A comprehensive book covering all aspects of the subject in temperate areas, and advocating a whole-farm approach to management Incorporating the most up-do-date thinking on organic pest and disease management, this is an essential reference work for all those wishing to develop a good understanding of the subject. The authors provide a practical guide to organic pest and disease management practices. They advocate a whole-farm approach to pest and disease management, which uses rotations and the full farm landscape to manage pest and disease outbreaks. The book covers the scientific principles underlying pest and disease management in organic systems; long-term preventative methods, based on sensitive landscape management, and shorter-term reactive measures; the cost implications of different approaches; the monitoring and decisionmaking processes that farmers and growers should use; and the key pests and diseases of field vegetables, cereals, and green manures, and their management in organic systems.

The Organic Farm Management Handbook from the Organic Research Centre is the only source of information on the costs and performance of organic farming. One of the key barriers is the lack of current information on the costs and business performance of organic farms and related management issues that is vital to anyone contemplating the seismic shift to organic farming. The revised OFMH will provide that information – utilising in depth historical data and expert opinion. It is the essential tool for understanding the economics of organic farming in the UK. It can: Help with business plans and budgets Provide a means of assessing the viability of specific crops and livestock Advise on conversion related innovations such as new marketing approaches.

The Organic Vegetable Grower is a practical guide for those growing, or wishing to grow, market and sell organic vegetables for a living. The book is rooted in organic principles and covers: •Getting on the land – gaining the skills and setting up •How to maximise diversity and productivity at a range of scales •A crop-by-crop guide to the basics of growing quality produce •Selling and marketing your produce •The human element - managing staff, complexity, and avoiding burnout Lavishly illustrated with over 250 colour photographs, The Organic Vegetable Grower highlights best practice within the industry with numerous case study examples. It focuses on agroecological and regenerative approaches that build soil health and biodiversity to grow quality vegetables for a growing market. Packed with the latest research, innovations, and grower knowledge, it will also be invaluable for advisers and students of organic farming.

Increased yields, markets, and profitability have led to changes in crop husbandry. Since its first publication in 1966, revised editions of Lockhart & Wiseman's Crop Husbandry Including Grassland have upheld and increased the book's good reputation. This ninth edition maintains its status as the standard textbook for many agricultural courses. Part one covers the principles of crop production with chapters concerning plants, climate, soil management, fertilizers, manures, weeds, and diseases threatening farm crops. Part two surveys crop husbandry techniques. Environmental impact has been addressed in greater detail in this edition. This section looks at issues such as sustainable crop management, precision farming, and organic crop husbandry. The way these general techniques apply to individual crops is explained in part three. This part considers a range of cereals, combinable break crops, root crops, industrial crops, and fresh produce crops. Part four looks at the use of grassland and forage crops, with chapters considering arable forage crops, the characteristics of grassland, and the corresponding methods for establishing and improving grassland. This part also includes information regarding equine grassland management and conservation of grass and forage crops. This ninth edition of Lockhart and Wiseman's Crop Husbandry Including Grassland is relevant for students throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. It is a useful reference book for agriculture National Diploma courses, Foundation Degrees, and BSc degrees, and is important for Masters level students entering agriculture from another discipline. - The previous edition has been widely expanded and remains the standard text for general agriculture, land management, and agri-business courses - Includes new chapters on cropping techniques, integrated crop management and quality assurance, seed production and selection, and the influence of climate - Discusses basic conditions for crop growth, how techniques are applied to particular crops, the influence of weather, and the use of grassland

Organic Vegetable Production provides an invaluable, practical guide to the production of organic vegetables across a range of organic farming systems in temperate areas. The book covers all aspects of production, including crop choice, fertility building and weed, pest and disease management within a framework of rotation design and business planning. The specific needs of a range of commonly grown vegetable crops are discussed in detail. The authors consider that knowledge-gathering, marketing and financial management are integral parts of organic vegetable production and these subjects are examined in depth. Speciality topics as protected cropping and storage are covered. The book highlights the technical and economic consequences of converting from conventional to organic production and the challenges that can arise.

Lockhart and Wiseman's Crop Husbandry Including Grassland, Tenth Edition delivers the latest developments in crop varieties, crop protection products and environmental schemes. This new edition reflects the changing world around us, with sections covering the principles of crop production and chapters on plants, climate, soil management, fertilizers, manures, weeds and diseases that threaten farm crops. Other chapters focus on crop husbandry techniques and the integration of sustainability across the board in crop production. This update also includes an additional focus on the principles of plant breeding, seed production and certification considerations necessary for today's agriculture. - Features contributions from leading experts that are specifically structured to help students see the whole picture of crop husbandry - Presents a fully revised and updated resource that reflect the latest scientific advances and current approaches - Includes expanded coverage on World Agricultural Systems - Provides a summary of recommended websites and references for expanded knowledge

The book offers a rich toolkit of relevant, adoptable ecosystem-based practices that can help the world's 500 million smallholder farm families achieve higher productivity, profitability and resource-use efficiency while enhancing natural capital.

Organic Farming: Global Perspectives and Methods explores the core definition and concepts of organic farming in sustainability, its influence on the ecosystem, the significance of seed, soil management, water management, weed management, the significance of microorganisms in organic farming, livestock management, and waste management. The book provides readers with a basic idea of organic farming that presents advancements in the field and insights on the future. Written by a team of global experts, and with the aim of providing a current understanding of organic farming, this resource is valuable for researchers, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows from academia and research institutions. - Presents the basic principles of organic farming and sustainable development - Discusses the role of soil in organic agriculture - Addresses various strategies in seed processing and seed storing, seed bed preparation, watering of seeds and seed quality improvement - Includes updated information on organic fertilizers and their preparation techniques

The Integrated Pest Management IPM is an ecosystem approach to managing pests through understanding the crop ecosystem as a basis of good crop management decisions and support the sustainable intensification of crop production and pesticide risk reduction. Often, low levels of populations of some pests are needed to keep natural enemies in the field and the aim of IPM is to reduce pest populations to avoid damage levels that cause yield loss. The IPM is still directly associated with pests and defined as a knowledge-intensive process of decision making that combines various strategies (biological, cultural, physical and chemical, regular field monitoring of the crops etc.) that focuses on reduction of pesticide use to sustainably manage dangerous pests. This book is intended to guide farmers in the integrated management of pest and diseases, helping them with decision making. It provides a description of the most dangerous pests and diseases, including symptoms, possible location, types of plants, biology as well as ways of monitoring. It also describes the main components of specific Integrated Pest Management.

Sustainable Intensification (SI) has recently emerged as a key concept for agricultural development, recognising that yields must increase to feed a growing world population, but it must be achieved without damage to the environment, on finite land resources and while preserving social and natural capital. It also recognises that all initiatives must cope with the challenges of climate change to agricultural production, food security and livelihoods. This multidisciplinary book presents state-of-the-art reviews of current SI approaches to promote major food crops, challenges and advances made in technology, and the institutional and policy measures necessary to overcome the constraints faced by smallholder farmers. Adressing the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 2, the various chapters based on evidence and experiences of reputed researchers show how these innovations, if properly nurtured and implemented, can make a difference to food and nutrition security outcomes. Case studies from around the world are included, with a particular emphasis on Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The focus is not only on scientific aspects such as climate-smart agriculture, agroecology and improving input use efficiency and management, but also on institutional and policy challenges that must be met to increase the net societal benefits of sustainable agricultural intensification. The book is aimed at advanced students and researchers in sustainable agriculture and policy, development practitioners, policy makers and non-governmental and farmer organisations.