Download or read book Organic Food and Farming written by Shauna M. McIntyre and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2021-03-17 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic Food and Farming: A Reference Handbook is a valuable resource for students and general readers curious about the history, evolution, and growth of the organic food movement. Organic Food and Farming: A Reference Handbook begins with a deep dive into the origins of organic farming, offering a clear discussion of what constitutes organic production and how that has changed over time. Next, the volume provides a comprehensive overview of growth of organics as both an industry and a social movement and the inherent challenges that occur from trying to be both. The book additionally covers controversial issues and challenges, along with good news about what is working and what is possible. Included are essays by scholars, farmers, and experts working with NGOs as well as profiles of key people and organizations in the organic sector. Additional chapters include data and documents, a comprehensive resource list, and a detailed chronology of the key events in the history of the organic sector. Distinguishing it from others that laud or dismiss organic food and farming practices is this book's objective nature, which allows it to be used as a definitive resource on the topic.

Download or read book Organic Food and Farming in China written by Steffanie Scott and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-09-13 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite reports of food safety and quality scandals, China has a rapidly expanding organic agriculture and food sector, and there is a revolution in ecological food and ethical eating in China’s cities. This book shows how a set of social, economic, cultural, and environmental conditions have converged to shape the development of a "formal" organic sector, created by "top-down" state-developed standards and regulations, and an "informal" organic sector, created by ‘bottom-up’ grassroots struggles for safe, healthy, and sustainable food. This is generating a new civil movement focused on ecological agriculture and quality food. Organic movements and markets have typically emerged in industrialized food systems that are characterized by private land ownership, declining small farm sectors, consolidated farm to retail chains, predominance of supermarket retail, standards and laws to safeguard food safety, and an active civil society sector. The authors contrast this with the Chinese context, with its unique version of "capitalism with social characteristics," collective farmland ownership, and predominance of smallholder agriculture and emerging diverse marketing channels. China’s experience also reflects a commitment to domestic food security, evolving food safety legislation, and a civil society with limited autonomy from a semi-authoritarian state that keeps shifting the terrain of what is permitted. The book will be of great interest to advanced students and researchers of agricultural and food systems and policy, as well as rural sociology and Chinese studies.

Download or read book Resetting the Table written by Robert Paarlberg and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2022-03-08 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bold, science-based corrective to the groundswell of misinformation about food and how it's produced, examining in detail local and organic food, food companies, nutrition labeling, ethical treatment of animals, environmental impact, and every other aspect from farm to table. Consumers want to know more about their food—including the farm from which it came, the chemicals used to grow it, its nutritional value, how the animals were treated, and the costs to the environment. They are being told that buying organic foods, unprocessed and sourced from small local farms, is the most healthful and sustainable option. But what if we’re wrong? In Resetting the Table, Robert Paarlberg reviews the evidence and finds abundant reason to disagree. He delineates the ways in which global food markets have in fact improved our diet, and how "industrial" farming has recently turned green, thanks to GPS-guided precision methods that cut energy use and chemical pollution. He makes clear that America's serious obesity crisis does not come from farms, or from food deserts, but instead from "food swamps" created by food companies, retailers, and restaurant chains. And he explains how, though animal welfare is lagging behind, progress can be made through continued advocacy, more progressive regulations, and perhaps plant-based imitation meat. He finds solutions that can make sense for farmers and consumers alike and provides a road map through the rapidly changing worlds of food and farming, laying out a practical path to bring the two together.

Download or read book Tomorrow s Table written by Pamela C. Ronald and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-01-08 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the year 2050, Earth's population will double. If we continue with current farming practices, vast amounts of wilderness will be lost, millions of birds and billions of insects will die, and the public will lose billions of dollars as a consequence of environmental degradation. Clearly, there must be a better way to meet the need for increased food production. Written as part memoir, part instruction, and part contemplation, Tomorrow's Table argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture--genetic engineering and organic farming--is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. Pamela Ronald, a geneticist, and her husband, Raoul Adamchak, an organic farmer, take the reader inside their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders so that we can see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. The reader sees the problems that farmers face, trying to provide larger yields without resorting to expensive or environmentally hazardous chemicals, a problem that will loom larger and larger as the century progresses. They learn how organic farmers and geneticists address these problems. This book is for consumers, farmers, and policy decision makers who want to make food choices and policy that will support ecologically responsible farming practices. It is also for anyone who wants accurate information about organic farming, genetic engineering, and their potential impacts on human health and the environment.

Download or read book Organic Farming written by Peter Fossel and published by Voyageur Press. This book was released on 2014-06-15 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic Farming is the seed you need to get your organic farm growing. This essential guidebook explains everything you need to know to begin and maintain a healthy, productive, and profitable organic farm, from organic certification to planting crops to marketing your produce. If you’re thinking of starting an organic farm or making the transition to organics, you’re in good company. The market for organic food increases every year, as does the number of organic producers: in the past two decades, the number of organic farms and businesses has more than tripled. And whether you’re growing crops or raising animals, you’ll need some helpful advice as you get started. Organic Farming can help—its pages are full of inspiring and educational wisdom from author Peter V. Fossel, who has farmed organically for more than 25 years. Find out how to farm without pesticides, how to find your way through the rules and regulations surrounding organic certification, and how to develop a marketing strategy. A list of resources also points the way to other books, websites, and organizations that focus on organic farming, including state standards. Organic Farming is the ideal practical handbook to fulfilling your dreams.

Download or read book Organic Food Farming and Culture written by Janet Chrzan and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-10 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook provides students with a comprehensive introduction to organic food and farming. Janet Chrzan, Jacqueline A Ricotta, and contributors explain organic food and organic farming principles; the history of organics; how organic food is grown, distributed, and consumes; the nutritional benefits; and the social and cultural meanings attached to the concept "organic". An engaging introduction to organic agriculture, this book is essential reading for those interested in food studies, sustainable agriculture, food security, environmental studies, nutrition, and health.--COVER.

Download or read book Organic Farming Prototype for Sustainable Agricultures written by Stéphane Bellon and published by Springer Science & Business. This book was released on 2014-04-23 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stakeholders show a growing interest for organic food and farming (OF&F), which becomes a societal component. Rather than questioning whether OF&F outperforms conventional agriculture or not, the main question addressed in this book is how, and in what conditions, OF&F may be considered as a prototype towards sustainable agricultures. The book gathers 25 papers introduced in a first chapter. The first section investigates OF&F production processes and its capacity to benefit from the systems functioning to achieve higher self-sufficiency. The second one proposes an overview of organic performances providing commodities and public goods. The third one focuses on organics development pathways within agri-food systems and territories. As well as a strong theoretical component, this book provides an overview of the new challenges for research and development. It questions the benefits as well as knowledge gaps with a particular emphasis on bottlenecks and lock-in effects at various levels.

Download or read book Safety and Practice for Organic Food written by Debabrata Biswas and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2019-06-06 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Safety and Practice for Organic Food covers current food safety issues and trends. It provides detailed information on all organic and pasture practices including produce-only, farm-animal-only or integrated crop-livestock farming, as well as the impact of these practices on food safety and foodborne infections. The book explores food products that organic, integrated and traditional farming systems are contributing to consumers. As the demand for organic food products grows faster than ever, this book discusses current and improved practices for safer products. Moreover, the book explores progressive directions, such as the application of next-generation sequencing and genomics to aid in the understanding of the microbial ecology of the agro-environment and how farmer education can contribute to sustainable and safe food. Safety and Practice for Organic Food is a unique source of organic agricultural practices and food production for researchers, academics and professionals at agriculture-based universities and colleges who are involved in food science, animal sciences including poultry science, food safety, food microbiology, plant science and agricultural extension. This book is also an excellent source of information for regulators and federal government officials (USDA, FDA, EPA) and the food processing industry. Discusses limitations in pre-harvest and post-harvest level practices with specific information on risk and bio-security of existing organic production systems Explores policies and guidelines for organic food production and future directions for safer and more sustainable management Presents microbial and other biological hazards at pre-harvest and post-harvest levels

Download or read book Organic Food written by Maurizio Canavari and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-12-31 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book gives an overview of the organic food sector, both in Italy and in the US. It covers economic issues raised by organic farming, taking into account the consumer's needs but also the managerial and budget constraints experienced by the farmers. The book also details how agricultural economists perform analyses dealing with organic produce at different points in the supply chain.

Download or read book Organic Agriculture in the United States written by Renee Johnson and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Contents: (1) Background; (2) Organic Sector Statistics; (3) The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990; (4) USDA Regulatory Activity: Access to Pasture Controversy; Organic Farmed Fish Controversy; (5) Major Organic Provisions in the 2002 Farm Bill: Cost-Sharing Start-Up Costs; Research; (6) Organic Agriculture in the 2008 Farm Bill: Certification Cost-Sharing; Organic Conversion Cost-Sharing; Research; Data Collection and Analysis; Crop Insurance; Support for a National Organic Program Administration; Other Provisions. Charts and tables.

Download or read book Organic Agriculture written by Jack L. Roberts and published by Twenty-First Century Books. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once embraced only by environmentalists and "health nuts," the organic agriculture movement is flourishing in the United States. With this popularity has come a heated national debate. Supporters of organic farming are concerned about the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, growth-hormones, and genetic modification in traditional agriculture. They favor natural farming practices, which they believe produce healthier food, as well as being safer for the environment and more humane to livestock. Defenders of conventional agriculturists question the health benefits and financial costs of organic foods. They also worry that organic agriculture cannot feed the world's growing population. To make sense of this debate, Organic Agriculture takes a hard look at statistics, legislation, and expert opinions from both sides of the issue. It asks tough questions such as: • Does conventional agriculture endanger the environment and human health? • What are the benefits and drawbacks of genetically modified crops and livestock? • Are organic methods of raising livestock more humane? • Is organic food safer and more nutritious than conventionally grown food? • What are the pros and cons of labeling certified organic products? To answer these questions, this book examines the history of the organic movement. It provides a variety of studies, reporting, and opinions from scientists, farmers, activists, agribusiness leaders, journalists, consumer groups, and ordinary Americans. Supplemented with quotes, anecdotes, and discussions from the pages of USA TODAY, The Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, this book will broaden your understanding of all sides of the issue and help you form your own opinion, either for or against organic agriculture.

Download or read book Organic Hobby Farming written by Andy Tomolonis and published by Fox Chapel Publishing. This book was released on 2014-04-29 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Organic Hobby Farming, Andy Tomolonis, a longtime organic gardener, part-time hobby farmer, and award-winning Boston-area journalist, strips down the concept of "organic" and explains why natural farming has emerged as the healthiest and most viable method of growing for hobby farms and other small-scale operations. In addition to the improved taste and the appeal of excluding toxic materials, organic farming benefits farmers, their families, and the environment. It offers economic plusses as well. The current consumer demand for "local" and "organic" food underscores the need for small hobby farms that offer unique high-end goods. Tomolonis explains the basic principles of organic farming and describes how hobby farmers and their families can eat healthier, save money, help preserve the environment, and even turn their passion into a small-scale side business.Chapter 1 will help you assess the land you live on to determine whether it's suited for organic vegetables, fruit, berries, or livestock. Farmers who are looking to lease or buy land will find practical advice on how to evaluate properties and find their best use, taking climate, soil, water and geography into consideration. In Chapter 2, Tomolonis continues with practical advice on how to choose the right tools without overspending;starting slowly with quality hand implements and then expanding as you determine the need for costlier power equipment.Chapter 3 moves on to the heart of any successful organic farm;building the soil. "The Good Earth" brings readers down to earth, i.e., the soil. You'll learn how to evaluate and improve your soil with compost and cover crops and protect it from erosion, chemical contamination and other harm. The author also stresses the importance of understanding the complex relationship between underground soil organisms that play such a crucial role in natural plant health. The best soil, with the right balance of nutrients and a healthy population of microbes, will help your plants survive hardship, resist diseases and produce healthier more bountiful harvests, the author explains.Chapter 4 walks you through the steps needed to develop an organized farm plan. The chapter presents a convenient month-by-month overview of the farmer's year, offering a timeline and detailed instructions for sowing seeds indoors, transplanting seedlings, guarding against insects and weeds, harvesting, planting cover crops extending the season and developing a schedule for successive food crops. Whether you want to feed your growing family all summer long or produce enough food for a small-scale agribusiness, the information here is invaluable. This chapter also covers organic methods for harnessing the power of nature by luring beneficial insects that will help control farm and garden pests.Learn about heirlooms, hybrids, and eclectic vegetable varieties in the comprehensive directory of vegetable crops and herbs introduced in Chapter 5. Tomolonis reveals his favorite varieties, including many alluring heirlooms that have grown in popularity. Each crop description offers detailed information on soil preparation, sowing, companion planting, and battling weeds and insects without harmful chemicals. The author, a former produce manager for a national grocery chain, also includes tips for harvesting crops, prepping them for display, and bringing the goods to market.If you're looking for advice on fruits and berries, Organic Hobby Farms introduces new options in Chapter 6, where the author suggests ways to branch out with Asian pears, peaches, and apples, as well as nutritious blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. As he does in other chapters, Tomolonis explains in common terms, how to choose the best varieties for your region, prepare the soil for maximum production, and deal with pests and diseases organically.Organic Hobby Farming also describes the basics of adding chickens to your farm;for wholesome organic eggs or pastured meat. Select the right breeds, raise a flock from day-old chicks and protect the birds from predators and pests the natural way. Tomolonis also delves into the fascinating world of apiculture in Chapter 8. He and his wife, Valerie, are avid beekeepers with hives that produce gallons of healthy unpasteurized local honey. In addition to bees, the book provides insight into keeping such small livestock as meat rabbits and dairy goats.Hobby farmers who want to turn their agricultural skills into a money-making operation will find practical advice in Chapter 9, which discusses commercial options. Learn how to sell your goods to local restaurants, at farmers' markets, or as part of a community-supported-agriculture (CSA) program. And, once you make a decision to turn commercial, you'll find advice in developing a business plan, crafting a mission statement, setting goals, and creating farm budgets. You'll also learn the myriad benefits;and challenges;of becoming USDA certified organic.Finally, Organic Hobby Farming steers you to multiple sources of additional information with an extensive listing of resources, broken down by subject and chapter. With Organic Hobby Farming, creative-thinking readers will learn ways to increase the profitability of their organic ventures. The reader can decide to transform his hobby farm into a specialty destination for heirloom varieties, organic raw honey, preserves, dried herbs, or a particularly desirable breed of heritage livestock.As Tomolonis states in the book's introduction, "eat safer, more nutritious food, learn about your soil and plants, support the local food movement and help save the planet;one acre at a time."

Download or read book Organic Food and Farming written by Shauna M. McIntyre and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2021-03-17 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic Food and Farming: A Reference Handbook is a valuable resource for students and general readers curious about the history, evolution, and growth of the organic food movement. Organic Food and Farming: A Reference Handbook begins with a deep dive into the origins of organic farming, offering a clear discussion of what constitutes organic production and how that has changed over time. Next, the volume provides a comprehensive overview of growth of organics as both an industry and a social movement and the inherent challenges that occur from trying to be both. The book additionally covers controversial issues and challenges, along with good news about what is working and what is possible. Included are essays by scholars, farmers, and experts working with NGOs as well as profiles of key people and organizations in the organic sector. Additional chapters include data and documents, a comprehensive resource list, and a detailed chronology of the key events in the history of the organic sector. Distinguishing it from others that laud or dismiss organic food and farming practices is this book's objective nature, which allows it to be used as a definitive resource on the topic.

Download or read book The Organic No Till Farming Revolution written by Andrew Mefferd and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2019-03-05 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn how to use natural no-till systems to increase profitability, efficiency, carbon sequestration, and soil health on your small farm. The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution is the comprehensive farmer-developed roadmap showing how no-till lowers barriers to starting a small farm, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency and profitability, and promotes soil health. Farming without tilling has long been a goal of agriculture, yet tilling remains one of the most dominant paradigms; almost everyone does it. But tilling kills beneficial soil life, burns up organic matter, and releases carbon dioxide. If the ground could instead be prepared for planting without tilling, time and energy could be saved, soil organic matter increased, carbon sequestered, and dependence on machinery reduced. This hands-on manual offers: Why roller-crimper no-till methods don't work for most small farms A decision-making framework for the four no-till methods: occultation, solarization, organic mulches grown in place, and applied to beds Ideas for starting a no-till farm or transitioning a working farm A list of tools, supplies, and sources. This is the only manual of its kind, specifically written for natural and small-scale farmers who wish to expand or explore chemical-free, regenerative farming methods.

Download or read book India s Organic Farming Revolution written by Sapna E. Thottathil and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2014-10-01 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Should you buy organic food? Is it just a status symbol, or is it really better for us? Is it really better for the environment? What about organic produce grown thousands of miles from our kitchens, or on massive corporately owned farms? Is “local” or “small-scale” better, even if it’s not organic? A lot of consumers who would like to do the right thing for their health and the environment are asking such questions. Sapna Thottathil calls on us to rethink the politics of organic food by focusing on what it means for the people who grow and sell it—what it means for their health, the health of their environment, and also their economic and political well-being. Taking readers to the state of Kerala in southern India, she shows us a place where the so-called “Green Revolution” program of hybrid seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and rising pesticide use had failed to reduce hunger while it caused a cascade of economic, medical, and environmental problems. Farmers burdened with huge debts from buying the new seeds and chemicals were committing suicide in troubling numbers. Farm laborers suffered from pesticide poisoning and rising rates of birth defects. A sharp fall in biodiversity worried environmental activists, and everyone was anxious about declining yields of key export crops like black pepper and coffee. In their debates about how to solve these problems, farmers, environmentalists, and policymakers drew on Kerala’s history of and continuing commitment to grassroots democracy. In 2010, they took the unprecedented step of enacting a policy that requires all Kerala growers to farm organically by 2020. How this policy came to be and its immediate economic, political, and physical effects on the state’s residents offer lessons for everyone interested in agriculture, the environment, and what to eat for dinner. Kerala’s example shows that when done right, this kind of agriculture can be good for everyone in our global food system.

Download or read book The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables written by Ben Hartman and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2017 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At Clay Bottom Farm, author Ben Hartman and staff practice kaizen, or continuous improvement, cutting out more waste--of time, labor, space, money, and more--every year and aligning their organic production more tightly with customer demand. Applied alongside other lean principles originally developed by the Japanese auto industry, the end result has been increased profits and less work. In this field-guide companion to his award-winning first book, The Lean Farm, Hartman shows market vegetable growers in even more detail how Clay Bottom Farm implements lean thinking in every area of their work, including using kanbans, or replacement signals, to maximize land use; germination chambers to reduce defect waste; and right-sized machinery to save money and labor and increase efficiency. From finding land and assessing infrastructure needs to selling perfect produce at the farmers market, The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables digs deeper into specific, tested methods for waste-free farming that not only help farmers become more successful but make the work more enjoyable. These methods include: Using Japanese paper pot transplanters Building your own germinating chambers Leaning up your greenhouse Making and applying simple composts Using lean techniques for pest and weed control Creating Heijunka, or load-leveling calendars for efficient planning Farming is not static, and improvement requires constant change. The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables offers strategies for farmers to stay flexible and profitable even in the face of changing weather and markets. Much more than a simple exercise in cost-cutting, lean farming is about growing better, not cheaper, food--the food your customers want.

Download or read book Conventional and Organic Farming A Comprehensive Review through the Lens of Agricultural Science written by Victor M. Shorrocks and published by 5m Books Ltd. This book was released on 2017-12-18 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic farming comes with many connotations of ‘natural’, ‘wholesome’, ‘healthy’, ‘superior’, ‘environmentally friendly’, and ‘sustainable’. But just what is the scientific evidence behind the claims of healthier food and better farming systems made by the organic movement? Using peer reviewed literature, the latest studies and a rigorous investigation of claims made by opponents of conventional farming, the author provides an even handed and scientifically objective review of the contributions of organic farming to human health, crop yields, the environment and agriculture from a global perspective. The aim is to separate out the marketing spin, the claims of one camp or another and political ideologies to provide a straightforward appraisal of both the benefits and exaggerated claims of organic farming. The approach taken is to present the evidence – in the form of data, study results and presentation of source material for the claims made by conventional and organic, and leave the reader to make their own judgements on the validity of the case for organic over conventional farming. The book also addresses a fundamental question in modern farming – organic agriculture’s ability to feed the world in the face of a growing population and growing demand for meat, and provides a timely scientific comparison of the practices, relative yields and benefits of organic versus conventional agriculture. The ways conventional farming has progressed from hunter gatherer days and possible future developments are discussed. Conventional and Organic Farming is an ideal book for agricultural policy makers, researchers and academics, as well as agricultural students, conventional and organic farmers. 5m Books