Regenerating Agriculture Policies and Practice for Sustainability and Self-reliance

About this book

For the past half century, the aim of agriculture has been solely to increase food production, relying on high inputs of fertilizers and pesticides and intensive industrial methods. Along the way it has damaged environmental, social, and economic systems. Now finding an alternative approach is one of the greatest challenges it faces. This book shows that viable alternatives exist - agriculture can conserve resources without the loss of productivity, while maintaining rural employment and minimizing external costs. Examples are given, drawing on case studies from both `North' and `South'.

Contents

Sustainable Agriculture * The Modernization of Agriculture * The Environmental and Social Costs of Improvement * Resource-Conserving Technologies and Processes * Local Groups and Institutions for Sustainable Agriculture * External Institutions and Partnerships with Farmers * Linking Process to Impact: The Transition to Sustainable Agriculture * Agriculture Policy Frameworks and Institutional Processes * Policies That Work for Sustainable Agriculture * References * Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Jules Pretty is Director of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme at the International Institute for Environment and Development, and co-author of Unwelcome Harvest (Earthscan, 1991).