"This is a story of resistance against all odds, of Cuba's remarkable recovery from a food crisis brought on by the collapse of trade relations with the former socialist bloc and the tightening of the U.S. embargo. Unable to import either food or the farm chemicals and machines needed to grow it via conventional agriculture, Cuba turned inward toward self-reliance. Sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction and biological pest control are part of the successful paradigm shift underway in the Cuban countryside. In this book Cuban authors offer details-for the first time in English-of these remarkable achievements, which may serve as guideposts toward healthier, more environmentally friendly and self-reliant farming in countries both North and South."--Publisher's 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.

Green Agriculture: Green agriculture is a sort of system which carries out agricultural production with "green technology". It's basic content is based on biological diversity; keeping harmony between nature and economy during the course of agricultural development, by producing agricultural products in a pollution-free and nuisance-free environment. Methods and technologies to cater with climate change, droughts, floods etc is also dealt in detail in the book. The book "Green Agriculture: Newer Technologies" carries 18 s and covers most of the on farm adopted technology developed by our distinguished scientist mainly focusing, how to save the planet earth during agricultural activities through modern technology. The attempt is to highlight the recent agro-based development through newer technologies to make agriculture productive and eco-friendly.

This book is mainly about the examination of shifting in the field of ecological economics resulting from its evolution over the past three decades. It discusses the theory and methodology of ecological economics and development of ecological economics and related policies. It also analyzes the empirical study of ecological economics and the value of and compensation for ecological system services. Successfully combining theory and concrete practical guidelines, the book offers a valuable resource for all those active in this dynamic field.

Modern industrial agriculture is not sustainable because of its heavy reliance on petroleum, a non-renewable source of the energy used in farming, and because of pollution caused by petroleum products such as fertilizers and pesticides. A systems analysis of farming suggests that agriculture will be more sustainable when services of nature, such as nutrient recycling by soil micro-organisms and natural controls of insects, replace the services now provided by energy from petroleum. Examples are drawn from the Southeastern USA, but lessons learned can be applied worldwide.

This book discusses a number of recent technological and methodological progressions in achieving sustainable agriculture. It covers innovative and economically viable techniques for growers, laborers, consumers, policymakers, and others working to develop food-secure and ecologically sound agricultural practices to benefit humans and the environment. The key topics addressed include the increasing role of biofertilizers in sustainable agriculture, green synthesized nanoparticles for higher crop production rates, eco-friendly plant-based pesticides as alternatives to synthetic/chemical pesticides, use of genomics for improved plant breeding practices, and the use of biochar to increase the water-holding capacity in soil. The book concludes with an overview of satellite-based soil erosion practices to monitor and control the harmful impacts of land degradation, and a discussion of long-term strategies to reduce crop losses due to pest and insecticide damage. The book will be of interest to students and researchers in the field of environmental science, agriculture science, agronomy, and sustainable development.

Green Technology deals with using science and technology to protect the environment as well as curb the negative impacts of human involvement. The emerging green technologies, covered in this book, will propel our economy in the near future. Their development will lead to global and sustainable powers that will impact our economics, societies, cultures, and the way of life. This book provides researchers, students, and professionals a comprehensive introduction, applications, benefits, and challenges of 15 emerging green technologies. It presents the impact of these cutting-edge technologies on our global economy and its future. The book will help a beginner to have an introductory knowledge about these emerging technologies. The main objective of the author is to provide a concise treatment that is easily digestible. It is a must-read for those graduate students or scholars who consider researching green technologies. It can also serve as a valuable resource for those business professionals who seek ways to green their processes.

This book explores the extent to which EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) pursue sustainable agriculture in third country parties. It contends that this should be part of a duty for the EU enshrined in the Treaties to promote its fundamental values in its external action. It suggests that the extent to which this occurs in practice, may be reviewed judicially by the Court of Justice of the European Union. Against this background, selected agreements concluded by the EU with developed and developing countries (Canada, South Korea, Ukraine, Chile, SADC countries and Vietnam) are taken as case studies. The author concludes that, in spite of the remarkable progress made hitherto, EU trade policy is still far from being in line with the increasingly strong commitment of the EU to take the lead in the international arena for environmental and climate matters. This work adopts primarily a legal methodology, but it broaches the subject in interdisciplinary terms. It is addressed not only to (EU) policy-makers, but also to scholars of different fields and to the wider public interested in topics that have become of common concern for the future of our planet. With a foreword by Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General of the European Commission - DG Environment