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More and more farmers are adopting a diverse range of alternative practices designed to reduce dependence on synthetic chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and antibiotics; cut costs; increase profits; and reduce the adverse environmental consequences of agricultural production. "Alternative Agriculture" describes the increased use of these new practices and other changes in agriculture since World War II, and examines the role of federal policy in encouraging this evolution, as well as factors that are causing farmers to look for profitable, environmentally safe alternatives. Eleven case studies explore how alternative farming methods have been adopted - and with what economic results - on farms of various sizes from California to Pennsylvania. ... Read more

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American agriculture has doubled its use of pesticides since the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962. Agriculture is the nation's leading cause of non-point-source water pollution—runoffs of pesticides, nutrients, and sediments into streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. In Agroecology in Action, Keith Douglass Warner describes agroecology, an emerging scientific response to agriculture's environmental crises, and offers detailed case studies of ways in which growers, scientists, agricultural organizations, and public agencies have developed innovative, ecologically based techniques to reduce reliance on agrochemicals.

Agroecology in Action shows that agroecology can be put into action effectively only when networks of farmers, scientists, and other stakeholders learn together. Farmers and scientists and their organizations must work collaboratively to share knowledge—whether it is derived from farm, laboratory, or marketplace. This sort of partnership, writes Warner, has emerged as the primary strategy for finding alternatives to conventional agrochemical use. Warner describes successful agroecological initiatives in California, Iowa, Washington, and Wisconsin. California's vast and diverse specialty-crop agriculture has already produced 32 agricultural partnerships, and Warner pays particular attention to agroecological efforts in that state, including those under way in the pear, winegrape, and almond farming systems.

The book shows how popular concern about the health and environmental impacts of pesticides has helped shape agricultural environmental policy, and how policy has in turn stimulated creative solutions from scientists, extension agents, and growers. ... Read more

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People like to believe in a past golden age of "traditional" English countryside, before large farms, machinery, and the destruction of hedgerows changed the landscape forever. Yet crops from the past like flax, hemp, rapeseed, and woad are gradually reappearing in the "modern" countryside. Thirsk reveals how the forces which drive the current interest in alternative forms of agriculture--a glut of mainstream meat and cereal crops, changing patterns of diet, the needs of medicine--have striking parallels with earlier periods of English history, emphasizing that solutions to current problems can still be found in the hard-won experience of people in the past. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

relevant to today's local food movement.
fantastic overview of food and agriculture issues in England and technologies that were used over the years.
... Read more

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People like to believe in a past golden age of "traditional" English countryside, before large farms, machinery, and the destruction of hedgerows changed the landscape forever. Yet crops from the past like flax, hemp, rapeseed, and woad are gradually reappearing in the "modern" countryside. Thirsk reveals how the forces which drive the current interest in alternative forms of agriculture--a glut of mainstream meat and cereal crops, changing patterns of diet, the needs of medicine--have striking parallels with earlier periods of English history, emphasizing that solutions to current problems can still be found in the hard-won experience of people in the past. ... Read more

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Historical Perspective Relevant to the Local Food Movement
Though written as an academic publication, this book moves quickly to document changes in agricultural practice caused by fluctuations in population and food demands.Thirsk's basic premise is that at several points in British history (incuding after the black death, and during the agricultural depression of the late 19th century) overproduction of commodity crops (such as corn and grain) has been followed by an "alternative agriculture" that involves diversification of crops to include industrial crops and expanded production of fruits and vegetables.When farms switched from grain to vegetables they got smaller, more productive, and more labor-intensive, and introduced new and healthful foods to local populations. New foods were often adopted by the elite before becoming available to the lower and middle classes.
Reading this book in 2008, eight years after it was originally published, it is all the more relevant.The state of agriculture is changing quickly: a glut of low-priced commodity crops could have inspired more diverse farming, but a movement to production of fuel crops then increased commodity crop prices.At the same time, however; the locavore movement is demanding a transition to the type of alternative agriculture that Thirsk documents.Although Thirsk focuses her research solely on British agricultural history, her book provides terrific perspective on all of these issues. ... Read more

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Drawing on decades of veterinary practice, Dr. Paul Dettloff presents a natural, sustainable approach to ruminant health. Copiously illustrated chapters "break down" the animal into its interrelated biological systems: digestive, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory, musculoskeletal and more. Also includes a chapter on nosodes, with vaccination programs for dairy cattle, sheep and goats. An information-packed manual from a renowned vet and educator, suitable for anyone interested in helping ruminants achieve optimal health naturally. ... Read more

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A unique resource that describes the ingredients included in an aquaculture diet, species profiles, processing methods, impacts to environment and industry, and more!

Aquaculture is and will remain a major food producing sector in the future. To become more efficient and successful in the aquaculture industry, operations need to provide good nutrition. Alternative Protein Sources in Aquaculture Diets is a unique source describing the ingredients included in fish and crustacean diets, their nutrient compositions, species profiles, suitability for species, processing methods, and impacts of alternative ingredients on the environment and to the aquaculture industry. World-renowned nutritionists and feed technologists explore practical ways for the aquaculture industry to expand and remain competitive, and discuss ways to develop less expensive alternative sources or protein.

Diet costs take up a huge chunk of operating expenditures, with fish meal being one of the most expensive ingredients in the aquaculture diet. Alternative Protein Sources in Aquaculture Diets provides detailed knowledge on the use of alternative plant and animal protein sources, offering opportunities to either partially or completely replace fish meal. This comprehensive, up-to-date text discusses the most widely used ingredients as well as various previously under-utilized ingredients which could be of significant potential in the future. The book is extensively referenced and includes numerous helpful tables to clearly present data.

Topics discussed in Alternative Protein Sources in Aquaculture Diets (for finfish and crustacean species) include:

farmed fish diet requirements
reduction of waste through diet formulation
poultry by-product meal
meat packing by-products
soybean protein foodstuffs
cottonseed meal
lupins
unconventional plant protein supplements
and much, much more!

Alternative Protein Sources in Aquaculture Diets is an essential resource for aquaculturists, nutritionists, feed formulators, feed mill operators, extension specialists, fish farmers and producers, ingredient suppliers, and policymakers.

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Immense potential for sustainable development lies in the production of fuels, chemicals, and materials from bioresources. This timely book provides comprehensive coverage of the engineering systems that convert agricultural crops and residues into bioenergy and biobased products.

Leading the way as the first textbook for coursework on biobased products, Biorenewable Resources: Engineering New Products from Agriculture covers not only pertinent technologies but offers a primer on necessary foundation subjects the student or other reader may lack: organic chemistry, thermodynamics, plant science, crop production, environmental science, and process economics. Of special value to those working or planning to work in the field are compilations of bioresource properties, such as

• production yields,
  
• bulk densities and moisture content,
  
• summative analysis of plant materials, and
  
• chemical conversion yields.

By defining this multi-disciplinary field—at the interface between agricultural sciences and process engineering—Robert C. Brown has produced an introductory textbook that also serves as a handbook for agronomists, engineers, chemists, and environmentalists. ... Read more

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This text is based on participatory field research in selected urban and peri-urban villages in Varanasi and Faridabad districts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, respectively. The topic of air pollution is approached in a holistic manner in terms of local lives and livelihoods. ... Read more

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Those are not your grandfather's potato chips.

As debate rages over the costs and benefits of genetically engineered crops, noted agroecologist Miguel Altieri lucidly examines some of the issue's most basic and pressing questions:

* Are transgenic crops similar to conventionally bred crops?

* Are transgenic crops safe to eat?

* Does biotechnology increase yields?

* Does it reduce pesticide use?

* What are the costs to American farmers?

* Will biotechnology benefit poor farmers?

* Can biotechnology coexist with other forms of agriculture?

* What are the known and potential environmental and biological risks?

* What alternatives do we have to genetically modified crops? ... Read more

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Despite a history of several decades of pesticide regulation, continuous innovation, and considerable practical experience with using pesticides in agriculture, the environmental impact of pesticide use continues to be of serious concern. ... Read more

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Experts are predicting that demand for marine fish oil will soon outstrip supply, creating extreme urgency within the global aquafeed industry to find viable alternatives. Fish Oil Replacement and Alternative Lipid Sources in Aquaculture Feeds is the first comprehensive review of this multifaceted, complex issue. It also addresses the crucial questions about whether or not the industry will be able to meet increasing worldwide demand for fisheries products.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Really interesting book and It was in really good conditions
Great book and great service from amazon the book was in good conditions and it also arrived just in time, the author makes a really good description about how to work with observational studies, and using two network groups as an example she explains very carefully and detailed how they got involved with alternative farming methods and the development of new sustainable practices. ... Read more

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Medicinal and Aromatic Plants XII comprises 18 chapters. It deals with the distribution, importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture studies, and the in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in the following plants: Artemisia annua, Coriandrum sativum, Crataegus, Dionaea muscipula, Hyoscyamus reticulatus, Hypericum canariense, Leguminosae, Malva, Ocimum, Pergularia tomentosa, Phellodendron amurense, Sempervivum, Solanum aculeatissimum, S. chrysotrichum, S. kasianum, Stephania, Trigonella, and Vaccinium. It is tailored to the needs of advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the fields of pharmacy, plant tissue culture, phytochemistry, biomedical engineering, and plant biotechnology in general. ... Read more

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This is the 4th volume in an international energy reference book series aimed at bringing together, in a concise form, the basic principles and the most relevant data concerning both the efficient use of energy in agriculture and the food industry and alternative energy sources for agriculture.

The theme of this volume is solar energy applications in agriculture.Since the 1960's the major industrial nations have faced an energy crisis; there is a realisation that fossil fuels exist in finite quantitities.In the 1970's and 80's, deposits of CO2 in the atmosphere have increased, arguably resulting in an increase in global warming.Utilisation of solar energy could contribute to the improvement of man's standard of living while helping to decrease the potential for disasterous earth warming.The application of solar energy in agriculture is, in the main, environmentally benign.

The purpose of this volume is to assist the solar e ... Read more