Over the years, economic considerations have overtaken the sustainability issue. Low and erratic rainfall, frequent droughts, the increasing costs of cultivation, lower compensation of labour and inputs have made farming in the arid regions a challenging enterprise. Employment opportunities in sectors other than agriculture have enticed many to cross the floor. The largest segment of the farming community, however, is constrained to make a living from farm related activities. With the opening of markets for international trade in farm commodities, the competition has toughened for the resource-constrained farmers of the arid regions of the country. On the other hand, useful technologies have been generated by researchers on many alternative systems, which could be adopted. In this scenario, the farmers could benefit greatly by inducing diversification in the farming systems and by strengthening the traditional systems. With this backdrop, a National Symposium on Livelihood Security and Diversified Farming Systems in Arid Region was organized by the Arid Zone Research Association of India at the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, from January 14-16, 2006. Selected papers presented at the symposium and invited articles have been included in this compendium and are grouped in sections on Diversification, Strengthening the Traditional Farming Systems, Enhancing Resource Use Efficiency, Livestock-based Farming Systems, Value Addition, Socio-economic Issues and Transfer of Technology. Currently, food, water and energy crises are of global concern. The challenge ahead is to strike a balance between basic needs of a large population and to maintain the pace of development. Diversification of farming systems may contribute towards achieving this goal to some extent. It is hoped that the book will provide options for diversification of the existing farming systems and benefit there from.

A joint FAO and World Bank study which shows how the farming systems approach can be used to identify priorities for the reduction of hunger and poverty in the main farming systems of the six major developing regions of the world.

"'Published by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, with funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture."

This book incorporates new insights and concepts in the hope of helping guide agricultural students, researchers, and practitioners to a deeper understanding of the ecology of agricultural systems that will open the doors to new management options with the objectives of sustainable agriculture.

Knowledge of Africa’s complex farming systems, set in their socio-economic and environmental context, is an essential ingredient to developing effective strategies for improving food and nutrition security. This book systematically and comprehensively describes the characteristics, trends, drivers of change and strategic priorities for each of Africa’s fifteen farming systems and their main subsystems. It shows how a farming systems perspective can be used to identify pathways to household food security and poverty reduction, and how strategic interventions may need to differ from one farming system to another. In the analysis, emphasis is placed on understanding farming systems drivers of change, trends and strategic priorities for science and policy. Illustrated with full-colour maps and photographs throughout, the volume provides a comprehensive and insightful analysis of Africa’s farming systems and pathways for the future to improve food and nutrition security. The book is an essential follow-up to the seminal work Farming Systems and Poverty by Dixon and colleagues for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Bank, published in 2001.

The Satellite Remote Sensing and GIS, a new fast developing technology, has potential for quick and accurate assessment and characterization of natural resources potentials. Nowadays, for any small query, planning and management of natural resources, one can nd quick answer by referring the satellite images. But, satellite images have to be interpreted which requires training and skill. During recent years, at many Universities, at graduate and post graduate degree courses of engineering, agriculture, forestry, geology, geography and environmental sciences, Remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) has been added as a part of syllabus. Keeping in mind, this book has been written, in simple explanatory language with illustrations, so that even novice and inexperienced person can understand and interpret the satellite images. There are 19 chapters in the book, covering two aspects, (1) Fundamentals of Remote Sensing Technology which includes satellites and sensors, spectral reectance characteristics of objects on earth surface, satellite image interpretation techniques and GIS, and (2) Applications of the Technology for identication, mapping and monitoring of landforms, soil, surface and ground water and forest resources; land use/ land cover classication and wasteland mapping; land degradation and desertication classication and mapping; crop identication and acreage estimation, watershed development planning and monitoring; natural calamities and disaster management. Each topic has been elaborately explained with case studies to meet the requirement of the students, teachers, and natural resource planners.

Nutritional security and ecosystem sustainability are the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Globally ~ 2.3 billion people suffer from malnutrition. According to estimates by the World Bank, malnutrition globally costs ~ $ 3.5 trillion per year. On the other hand, the production and availability of staple food is the major emphasis for conventional farming in developing and underdeveloped countries for assured food security. These staple foods are high in carbohydrates and energy availability but low in nutritional value, such as concerning micronutrient, phytochemical, and vitamin contents. Apart from adequate food, there should be consistent access, availability, and affordability of foods and beverages that are nutrient-dense, promote well-being, and minimize diseases. From the experience of the recent COVID-19 crisis, the importance of adequate dietary habits has been emphasized globally since food nutrients are considered inherent sources of immunomodulation.

The content of this book provides information on advanced knowledge in the sphere of importance and scope of horticulture in India, horticulture based integrated farming systems, integration of livestock in horticulture based farming systems, emerging issues, natural resource management, disease and pest management, organic farming and certification, post-harvest measures and value addition in arid fruits and vegetables, marketing aspects, status and export promotion measures and procedures. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This title is co-published with NIPA.