This book sets out to investigate the process of agrarian change from new angles and with new results. It starts on firm ground rather than from abstract economic theory. Upon its initial appearance, it was heralded as "a small masterpiece, which economic historians should read--and not simply quote"--Giovanni Frederico, Economic History Services. The Conditions of Agricultural Growth remains a breakthrough in the theory of agricultural development. In linking ethnography with economy, developmental studies reached new heights. Whereas "development" had been seen previously as the transformation of traditional communities by the introduction (or imposition) of new technologies, Ester Boserup argues that changes and improvements occur from within agricultural communities, and that improvements are governed not simply by external interference, but by those communities themselves Using extensive analyses of the costs and productivity of the main systems of traditional agriculture, Ester Boserup concludes that technical, economic, and social changes are unlikely to take place unless the community concerned is exposed to the pressure of population growth.

First published in 1999, this study aims to develop a theoretical framework for the analysis of livestock farming systems and their conditions of change. The framework should be generally applicable in developing countries and make it possible to analyse livestock farming in different agro-ecological regions. Secondly, Regina Birner applies the framework to a case study in Sri Lanka, the ecological conditions and agrarian structure of which is an excellent setting for studying the diverse factors influencing the action and change of livestock farming. Thirdly, Birner contributes to improving the planning basis for livestock developing policies in developing countries.

The Agricultural Dilemma questions everything we think we know about the current state of agriculture and how to, or perhaps more importantly how not to, feed a world with a growing population. This book is about the three fundamental forms of agriculture: Malthusian (expansion), industrialization (external-input-dependent), and intensification (labor-based). The best way to understand the three agricultures, and how we tend to get it wrong, is to consider what drives their growth. The book provides a thoughtful, critical analysis that upends entrenched misconceptions such as that we are running out of land for food production and that our only hope is the development of new agricultural technologies. The book contains engaging and enlightening vignettes and short histories, with case studies drawn from across the globe to bring to life this important debate and dilemma. The book concludes by arguing there is a viable alternative to industrial agriculture which will allow us to meet the world's needs and it ponders why such alternatives have been downplayed, obscured, or hidden from view. This important book is essential reading for all studying and researching food production and agriculture, and more broadly for all interested in ensuring we are able to feed our growing population.

Arising from a scientific conference marking the 100th anniversary of her birth, this book honors the life and work of the social scientist and diplomat Ester Boserup, who blazed new trails in her interdisciplinary approach to development and sustainability.

This valuable book summarizes recent research by experts from both the natural and social sciences on the effects of population growth on land use. It is a useful introduction to a field in which little quantitative research has been conducted and in which there is a great deal of public controversy. The book includes case studies of African, Asian, and Latin American countries that demonstrate the varied effects of population growth on land use. Several general chapters address the following timely questions: What is meant by land use change? Why are ecological research and population studies so different? What are the implications for sustainable growth in agricultural production? Although much work remains to be done in quantifying the causal connections between demographic and land use changes, this book provides important insights into those connections, and it should stimulate more work in this area.

In the first section dedicated to theoretical thoughts on comparative agriculture, Hubert Cochet introduces the notion of “agricultural development”, the very subject of comparative agriculture, with a restored endogenous dimension. He then describes how this approach was slowly consolidated, around the concept of agrarian system in particular. The comparison of agricultural transformations in time and space highlights the importance of the comparatist approach to production processes, their trajectories and differentiation on a worldwide scale. The second section which focuses on the methods and expertise of comparative agriculture, tackles the issues of landscape analysis, field surveys and the historical approach underlying comparative agriculture. It sums up the economic tools mobilised as well as the evaluation perspectives opened up by comparative agriculture.

This innovative and comprehensive collection of essays explores the biggest threats facing humanity in the 21st century; threats that cannot be contained or controlled and that have the potential to bring about human extinction and civilization collapse. Bringing together experts from many disciplines, it provides an accessible survey of what we know about these threats, how we can understand them better, and most importantly what can be done to manage them effectively. These essays pair insights from decades of research and activism around global risk with the latest academic findings from the emerging field of Existential Risk Studies. Voicing the work of world leading experts and tackling a variety of vital issues, they weigh up the demands of natural systems with political pressures and technological advances to build an empowering vision of how we can safeguard humanity’s long-term future. The book covers both a comprehensive survey of how to study and manage global risks with in-depth discussion of core risk drivers: including environmental breakdown, novel technologies, global scale natural disasters, and nuclear threats. The Era of Global Risk offers a thorough analysis of the most serious dangers to humanity. Inspiring, accessible, and essential reading for both students of global risk and those committed to its mitigation, this book poses one critical question: how can we make sense of this era of global risk and move beyond it to an era of global safety?

This volume presents a new perspective on demographic transition, economic growth, and national development via exploration of the Third World economies. It provides a multidimensional approach to the close relationship between the concept of the chaos and complexity theory and provides a deliberate glance into the plight of policy formulation for demographic transition, economic growth, and development of Third World countries. The volume discusses the efficiency of good strategies and practices and their impact on business growth and economic growth, depending on the depth and diversity of infrastructure sector in particular and overall socioeconomic development in general. Economic Growth and Demographic Transition in Third World Nations: A Chaos and Complexity Theory Perspective covers a conglomeration of various aspects and issues related to the effect of demographic transition on socio-economic development in Third World countries, especially in the post-globalized era. It focuses on the applicability of the chaos and complexity theory in order to elicit transformational policies and aims to discuss and predict future projections of the new world of the economic growth policies.