More than a resource - the social significance of local seed systems and seed exchange in the Global South

More than a resource - the social significance of local seed systems and seed exchange in the Global South

Author: Jonas Metzger

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-05-31

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 3658400110

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Seeds are at the heart of a transformation process that affects more than two billion people worldwide. This study on smallholder farmers in Tanzania examines how local seed systems are anchored in the socio-cultural structures of smallholder life worlds. Using the example of seeds, the close interweaving of agricultural and social practice is traced and it is worked out how individual processes of modernisation brought in from outside have far-reaching consequences for smallholder coexistence. The study provides a concrete, detailed and differentiated account of everyday farming life and of how smallholder households deal with seeds. A particular focus is on seed exchange relationships and how these provide both social security and social cohesion in the study region. The study is based on extensive field research and intensive interviews with farmers, who also have their own say in the work.


Community Seed Banks

Community Seed Banks

Author: Ronnie Vernooy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-05-15

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 1134608608

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Community seed banks first appeared towards the end of the 1980s, established with the support of international and national non-governmental organizations. This book is the first to provide a global review of their development and includes a wide range of case studies. Countries that pioneered various types of community seed banks include Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. In the North, a particular type of community seed bank emerged known as a seed-savers network. Such networks were first established in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA before spreading to other countries. Over time, the number and diversity of seed banks has grown. In Nepal, for example, there are now more than 100 self-described community seed banks whose functions range from pure conservation to commercial seed production. In Brazil, community seed banks operate in various regions of the country. Surprisingly, despite 25 years of history and the rapid growth in number, organizational diversity and geographical coverage of community seed banks, recognition of their roles and contributions has remained scanty. The book reviews their history, evolution, experiences, successes and failures (and reasons why), challenges and prospects. It fills a significant gap in the literature on agricultural biodiversity and conservation, and their contribution to food sovereignty and security.


Saving More Than Seeds

Saving More Than Seeds

Author: Dr Catherine Phillips

Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2013-12-28

Total Pages: 423

ISBN-13: 1472401824

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Saving More Than Seeds advances understandings of seed-people relations, with particular focus on seed saving. The practice of reusing and exchanging seeds provides foundation for food production and allows humans and seed to adapt together in dynamic socionatural conditions. But the practice and its practitioners are easily taken for granted, even as they are threatened by neoliberalisation. Combining original ethnographic research with investigation of an evolving corporate seed order, this book reveals seed saving not only as it occurs in fields and gardens but also as it associates with genebanking, genetic engineering, intellectual property rights, and agrifood regulations. Drawing on diverse social sciences literatures, Phillips illustrates ongoing practices of thinking, feeling, and acting with seeds, raising questions about what seed-people relations should accomplish and how different ways of relating might be pursued to change collective futures.


The Governance of Urban Green Spaces in the EU

The Governance of Urban Green Spaces in the EU

Author: Judith Schicklinski

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2017-04-28

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1315403811

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data collected in twenty-nine European cities from all four European geographic regions, this book examines the governance of urban green spaces and urban food production, focussing on the contribution of citizen-driven activities. Over the course of the book, Schicklinski identifies best practice examples of successful collaboration between citizens and local government. The book concludes with policy recommendations with great practical value for local governance in European cities in times of growth.


Diversifying Food and Diets

Diversifying Food and Diets

Author: Jessica Fanzo

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-06-26

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 1136461450

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Currently 868 million people are undernourished and 195 million children under five years of age are stunted. At the same time, over 1 billion people are overweight and obese in both the developed and developing world. Diseases previously associated with affluence, such as cancer, diabetes and cardio-vascular disease, are on the rise. Food system-based approaches to addressing these problems that could enhance food availability and diet quality through local production and agricultural biodiversity often fall outside the traditional scope of nutrition, and have been under-researched. As a consequence, there remains insufficient evidence to support well-defined, scalable agricultural biodiversity interventions that can be linked to improvements in nutrition outcomes. Agricultural biodiversity is important for food and nutritional security, as a safeguard against hunger, a source of nutrients for improved dietary diversity and quality, and strengthening local food systems and environmental sustainability. This book explores the current state of knowledge on the role of agricultural biodiversity in improving diets, nutrition and food security. Using examples and case studies from around the globe, the book explores current strategies for improving nutrition and diets and identifies key research and implementation gaps that need to be addressed to successfully promote the better use of agricultural biodiversity for rural and urban populations and societies in transition.


International Encyclopedia of Human Geography

International Encyclopedia of Human Geography

Author:

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2009-07-16

Total Pages: 10985

ISBN-13: 0080449107

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The International Encyclopedia of Human Geography provides an authoritative and comprehensive source of information on the discipline of human geography and its constituent, and related, subject areas. The encyclopedia includes over 1,000 detailed entries on philosophy and theory, key concepts, methods and practices, biographies of notable geographers, and geographical thought and praxis in different parts of the world. This groundbreaking project covers every field of human geography and the discipline’s relationships to other disciplines, and is global in scope, involving an international set of contributors. Given its broad, inclusive scope and unique online accessibility, it is anticipated that the International Encyclopedia of Human Geography will become the major reference work for the discipline over the coming decades. The Encyclopedia will be available in both limited edition print and online via ScienceDirect – featuring extensive browsing, searching, and internal cross-referencing between articles in the work, plus dynamic linking to journal articles and abstract databases, making navigation flexible and easy. For more information, pricing options and availability visit http://info.sciencedirect.com/content/books/ref_works/coming/ Available online on ScienceDirect and in limited edition print format Broad, interdisciplinary coverage across human geography: Philosophy, Methods, People, Social/Cultural, Political, Economic, Development, Health, Cartography, Urban, Historical, Regional Comprehensive and unique - the first of its kind in human geography


Sparking a Worldwide Energy Revolution

Sparking a Worldwide Energy Revolution

Author: Kolya Abramsky

Publisher: AK Press

Published: 2010-08-01

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 1849350477

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

As the earth’s carrying capacity continues to be stressed, the question of renewable energies is no longer whether, but when and by whom. Climate change and peak oil have hit the mainstream. Kolya Abramsky’s collection maps the world’s energy sector and shows how addressing these challenges necessitates an analysis of our economic priorities. Solutions must include massive shifts in our use of technologies and, most importantly, a democratization of the economic landscape based on broad new coalitions. With four distinct sections—Oil Makes the World Go 'Round; From Petrol to Renewable Energies; Struggle Over Choice of Energy Sources and Technologies; and Possible Futures—and over fifty essays from approximately twenty countries, there’s nothing like Sparking a Worldwide Energy Revolution to address our global energy crisis. The different chapters bring together a wealth of organizational and analytical experience from across the different branches of the energy sector, both conventional and renewable. Contributors include the following organizations and individuals: China Labour Bulletin (Hong Kong/China), Energy Watch Group (Germany), Focus on the Global South (Thailand), Integrated Sustainable Energy and Ecological Development (India), Public Services International Research Unit (United Kingdom), World Information Service on Energy (Netherlands), Preben Maegaard, and Hermann Scheer. Kolya Abramsky is a former secretariat of the World Wind Energy Institute, based in Denmark, a pioneering country in renewable energy. He is currently a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society in Austria, and is pursuing a PhD in sociology at State University of New York, Binghamton.


Social Sector Communication

Social Sector Communication

Author: Jaishri Jethwaney

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-07-22

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1040049087

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Communication, advocacy and outreach are germane to the success of any organization working in the social sector. This book provides a robust conceptual framework that is required for understanding the demands of the sector, suggests strategies, and tools, and provides hands-on skills to those engaged in social sector communication including the government, which invests heavily into the sector. This book not only highlights the theoretical underpinnings, practice, and skill of social sector communications in India, but also provides an understanding of various tools and strategies required in the development of communication encompassing social marketing, media advocacy, social mobilization, grassroots communication, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). With the aid of case studies, it offers tips on how to plan campaigns; write a concept note, field report, and press release, and effectively use social media to achieve developmental program goals. The book discusses the different perspectives of NGOs and program implementers and helps in understanding the corporate-–NGO interface vis-à-vis CSR projects. This book will be useful to students of social work, business and management preparing for roles in social enterprises. It will also be of use to working professionals in the social sector.


Managing Global Genetic Resources

Managing Global Genetic Resources

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1993-02-01

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13: 0309131863

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This anchor volume to the series Managing Global Genetic Resources examines the structure that underlies efforts to preserve genetic material, including the worldwide network of genetic collections; the role of biotechnology; and a host of issues that surround management and use. Among the topics explored are in situ versus ex situ conservation, management of very large collections of genetic material, problems of quarantine, the controversy over ownership or copyright of genetic material, and more.