Civic Agriculture
Civic Agriculture

Author: Thomas A. Lyson

Publisher: UPNE

Published: 2012-05-22

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 1611683033

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A engaging analysis of food production in the United States emphasizing that sustainable agricultural development is important to community health.

Farm to Factory
Farm to Factory

Author: Robert C. Allen

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2009-07-26

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0691144311

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To say that history's greatest economic experiment--Soviet communism--was also its greatest economic failure is to say what many consider obvious. Here, in a startling reinterpretation, Robert Allen argues that the USSR was one of the most successful developing economies of the twentieth century. He reaches this provocative conclusion by recalculating national consumption and using economic, demographic, and computer simulation models to address the "what if" questions central to Soviet history. Moreover, by comparing Soviet performance not only with advanced but with less developed countries, he provides a meaningful context for its evaluation. Although the Russian economy began to develop in the late nineteenth century based on wheat exports, modern economic growth proved elusive. But growth was rapid from 1928 to the 1970s--due to successful Five Year Plans. Notwithstanding the horrors of Stalinism, the building of heavy industry accelerated growth during the 1930s and raised living standards, especially for the many peasants who moved to cities. A sudden drop in fertility due to the education of women and their employment outside the home also facilitated growth. While highlighting the previously underemphasized achievements of Soviet planning, Farm to Factory also shows, through methodical analysis set in fluid prose, that Stalin's worst excesses--such as the bloody collectivization of agriculture--did little to spur growth. Economic development stagnated after 1970, as vital resources were diverted to the military and as a Soviet leadership lacking in original thought pursued wasteful investments.

Sustainable Intensification
Sustainable Intensification

Author: Jules N. Pretty

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-06-25

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1136529276

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Continued population growth, rapidly changing consumption patterns and the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are driving limited resources of food, energy, water and materials towards critical thresholds worldwide. These pressures are likely to be substantial across Africa, where countries will have to find innovative ways to boost crop and livestock production to avoid becoming more reliant on imports and food aid. Sustainable agricultural intensification - producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts - represents a solution for millions of African farmers. This volume presents the lessons learned from 40 sustainable agricultural intensification programmes in 20 countries across Africa, commissioned as part of the UK Government's Foresight project. Through detailed case studies, the authors of each chapter examine how to develop productive and sustainable agricultural systems and how to scale up these systems to reach many more millions of people in the future. Themes covered include crop improvements, agroforestry and soil conservation, conservation agriculture, integrated pest management, horticulture, livestock and fodder crops, aquaculture, and novel policies and partnerships.

An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia?
An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia?

Author: Diao, Xinshen, ed.

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2020-12-07

Total Pages: 548

ISBN-13: 0896293807

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Agricultural mechanization in Africa south of the Sahara — especially for small farms and businesses — requires a new paradigm to meet the needs of the continent’s evolving farming systems. Can Asia, with its recent success in adopting mechanization, offer a model for Africa? An Evolving Paradigm of Agricultural Mechanization Development analyzes the experiences of eight Asian and five African countries. The authors explore crucial government roles in boosting and supporting mechanization, from import policies to promotion policies to public good policies. Potential approaches presented to facilitating mechanization in Africa include prioritizing market-led hiring services, eliminating distortions, and developing appropriate technologies for the African context. The role of agricultural mechanization within overall agricultural and rural transformation strategies in Africa is also discussed. The book’s recommendations and insights should be useful to national policymakers and the development community, who can adapt this knowledge to local contexts and use it as a foundation for further research.

Beneficial Co-Utilization of Agricultural, Municipal and Industrial by-Products
Beneficial Co-Utilization of Agricultural, Municipal and Industrial by-Products

Author: Sally L. Brown

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 423

ISBN-13: 9401150680

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Co-utilization or blending of residuals offers a unique opportunity to develop products with particular characteristics that are able to target specific customer needs. The very notion of deliberately blending by-products suggests that the recycling and beneficial reuse industries are taking a quantitative step forward towards developing products rather than simply reusing residuals. At the same time that this step provides unique opportunities, it also presents unique challenges. The science associated with the beneficial use of one product may not apply when that product is mixed with another residual. Blending of materials may alter the chemistry of the components of the mixture. This may offer additional benefits, as in the case of disease suppression in composts, or present unexpected problems, as the use of lime-stabilized biosolids has done in Maryland. This book consists of the proceedings of the Beltsville Symposium. The organizers of the Symposium attempted to structure a meeting that would outline both the potential benefits of co-utilization as well as concerns. The editors have divided the proceedings into sections that describe the practical basis for co-utilization of residuals as well as the potential benefits. Specific considerations are described. Finally, case studies include descriptions of successful operations and data that detail results of research involving co-utilization materials. Blending of materials for specific objectives needs to be the focus of any successful co-utilization effort. The scientific implications of the mix need to be determined before a product can be used properly.