerant and high in protein, and many more little known wheat species, each of which have a lineage intertwined with the human species and that taste better than any modern wheat. Restoring Heritage Grains combines the history of grain growing and society, in-depth practical advice on landrace wheat husbandry, wheat folk traditions and mythology, and guidelines for the Neolithic diet with traditional recipes for rustic bread, pastry and beer. Discover the ancient grains that may be one of the best solutions to hunger today, and provide resilience for our future.




Against the Grain


Book Description

In this provocative, wide-ranging book, Against the Grain, Richard Manning offers a dramatically revisionist view of recent human evolution, beginning with the vast increase in brain size that set us apart from our primate relatives and brought an accompanying increase in our need for nourishment. For 290,000 years, we managed to meet that need as hunter-gatherers, a state in which Manning believes we were at our most human: at our smartest, strongest, most sensually alive. But our reliance on food made a secure supply deeply attractive, and eventually we embarked upon the agricultural experiment that has been the history of our past 10,000 years. The evolutionary road is littered with failed experiments, however, and Manning suggests that agriculture as we have practiced it runs against both our grain and nature's. Drawing on the work of anthropologists, biologists, archaeologists, and philosophers, along with his own travels, he argues that not only our ecological ills-overpopulation, erosion, pollution-but our social and emotional malaise are rooted in the devil's bargain we made in our not-so-distant past. And he offers personal, achievable ways we might re-contour the path we have taken to resurrect what is most sustainable and sustaining in our own nature and the planet's.




Long-Term Farming Systems Research


Book Description

Long-Term Farming Systems Research: Ensuring Food Security in Changing Scenarios presents the legacy and heritage of Long-Term Experiments (LTEs) in Agriculture while also addressing the challenges and potential solutions. The book discusses how LTEs form an important asset in understanding agriculture's significant influence on life on earth. As global governments and development agencies try to achieve the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, this book's content is of unprecedented importance, providing insights into the interactions of agricultural production with ecological, economic and societal aspects. In this regard, this book offers a thorough resource of information based on experiences from various ongoing LTEs in different parts of the world. The contextual variety and geographic diversity presented in this book makes it useful for agricultural and environmental scientists, as well as students and educators in such fields. --- From the Editors: "Thanks to the excellent panel of our contributing authors, in this book, we have attempted to offer the widest possible thematic and geographical coverage on LTEs. Experts from different institutions leading LTEs across the globe have provided their perspectives on different aspects of LTEs, not only highlighting the unique knowledge contribution of LTEs, but also discussing the unique challenges of effectively managing LTEs and maintaining their relevance to changing scenarios. We hope that this book will offer something for everyone interested in the history, present and future of our agroecosystem." - Provides a comprehensive resource of information generated in various LTEs across the globe, with a focus on various aspects of farming systems, crop management practices, plant, soil and human nutrition as well as on capacity development - Presents a holistic view on interactions of agricultural production and its relationship to the environment and society - Identifies challenges and lessons learned from different LTEs and provides recommendations for potential solutions




Bet the Farm


Book Description

"Eloquent and detailed...It's hard to have hope, but the organized observations and plans of Hoffman and people like her give me some. Read her book -- and listen." -- Jane Smiley, The Washington Post In her late 40s, Beth Hoffman decided to upend her comfortable life as a professor and journalist to move to her husband's family ranch in Iowa--all for the dream of becoming a farmer. There was just one problem: money. Half of America's two million farms made less than $300 in 2019, and many struggle just to stay afloat. Bet the Farm chronicles this struggle through Beth's eyes. She must contend with her father-in-law, who is reluctant to hand over control of the land. Growing oats is good for the environment but ends up being very bad for the wallet. And finding somewhere, in the midst of COVID-19, to slaughter grass finished beef is a nightmare. If Beth can't make it, how can farmers who confront racism, lack access to land, or don't have other jobs to fall back on hack it? Bet the Farm is a first-hand account of the perils of farming today and a personal exploration of more just and sustainable ways of producing food.