Sustainable Market Farming

Sustainable Market Farming

Author: Pam Dawling

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2013-02-01

Total Pages: 459

ISBN-13: 1550925121

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.


Seed Dispersal and Frugivory

Seed Dispersal and Frugivory

Author: Douglas John Levey

Publisher: CABI

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 530

ISBN-13: 085199525X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book provides information on the historical and theoretical perspectives of biodiversity and ecology in tropical forests, plant and animal behaviour towards seed dispersal and plant-animal interactions within forest communities, consequences of seed dispersal, and conservation, biodiversity and management.


Global Rangelands

Global Rangelands

Author: A. C. Grice

Publisher: CABI

Published: 2002-07-29

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9780851997537

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Although traditionally defined as areas where natural vegetation is exploited for grazing by domestic and native herbivores, rangelands are used by many different people, for a host of purposes. As well as livestock products, rangelands provide fuels, minerals and water and are used for ecotourism, recreation, nature conservation and as carbon sinks. More than half of the earth's land surface is rangeland and millions of people, both within and outside the rangelands, depend on them. This book addresses the important issues confronting the rangelands and presents new concepts and approaches for the management of rangeland resources. It is relevant to the people who live in or depend on the rangelands, and to the institutions and organisations that support them.


The Organic Seed Grower

The Organic Seed Grower

Author: John Navazio

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2012-12-17

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 1603584528

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Now in Paperback “A fantastic guide for organic seed breeders and producers. [Navazio] has taken organic seed production to a higher level.” —Suzanne Ashworth, author of Seed to Seed The Organic Seed Grower is a comprehensive manual for the serious vegetable grower who is interested in growing high-quality seeds using organic farming practices. It is written for both home seed savers and diversified small-scale farmers who want to learn the necessary steps involved in successfully producing a seed crop organically. Detailed profiles for each of the major vegetables provide users with practical, in-depth knowledge about growing, harvesting, and processing seed for a wide range of common and specialty vegetable crops, from Asian greens to zucchini. In addition, readers will find extensive and critical information on topics including: • Seed-borne diseases • The reproductive biology of crop plants • Annual vs. biennial seed crops • Isolation distances needed to ensure varietal purity • Maintaining adequate population size for genetic integrity • Seed crop climates • Seed cleaning basics • Seed storage for farmers • and more . . . This book can serve as a bridge to lead skilled gardeners, who are already saving their own seed, into the idea of growing seed commercially. And for diversified vegetable farmers who are growing a seed crop for sale for the first time, it will provide details on many of the tricks of the trade that are used by professional seed growers. This manual will help the budding seed farmer to become more knowledgeable, efficient, and effective in producing a commercially viable seed crop. Written by well-known plant breeder and organic seed expert John Navazio, The Organic Seed Grower is the most useful guide to best practices in this exciting and important field.


Farming While Black

Farming While Black

Author: Leah Penniman

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1603587616

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Farming While Black is the first comprehensive "how to" guide for aspiring African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity as agriculturists and for all farmers to understand the distinct, technical contributions of African-heritage people to sustainable agriculture. At Soul Fire Farm, author Leah Penniman co-created the Black and Latino Farmers Immersion (BLFI) program as a container for new farmers to share growing skills in a culturally relevant and supportive environment led by people of color. Farming While Black organizes and expands upon the curriculum of the BLFI to provide readers with a concise guide to all aspects of small-scale farming, from business planning to preserving the harvest. Throughout the chapters Penniman uplifts the wisdom of the African diasporic farmers and activists whose work informs the techniques described--from whole farm planning, soil fertility, seed selection, and agroecology, to using whole foods in culturally appropriate recipes, sharing stories of ancestors, and tools for healing from the trauma associated with slavery and economic exploitation on the land. Woven throughout the book is the story of Soul Fire Farm, a national leader in the food justice movement.--AMAZON.


Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Ed. )

Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Ed. )

Author: Andy Clark

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2008-07

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 1437903797

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.


Seeds of Sustainability

Seeds of Sustainability

Author: Pamela A. Matson

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2012-09-26

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 1610911776

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Seeds of Sustainability is a groundbreaking analysis of agricultural development and transitions toward more sustainable management in one region. An invaluable resource for researchers, policymakers, and students alike, it examines new approaches to make agricultural landscapes healthier for both the environment and people. The Yaqui Valley is the birthplace of the Green Revolution and one of the most intensive agricultural regions of the world, using irrigation, fertilizers, and other technologies to produce some of the highest yields of wheat anywhere. It also faces resource limitations, threats to human health, and rapidly changing economic conditions. In short, the Yaqui Valley represents the challenge of modern agriculture: how to maintain livelihoods and increase food production while protecting the environment. Renowned scientist Pamela Matson and colleagues from leading institutions in the U.S. and Mexico spent fifteen years in the Yaqui Valley in Sonora, Mexico addressing this challenge. Seeds of Sustainability represents the culmination of their research, providing unparalleled information about the causes and consequences of current agricultural methods. Even more importantly, it shows how knowledge can translate into better practices, not just in the Yaqui Valley, but throughout the world.


Distributing Seeds and Tools in Emergencies

Distributing Seeds and Tools in Emergencies

Author: Douglas Johnson

Publisher: Oxfam

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 9780855983833

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The book lists information that must be gathered before deciding to implement a programme.Technical information on types of seeds and tools, purchase, transport and storage are given and the importance of involving the recipients, especially women at every stage, is stressed as is the need to take a long-term approach to these inventions.