Download or read book Soil and Water Quality written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1993-02-01 with total page 541 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can the United States meet demands for agricultural production while solving the broader range of environmental problems attributed to farming practices? National policymakers who try to answer this question confront difficult trade-offs. This book offers four specific strategies that can serve as the basis for a national policy to protect soil and water quality while maintaining U.S. agricultural productivity and competitiveness. Timely and comprehensive, the volume has important implications for the Clean Air Act and the 1995 farm bill. Advocating a systems approach, the committee recommends specific farm practices and new approaches to prevention of soil degradation and water pollution for environmental agencies. The volume details methods of evaluating soil management systems and offers a wealth of information on improved management of nitrogen, phosphorus, manure, pesticides, sediments, salt, and trace elements. Landscape analysis of nonpoint source pollution is also detailed. Drawing together research findings, survey results, and case examples, the volume will be of interest to federal, state, and local policymakers; state and local environmental and agricultural officials and other environmental and agricultural specialists; scientists involved in soil and water issues; researchers; and agricultural producers.

Download or read book Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation written by Concetta Eliana Gattullo and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil degradation is one of the most topical environmental threats. A number of processes causing soil degradation, specifically erosion, compaction, salinization, pollution, and loss of both organic matter and soil biodiversity, are also strictly connected to agricultural activity and its intensification. The development and adoption of sustainable agronomic practices able to preserve and enhance the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils and improve agroecosystem functions is a challenge for both scientists and farmers. The Special Issue entitled “Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation” collects 12 original contributions addressing the state of the art of sustainable agriculture and soil conservation. The papers cover a wide range of topics, including organic agriculture, soil amendment and soil organic carbon (SOC) management, the impact of SOC on soil water repellency, the effects of soil tillage on the quantity of SOC associated with several fractions of soil particles and depth, and SOC prediction, using visible and near-infrared spectra and multivariate modeling. Moreover, the effects of some soil contaminants (e.g., crude oil, tungsten, copper, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are discussed or reviewed in light of the recent literature. The collection of the manuscripts presented in this Special Issue provides a relevant knowledge contribution for improving our understanding on sustainable agriculture and soil conservation, thus stimulating new views on this main topic.

Download or read book Taking Southeast Asia to Market written by Joseph Nevins and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2018-09-05 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent changes in the global economy and in Southeast Asian national political economies have led to new forms of commodity production and new commodities. Using insights from political economy and commodity studies, the essays in Taking Southeast Asia to Market trace the myriad ways recent alignments among producers, distributors, and consumers are affecting people and nature throughout the region. In case studies ranging from coffee and hardwood products to mushroom pickers and Vietnamese factory workers, the authors detail the Southeast Asian articulations of these processes while also discussing the broader implications of these shifts. Taken together, the cases show how commodities illuminate the convergence of changing social forces in Southeast Asia today, as they transform the terms, practices, and experiences of everyday life and politics in the global economy.

Download or read book World Agroforestry Into the Future written by Dennis P. Garrity and published by World Agroforestry Centre. This book was released on 2006 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Below ground Interactions in Tropical Agroecosystems written by Meine van Noordwijk and published by CABI. This book was released on 2004 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Below-grownd interactions are often seen as the 'dark side' of agroecosystems, especially when more than one crop is grown on the same piece of land at he same time. this book aims to review the amount of light he past decade of research has shed on this topic. It also aims to review ohw far we have come in unravelling the positive and negative aspects of these interactions and how, in dialogue with farmers, we can use the generic principles that are now emerging to look for sita-specifics solutions.

Download or read book Farmers taking the lead thirty years of farmer field schools written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Farmer Field School (FFS) has been one of the most successful approaches developed and promoted by FAO over the past three decades, empowering farmers to become better decision makers in their own farming systems. Initiated by FAO in 1989, and subsequently adopted by many other organizations and institutions, the FFS programs constitute one of the most important “results of the collective action of millions of small-scale farmers” that FAO has supported. FFS is an interactive and participatory learning by doing approach that offers farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolks, foresters and their communities a place where they can learn from each other,share experiences, co-create knowledge and try new ways of doing. Participants enhance their understanding of agro-ecosystems, resulting in production systems that are more resilient and optimize the use of available resources. FFS aims to improve farmers’ livelihoods and recognize their role as innovators and guardians of natural environments. FFS has attained plenty of outstanding achievements in all aspects of agriculture and rural development.

Download or read book Conservation Agriculture written by L. García-Torres and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In large parts of the developed and developing worlds soil tillage by plough or hoe is the main cause of land degradation leading to stagnating or even declining production levels and increasing production cost. It causes the soil to become more dense and compacted, the organic matter content to be reduced and water runoff and soil erosion to increase. It also leads to droughts becoming more severe and the soil becoming less fertile and less responsive to fertiliser. This book brings together the key notes lectures and other outstanding contributions of the I World Congress on Conservation Agriculture and provides an updated view of the environment and economic advantages of CA and of its implementation in diferent areas of the World.

Download or read book Save and Grow written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2018-06-22 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book offers a rich toolkit of relevant, adoptable ecosystem-based practices that can help the world's 500 million smallholder farm families achieve higher productivity, profitability and resource-use efficiency while enhancing natural capital.

Download or read book Soil and Culture written by Edward R. Landa and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-01-28 with total page 485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SOIL: beneath our feet / food and fiber / ashes to ashes, dust to dust / dirt!Soil has been called the final frontier of environmental research. The critical role of soil in biogeochemical processes is tied to its properties and place—porous, structured, and spatially variable, it serves as a conduit, buffer, and transformer of water, solutes and gases. Yet what is complex, life-giving, and sacred to some, is ordinary, even ugly, to others. This is the enigma that is soil. Soil and Culture explores the perception of soil in ancient, traditional, and modern societies. It looks at the visual arts (painting, textiles, sculpture, architecture, film, comics and stamps), prose & poetry, religion, philosophy, anthropology, archaeology, wine production, health & diet, and disease & warfare. Soil and Culture explores high culture and popular culture—from the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch to the films of Steve McQueen. It looks at ancient societies and contemporary artists. Contributors from a variety of disciplines delve into the mind of Carl Jung and the bellies of soil eaters, and explore Chinese paintings, African mud cloths, Mayan rituals, Japanese films, French comic strips, and Russian poetry.

Download or read book Handbook on climate information for farming communities What farmers need and what is available written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-05-31 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The content of this guide is twofold: to describe the most important weather and agroclimatic products that are available by the National Meteorological Service (NMS) and to identify the most important needs of farmers concerning climate information. Special consideration will be given to the local knowledge used by rural farmers, too often neglected, but a key factor to their ability to cope with climate variability and change. An additional objective of this guide is to improve communication among the NMS staff, in particular, meteorologists and agrometeorologists and to encourage Agro-Pastoral Field School (APFS) trainers and facilitators to be more aware of their respective availability. Furthermore, one of the most important aims is the exchange of agroclimatic information that corresponds to the needs of all concerned, thus facilitating the assessment of the existing climatic risks in farming activities. The integration of the Response Farming in Rainfed Agriculture (RF) approach into Farmer Field School (FFS) is feasibly an effective way to reconcile NMS products with the needs of farmers. RF is a method used for identifying and quantifying rainfall variability at a local level to assess the climatic risks of farming communities. The Climate-Responsive Farming Management (CRFM) approach is an enhanced version of RF that uses modern and digital technologies, such as specific computer software, automatic weather stations, real-time telecommunication and smartphone applications. This approach can be implemented at a minimum cost at the farming level.The integration of the Response Farming in Rainfed Agriculture (RF) approach into FFS is feasibly an effective way to reconcile NMS products with the needs of farmers. RF is a method used for identifying and quantifying rainfall variability at a local level to assess the climatic risks of farming communities. The Climate-Responsive Farming Management (CRFM) approach is an enhanced version of RF that uses modern and digital technologies, such as specific computer software, automatic weather stations, real-time telecommunication and smartphone applications. This approach can be implemented at a minimum cost at the farming level.

Download or read book Assessment and Modeling of Soil Functions or Soil Based Ecosystem Services Theory and Applications to Practical Problems written by Philippe C. Baveye and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2022-01-12 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Overview of water and soil nutrient management under smallholder rain fed agriculture in East Africa written by Mati, Bancy Mbura and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2006-05-02 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural extension / Agroforestry / Farmers’ associations / Non-governmental organizations / Fertilizers / Soil fertility / Water storage / Pitcher irrigation / Spate irrigation / Sugarcane / Bunds / Cropping systems / Ridging / Tillage / Terraces / Water harvesting / Water conservation / Soil conservation

Download or read book Environmental science understanding protecting and managing the environment in the Baltic Sea region written by Lars Rydén and published by Baltic University Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 780 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Economics of Conservation Agriculture written by and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conservation agriculture aims to make better use of agricultural resources through the integrated management of available soil, water and biological resources, combined with limited external inputs. This study examines the financial and non-financial factors that affect the adoption and success of conservation agriculture at farm, national and global levels.

Download or read book Local Environmental Management in a North South Perspective written by Manuel Flury and published by IOS Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can weaker sections of society exercise their rights and participate in the management of their physical environment? What factors enhance the development and adaptation of knowledge in view of sustainable natural resource management in rural as well as urban contexts? What roles do development agents such as public administration, community development organizations, training and research institutions and international development agencies assume in these regards?

Download or read book Biodiversity in Ecosystems written by Juan A. Blanco and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2015-04-17 with total page 644 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The term biodiversity has become a mainstream concept that can be found in any newspaper at any given time. Concerns on biodiversity protection are usually linked to species protection and extinction risks for iconic species, such as whales, pandas and so on. However, conserving biodiversity has much deeper implications than preserving a few (although important) species. Biodiversity in ecosystems is tightly linked to ecosystem functions such as biomass production, organic matter decomposition, ecosystem resilience, and others. Many of these ecological processes are also directly implied in services that the humankind obtains from ecosystems. The first part of this book will introduce different concepts and theories important to understand the links between ecosystem function and ecosystem biodiversity. The second part of the book provides a wide range of different studies showcasing the evidence and practical implications of such relationships.

Download or read book Improving Water Management Recent OECD Experience written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2003-02-21 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication brings together the recent work of the OECD on water management issues. It identifies the main policy challenges addressed by that work for sustainable water management.