Urban Soils
Urban Soils

Author: Rattan Lal

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2017-10-18

Total Pages: 423

ISBN-13: 149877010X

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Globally, 30% of the world population lived in urban areas in 1950, 54% in 2016 and 66% projected by 2050. The most urbanized regions include North America, Latin America, and Europe. Urban encroachment depletes soil carbon and the aboveground biomass carbon pools, enhancing the flux of carbon from soil and vegetation into the atmosphere. Thus, urbanization has exacerbated ecological and environmental problems. Urban soils are composed of geological material that has been drastically disturbed by anthropogenic activities and compromised their role in the production of food, aesthetics of residential areas, and pollutant dynamics. Properties of urban soils are normally not favorable to plant growth—the soils are contaminated by heavy metals and are compacted and sealed. Therefore, the quality of urban soils must be restored to make use of this valuable resource for delivery of essential ecosystem services (e.g., food, water and air quality, carbon sequestration, temperature moderation, biodiversity). Part of the Advances in Soil Sciences Series, Urban Soils explains properties of urban soils; assesses the effects of urbanization on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and water and the impacts of management of urban soils, soil restoration, urban agriculture, and food security; evaluates ecosystem services provisioned by urban soils, and describes synthetic and artificial soils.

African Urban Harvest
African Urban Harvest

Author: Gordon Prain

Publisher: IDRC

Published: 2010-09-17

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 1441962492

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This book seeks to answer the question of how much urban agriculture helps feed and support people living in towns and cities with evidence and proposals based on studies in Eastern and Central Africa.

Tropical Homegardens
Tropical Homegardens

Author: B.M. Kumar

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2007-04-21

Total Pages: 383

ISBN-13: 140204948X

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‘Homegardens’ are integrated tree–crop–animal production systems, often established on small parcels of land surrounding homesteads, and primarily found in tropical environments. This multi-authored volume contains peer-reviewed chapters from the world’s leading researchers and professionals in this topic. It summarizes the current state of knowledge on homegarden systems, with a view to using this knowledge as a basis for improving both homegardens and other similar multistrata agroforestry systems.

Agroforestry
Agroforestry

Author: Howard A. Steppler

Publisher:

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13:

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Perspectives on agroforestry. Prominence and importance of agroforestry in selected regions. Impact measurement and technology transfer. Research findings and proposals.

Home Gardens for Improved Food Security and Livelihoods
Home Gardens for Improved Food Security and Livelihoods

Author: D. Hashini Galhena Dissanayake

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-06-10

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1315471752

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Home Gardens for Improved Food Security and Livelihoods demonstrates how home gardens hold particular significance for resource-poor and marginalized communities in developing countries, and how they offer a versatile strategy toward building local and more resilient food systems. With food and nutritional security being a major global challenge, there is an urgent need to find innovative ways to increase food production and diversify food sources while increasing income-generating opportunities for communities faced with hunger and poverty. This book shows that when implemented properly, home gardens can become just such an innovative solution, as well as an integral part of sustainable food security programs. It provides a conceptual overview of social, economic, environmental and nutritional issues related to home gardening in diverse contexts, including gender issues and biodiversity conservation, and presents case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America highlighting home gardening experiences and initiatives. The volume concludes with a synthesis of key lessons learned and ways forward for further enhancing home gardens for sustainable food security and development. This book will be a useful read for students and scholars working on local food systems, food security, sustainable development and more broadly development strategy.

No Dig
No Dig

Author: Charles Dowding

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2022-09-06

Total Pages: 631

ISBN-13: 0744077753

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Work in partnership with nature to nurture your soil for healthy plants and bumper crops - without back-breaking effort! Have you ever wondered how to transform a weedy plot into a thriving vegetable garden? Well now you can! By following the simple steps set out in No Dig, in just a few short hours you can revolutionize your vegetable patch with plants already in the ground from day one! Charles Dowding is on a mission to teach that there is no need to dig over the soil, but by minimizing intervention you are actively boosting soil productivity. In fact, The less you dig, the more you preserve soil structure and nurture the fungal mycelium vital to the health of all plants. This is the essence of the No Dig system that Charles Dowding has perfected over a lifetime growing vegetables. So put your gardening gloves on and get ready to discover: - Guides and calendars of when to sow, grow, and harvest. - Inspiring information and first-hand guidance from the author - “Delve deeper” features look in-depth at the No Dig system and the facts and research that back it up. - The essential role of compost and how to make your own at home. - The importance of soil management, soil ecology, and soil health. Now one of the hottest topics in environmental science, this "wood-wide web" has informed Charles's practice for decades, and he's proven it isn't just trees that benefit - every gardener can harness the power of the wood-wide web. Featuring newly- commissioned step-by-step photography of all stages of growing vegetables and herbs, and all elements of No Dig growing, shot at Charles’s beautiful market garden in Somerset, you too will be able to grow more veg with less time and effort, and in harmony with nature - so join the No Dig revolution today! A must-have volume for followers of Charles Dowding who fervently believe in his approach to low input, high yield gardening, as well as gardeners who want to garden more lightly on the earth, with environmentally friendly techniques like organic and No Dig.

Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming
Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming

Author: Frank Holzman

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2018-01-02

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1538105993

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Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming informs and inspires gardeners, and farmers, who wish to bring quality and integrity into their work with the land. It is about developing close relationships with land that produces our food. This book combines over 40 years of Frank Holzman’s experience in farming, gardening, education, research, and development to provide techniques and concepts for sustainable land use. Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming is a more spiritual and thoughtful approach to land stewardship, geared toward aspiring gardeners with a desire for a deeper connection with the earth. It is as much about why as it is about how to develop land. Rather than traditional tractor farming, this book provides a better understanding of horticulture, dealing with the biological interactions between soils and plants, and providing a good understanding of living systems. Holzman examines healthy perspectives of how to approach a piece of land as a living organism and transform it into a balanced ecosystem. Frank Holzman provides lots of information and insight for backyard gardeners and professional farmers, alike. Truly a great resource for transforming the garden, as well as the gardener.