United States
£ GBP
Collaboratively written by top international experts and established scientists in various fields of agricultural research, Agricultural Sustainability focuses on the state of food production and sustainability; the problems with degradation of valuable sources of land, water, and air and their effects on food crops; the increasing demand of food resources; and the challenges of food security worldwide.
Agricultural Sustainability provides cutting edge scientific tools and methods of research as well as solid background information that is accessible for those who have a strong interest in agricultural research and development and want to learn more on the challenges facing the global agricultural production systems. It provides cutting edge scientific tools and available technologies for research. It addresses the effects of climate change and the population explosion on food supply and offers solutions to combat them. It is written by a range of experts covering a broad range of agriculture-related disciplines.
Foreword
Preface
Section 1: Agricultural biodiversity, organic farming and new crops
1. Functional Agrobiodiversity: The Key to Sustainability?
2. Organic Agriculture - Driving Innovations in Crop Research
3. Guar-an industrial crop from marginal farms
Section 2: Effective management of resources (nutrients and water) and crop modelling
4. Nitrogen use as a component of sustainable crop systems
5. Potential of Management Practices and Amendments for Preventing Nutrient Deficiencies in Field Crops under Organic Cropping Systems
6. Effective management of scarce water resources in the North West India
7. Modelling for Agriculture Sustainability: A Review
Section 3: Molecular, biotechnological and industrial approaches for enhancement of crop production and quality
8. Biotechnological approaches for increasing rice productivity and sustainability: Progress and future outlook
9. Biofortification of staple crops
10. Nutrient focused processing of rice
11. Virus Resistance Breeding in Cool Season Food Legumes: Integrating Traditional and Molecular Approaches
Section 4: Expert advice on policy and developmental aspects
12. Talking agricultural sustainability issues - an interview with Dr Gurdev Khush
13. Economics and politics of Farm Subsidies in India
14. Public-Private Partnership and Policy Reforms for Effective Agricultural Research, Development and Training: A Viewpoint
15. Contract Farming
"There is something here for everyone with a serious interest in agricultural sustainability; each of the 15 chapters delves deeply into its specific topic, but the next begins anew in a tangential fashion. The book is unusual in its coverage of such diverse topics and deserves to be recognized for it [...] Some chapters were written to inspire readers, and the authors were definitely successful in accomplishing their goal. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
– CHOICE Reviews Online, January 2014
"The book is highly topical given current concerns regarding food security, water security and climate change. The book provides the opportunity to develop a clear understanding of how agriculture needs to meet global food, fibre and energy demands whilst ensuring the maintenance of ecosystems and protection of biodiversity [...] [it] is a well-written, detailed, concise and informative book that I would recommend to students and colleagues."
– Soil Use and Management, October 11, 2013
"Among specific topics are whether agrobiodiversity is the key to sustainability, the effective management of scarce water resources in northwestern India, biofortifying staple crops, integrating traditional and molecular approaches in breeding virus resistance into cool season food legumes, and lessons from personal experience regarding contract farming for producing and procuring mint."
– Reference and Research Book News, August 2013
