Author: Dr. Marvin S. Anderson
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1525554867
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
The Canadian Farming Community is facing numerous ongoing challenges, including rapidly changing technologies, the gradual erosion of the rural lifestyle, growing consumer concerns about the healthiness of food, and growing environmental concerns (including climate change). This book begins with an historic overview of agriculture in Canada, followed by a statistical profile of the contemporary Canadian farm/ranch, supporting agri-industrial complex, and the innumerable farm organizations in Canada. The vital role of international trade and government support in the evolution of Canadian agriculture is also highlighted. Resource management issues and related “hot button” issues (e.g. climate change, GMO’s) are also addressed in considerable detail. In addition, Dr. Anderson identifies the likely trends in Canadian agriculture in the immediate years ahead. Emphasizing the diversity, complexity, strength and vitality of the agricultural sector, Canadian Agriculture in the 21st Century ultimately highlights how it effectively molds and remains integral to the socioeconomic fabric of both rural and urban Canada. An underlying theme is the importance of having Canadian agriculture become increasingly ecofriendly in the challenging years ahead, particularly the need to gradually adopt more sustainable, regenerative (organic) technologies and the need to more pro-actively serve as a vital CO2 sink in climate change mitigation. Dr. Anderson also suggests that the public should financially compensate farmers/ ranchers for protecting environmental amenities that accrue to everyone. A complimentary theme is the need for Canadian agriculture to become increasingly sensitive to consumer concerns, particularly with respect to rigorous health standards, animal welfare, and sustainable resource management.
Canadian Agriculture in the 21st Century
Author: Dr. Marvin S. Anderson
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1525554867
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
The Canadian Farming Community is facing numerous ongoing challenges, including rapidly changing technologies, the gradual erosion of the rural lifestyle, growing consumer concerns about the healthiness of food, and growing environmental concerns (including climate change). This book begins with an historic overview of agriculture in Canada, followed by a statistical profile of the contemporary Canadian farm/ranch, supporting agri-industrial complex, and the innumerable farm organizations in Canada. The vital role of international trade and government support in the evolution of Canadian agriculture is also highlighted. Resource management issues and related “hot button” issues (e.g. climate change, GMO’s) are also addressed in considerable detail. In addition, Dr. Anderson identifies the likely trends in Canadian agriculture in the immediate years ahead. Emphasizing the diversity, complexity, strength and vitality of the agricultural sector, Canadian Agriculture in the 21st Century ultimately highlights how it effectively molds and remains integral to the socioeconomic fabric of both rural and urban Canada. An underlying theme is the importance of having Canadian agriculture become increasingly ecofriendly in the challenging years ahead, particularly the need to gradually adopt more sustainable, regenerative (organic) technologies and the need to more pro-actively serve as a vital CO2 sink in climate change mitigation. Dr. Anderson also suggests that the public should financially compensate farmers/ ranchers for protecting environmental amenities that accrue to everyone. A complimentary theme is the need for Canadian agriculture to become increasingly sensitive to consumer concerns, particularly with respect to rigorous health standards, animal welfare, and sustainable resource management.
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1525554867
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
The Canadian Farming Community is facing numerous ongoing challenges, including rapidly changing technologies, the gradual erosion of the rural lifestyle, growing consumer concerns about the healthiness of food, and growing environmental concerns (including climate change). This book begins with an historic overview of agriculture in Canada, followed by a statistical profile of the contemporary Canadian farm/ranch, supporting agri-industrial complex, and the innumerable farm organizations in Canada. The vital role of international trade and government support in the evolution of Canadian agriculture is also highlighted. Resource management issues and related “hot button” issues (e.g. climate change, GMO’s) are also addressed in considerable detail. In addition, Dr. Anderson identifies the likely trends in Canadian agriculture in the immediate years ahead. Emphasizing the diversity, complexity, strength and vitality of the agricultural sector, Canadian Agriculture in the 21st Century ultimately highlights how it effectively molds and remains integral to the socioeconomic fabric of both rural and urban Canada. An underlying theme is the importance of having Canadian agriculture become increasingly ecofriendly in the challenging years ahead, particularly the need to gradually adopt more sustainable, regenerative (organic) technologies and the need to more pro-actively serve as a vital CO2 sink in climate change mitigation. Dr. Anderson also suggests that the public should financially compensate farmers/ ranchers for protecting environmental amenities that accrue to everyone. A complimentary theme is the need for Canadian agriculture to become increasingly sensitive to consumer concerns, particularly with respect to rigorous health standards, animal welfare, and sustainable resource management.
Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309148960
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 598
Book Description
In the last 20 years, there has been a remarkable emergence of innovations and technological advances that are generating promising changes and opportunities for sustainable agriculture, yet at the same time the agricultural sector worldwide faces numerous daunting challenges. Not only is the agricultural sector expected to produce adequate food, fiber, and feed, and contribute to biofuels to meet the needs of a rising global population, it is expected to do so under increasingly scarce natural resources and climate change. Growing awareness of the unintended impacts associated with some agricultural production practices has led to heightened societal expectations for improved environmental, community, labor, and animal welfare standards in agriculture. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century assesses the scientific evidence for the strengths and weaknesses of different production, marketing, and policy approaches for improving and reducing the costs and unintended consequences of agricultural production. It discusses the principles underlying farming systems and practices that could improve the sustainability. It also explores how those lessons learned could be applied to agriculture in different regional and international settings, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. By focusing on a systems approach to improving the sustainability of U.S. agriculture, this book can have a profound impact on the development and implementation of sustainable farming systems. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century serves as a valuable resource for policy makers, farmers, experts in food production and agribusiness, and federal regulatory agencies.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309148960
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 598
Book Description
In the last 20 years, there has been a remarkable emergence of innovations and technological advances that are generating promising changes and opportunities for sustainable agriculture, yet at the same time the agricultural sector worldwide faces numerous daunting challenges. Not only is the agricultural sector expected to produce adequate food, fiber, and feed, and contribute to biofuels to meet the needs of a rising global population, it is expected to do so under increasingly scarce natural resources and climate change. Growing awareness of the unintended impacts associated with some agricultural production practices has led to heightened societal expectations for improved environmental, community, labor, and animal welfare standards in agriculture. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century assesses the scientific evidence for the strengths and weaknesses of different production, marketing, and policy approaches for improving and reducing the costs and unintended consequences of agricultural production. It discusses the principles underlying farming systems and practices that could improve the sustainability. It also explores how those lessons learned could be applied to agriculture in different regional and international settings, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. By focusing on a systems approach to improving the sustainability of U.S. agriculture, this book can have a profound impact on the development and implementation of sustainable farming systems. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century serves as a valuable resource for policy makers, farmers, experts in food production and agribusiness, and federal regulatory agencies.
Horse-Powered Farming for the 21st Century
Author: Stephen Leslie
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 160358613X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
Now is a time of exciting new developments for live animal power. As the numbers of adherents to this way of life grow, ecologically minded farmers in their fields are developing efficient horse-drawn systems, and equipment manufacturers in small shops all across North America and Europe are coming forth with new innovations in ground-drive technology that have us poised on the cusp of another agricultural revolution--with working horses, mules, donkeys, and oxen at the heart of it. --Publisher.
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 160358613X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
Now is a time of exciting new developments for live animal power. As the numbers of adherents to this way of life grow, ecologically minded farmers in their fields are developing efficient horse-drawn systems, and equipment manufacturers in small shops all across North America and Europe are coming forth with new innovations in ground-drive technology that have us poised on the cusp of another agricultural revolution--with working horses, mules, donkeys, and oxen at the heart of it. --Publisher.
Precision Agriculture in the 21st Century
Author:
Publisher: National Academies
ISBN:
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 178
Book Description
Sensors, satellite photography, and multispectral imaging are associated with futuristic space and communications science. Increasingly, however, they are considered part of the future of agriculture. The use of advanced technologies for crop production is known as precision agriculture, and its rapid emergence means the potential for revolutionary change throughout the agricultural sector. Precision Agriculture in the 21st Century provides an overview of the specific technologies and practices under the umbrella of precision agriculture, exploring the full implications of their adoption by farmers and agricultural managers. The volume discusses how precision agriculture could dramatically affect decisionmaking in irrigation, crop selection, pest management, environmental issues, and pricing and market conditions. It also examines the geographical dimensions--farm, regional, national--of precision agriculture and looks at how quickly and how widely the agricultural community can be expected to adopt the new information technologies. Precision Agriculture in the 21st Century highlights both the uncertainties and the exciting possibilities of this emerging approach to farming. This book will be important to anyone concerned about the future of agriculture: policymakers, regulators, scientists, farmers, educators, students, and suppliers to the agricultural industry.
Publisher: National Academies
ISBN:
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 178
Book Description
Sensors, satellite photography, and multispectral imaging are associated with futuristic space and communications science. Increasingly, however, they are considered part of the future of agriculture. The use of advanced technologies for crop production is known as precision agriculture, and its rapid emergence means the potential for revolutionary change throughout the agricultural sector. Precision Agriculture in the 21st Century provides an overview of the specific technologies and practices under the umbrella of precision agriculture, exploring the full implications of their adoption by farmers and agricultural managers. The volume discusses how precision agriculture could dramatically affect decisionmaking in irrigation, crop selection, pest management, environmental issues, and pricing and market conditions. It also examines the geographical dimensions--farm, regional, national--of precision agriculture and looks at how quickly and how widely the agricultural community can be expected to adopt the new information technologies. Precision Agriculture in the 21st Century highlights both the uncertainties and the exciting possibilities of this emerging approach to farming. This book will be important to anyone concerned about the future of agriculture: policymakers, regulators, scientists, farmers, educators, students, and suppliers to the agricultural industry.
Seeds of Science
Author: Mark Lynas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472946952
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
'Fluent, persuasive and surely right.' Evening Standard The inside story of the fight for and against genetic modification in food. Mark Lynas was one of the original GM field wreckers. Back in the 1990s – working undercover with his colleagues in the environmental movement – he would descend on trial sites of genetically modified crops at night and hack them to pieces. Two decades later, most people around the world – from New York to China – still think that 'GMO' foods are bad for their health or likely to damage the environment. But Mark has changed his mind. This book explains why. In 2013, in a world-famous recantation speech, Mark apologised for having destroyed GM crops. He spent the subsequent years touring Africa and Asia, and working with plant scientists who are using this technology to help smallholder farmers in developing countries cope better with pests, diseases and droughts. This book lifts the lid on the anti-GMO craze and shows how science was left by the wayside as a wave of public hysteria swept the world. Mark takes us back to the origins of the technology and introduces the scientific pioneers who invented it. He explains what led him to question his earlier assumptions about GM food, and talks to both sides of this fractious debate to see what still motivates worldwide opposition today. In the process he asks – and answers – the killer question: how did we all get it so wrong on GMOs? 'An important contribution to an issue with enormous potential for benefiting humanity.' Stephen Pinker 'I warmly recommend it.' Philip Pullman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472946952
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
'Fluent, persuasive and surely right.' Evening Standard The inside story of the fight for and against genetic modification in food. Mark Lynas was one of the original GM field wreckers. Back in the 1990s – working undercover with his colleagues in the environmental movement – he would descend on trial sites of genetically modified crops at night and hack them to pieces. Two decades later, most people around the world – from New York to China – still think that 'GMO' foods are bad for their health or likely to damage the environment. But Mark has changed his mind. This book explains why. In 2013, in a world-famous recantation speech, Mark apologised for having destroyed GM crops. He spent the subsequent years touring Africa and Asia, and working with plant scientists who are using this technology to help smallholder farmers in developing countries cope better with pests, diseases and droughts. This book lifts the lid on the anti-GMO craze and shows how science was left by the wayside as a wave of public hysteria swept the world. Mark takes us back to the origins of the technology and introduces the scientific pioneers who invented it. He explains what led him to question his earlier assumptions about GM food, and talks to both sides of this fractious debate to see what still motivates worldwide opposition today. In the process he asks – and answers – the killer question: how did we all get it so wrong on GMOs? 'An important contribution to an issue with enormous potential for benefiting humanity.' Stephen Pinker 'I warmly recommend it.' Philip Pullman
Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century: The New Dynamic
Author: Ika Darnhofer
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9789401783576
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Farming Systems Research has three core characteristics: it builds on systems thinking, it depends on the close collaboration between social and biophysical sciences, and it relies on participation to build co-learning processes. Farming Systems Research posits that to contribute towards sustainable rural development, both interdisciplinary collaborations and local actor engagement are needed. Together, they allow for changes in understanding and changes in practices. This book gives an overview of the insights generated in 20 years of Farming Systems Research. It retraces the emergence and development of Farming Systems Research in Europe, summarises the state-of-the-art for key areas, and provides an outlook on new explorations, especially those tackling the dynamic nature of farming systems and their interaction with the natural environment and the context of action.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9789401783576
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Farming Systems Research has three core characteristics: it builds on systems thinking, it depends on the close collaboration between social and biophysical sciences, and it relies on participation to build co-learning processes. Farming Systems Research posits that to contribute towards sustainable rural development, both interdisciplinary collaborations and local actor engagement are needed. Together, they allow for changes in understanding and changes in practices. This book gives an overview of the insights generated in 20 years of Farming Systems Research. It retraces the emergence and development of Farming Systems Research in Europe, summarises the state-of-the-art for key areas, and provides an outlook on new explorations, especially those tackling the dynamic nature of farming systems and their interaction with the natural environment and the context of action.
Sustainable Food Production
Author: Shahid Naeem
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231548443
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 109
Book Description
Industrial agriculture is responsible for widespread environmental degradation and undermines the pursuit of human well-being. With a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050, it is urgent for humanity to achieve a more sustainable approach to farming and food systems. This concise text offers an overview of the key issues in sustainable food production for all readers interested in the ecology and environmental impacts of agriculture. It details the ecological foundations of farming and food systems, showing how knowledge from the natural and social sciences can be used to create sustainable alternatives to the industrial production methods used today. Beginning with a discussion of the role of agriculture in human development, the primer examines how twentieth-century farming methods are environmentally and socially unsustainable, contributing to global change and perpetuating inequalities. The authors explain the principles of environmental sustainability and explore how these principles can be put into practice in agrifood systems. They emphasize the importance of human well-being and insist on the centrality of social and environmental equity and justice. Sustainable Food Production is a compelling guide to how we can improve our ability to feed each other today and preserve the ability of our planet to do so tomorrow. Appropriate for a range of courses in the natural and social sciences, it provides a comprehensive yet accessible framework for achieving agricultural sustainability in the Anthropocene.
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231548443
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 109
Book Description
Industrial agriculture is responsible for widespread environmental degradation and undermines the pursuit of human well-being. With a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050, it is urgent for humanity to achieve a more sustainable approach to farming and food systems. This concise text offers an overview of the key issues in sustainable food production for all readers interested in the ecology and environmental impacts of agriculture. It details the ecological foundations of farming and food systems, showing how knowledge from the natural and social sciences can be used to create sustainable alternatives to the industrial production methods used today. Beginning with a discussion of the role of agriculture in human development, the primer examines how twentieth-century farming methods are environmentally and socially unsustainable, contributing to global change and perpetuating inequalities. The authors explain the principles of environmental sustainability and explore how these principles can be put into practice in agrifood systems. They emphasize the importance of human well-being and insist on the centrality of social and environmental equity and justice. Sustainable Food Production is a compelling guide to how we can improve our ability to feed each other today and preserve the ability of our planet to do so tomorrow. Appropriate for a range of courses in the natural and social sciences, it provides a comprehensive yet accessible framework for achieving agricultural sustainability in the Anthropocene.
The New Horse-Powered Farm
Author: Stephen Leslie
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603584161
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
The New Horse-Powered Farm is the first book of its kind, offering wisdom and techniques for using horse power on the small farm or homestead. It sets the stage for incorporating draft power on the farm by presenting necessary information for experienced and novice teamsters alike, including getting started with workhorses; the merits of different draft breeds; various training systems for the horse and teamster; haying with horses, seeding crops, and raising small grains; in-depth coverage of tools and systems; and managing a woodlot, farm economics, education, agritourism, and more. It's a must-have resource for any farmer, homesteader, or teamster seeking to work with draft power in a closed-loop farming system.
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603584161
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
The New Horse-Powered Farm is the first book of its kind, offering wisdom and techniques for using horse power on the small farm or homestead. It sets the stage for incorporating draft power on the farm by presenting necessary information for experienced and novice teamsters alike, including getting started with workhorses; the merits of different draft breeds; various training systems for the horse and teamster; haying with horses, seeding crops, and raising small grains; in-depth coverage of tools and systems; and managing a woodlot, farm economics, education, agritourism, and more. It's a must-have resource for any farmer, homesteader, or teamster seeking to work with draft power in a closed-loop farming system.
The Canada-US Border in the 21st Century
Author: John B. Sutcliffe
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351790374
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Borders are critical to the development and survival of modern states, offer security against external threats, and mark public policy and identity difference. At the same time, borders, and borderlands, are places where people, ideas, and economic goods meet and intermingle. The United States-Canada border demonstrates all of the characteristics of modern borders, and epitomises the debates that surround them. This book examines the development of the US-Canada border, provides a detailed analysis of its current operation, and concludes with an evaluation of the border’s future. The central objective is to examine how the border functions in practice, presenting a series of case studies on its operation. This book will be of interest to scholars of North American integration and border studies, and to policy practitioners, who will be particularly interested in the case studies and what they say about the impact of border reform.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351790374
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Borders are critical to the development and survival of modern states, offer security against external threats, and mark public policy and identity difference. At the same time, borders, and borderlands, are places where people, ideas, and economic goods meet and intermingle. The United States-Canada border demonstrates all of the characteristics of modern borders, and epitomises the debates that surround them. This book examines the development of the US-Canada border, provides a detailed analysis of its current operation, and concludes with an evaluation of the border’s future. The central objective is to examine how the border functions in practice, presenting a series of case studies on its operation. This book will be of interest to scholars of North American integration and border studies, and to policy practitioners, who will be particularly interested in the case studies and what they say about the impact of border reform.
Feeding the World
Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262692717
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396
Book Description
A realistic yet encouraging look at how society can change in ways that will allow us to feed an expanding global population. This book addresses the question of how we can best feed the ten billion or so people who will likely inhabit the Earth by the middle of the twenty-first century. He asks whether human ingenuity can produce enough food to support healthy and vigorous lives for all these people without irreparably damaging the integrity of the biosphere. What makes this book different from other books on the world food situation is its consideration of the complete food cycle, from agriculture to post-harvest losses and processing to eating and discarding. Taking a scientific approach, Smil espouses neither the catastrophic view that widespread starvation is imminent nor the cornucopian view that welcomes large population increases as the source of endless human inventiveness. He shows how we can make more effective use of current resources and suggests that if we increase farming efficiency, reduce waste, and transform our diets, future needs may not be as great as we anticipate. Smil's message is that the prospects may not be as bright as we would like, but the outlook is hardly disheartening. Although inaction, late action, or misplaced emphasis may bring future troubles, we have the tools to steer a more efficient course. There are no insurmountable biophysical reasons we cannot feed humanity in the decades to come while easing the burden that modern agriculture puts on the biosphere.
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262692717
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396
Book Description
A realistic yet encouraging look at how society can change in ways that will allow us to feed an expanding global population. This book addresses the question of how we can best feed the ten billion or so people who will likely inhabit the Earth by the middle of the twenty-first century. He asks whether human ingenuity can produce enough food to support healthy and vigorous lives for all these people without irreparably damaging the integrity of the biosphere. What makes this book different from other books on the world food situation is its consideration of the complete food cycle, from agriculture to post-harvest losses and processing to eating and discarding. Taking a scientific approach, Smil espouses neither the catastrophic view that widespread starvation is imminent nor the cornucopian view that welcomes large population increases as the source of endless human inventiveness. He shows how we can make more effective use of current resources and suggests that if we increase farming efficiency, reduce waste, and transform our diets, future needs may not be as great as we anticipate. Smil's message is that the prospects may not be as bright as we would like, but the outlook is hardly disheartening. Although inaction, late action, or misplaced emphasis may bring future troubles, we have the tools to steer a more efficient course. There are no insurmountable biophysical reasons we cannot feed humanity in the decades to come while easing the burden that modern agriculture puts on the biosphere.