This book deals with the early history of agriculture in a defined part of Western Europe: the loess belt west of the river Rhine. It is a well-illustrated book that integrates existing and new information, starting with the first farmers and ending when food production was no longer the chief source of livelihood for the entire population. The loess belt was chosen because it is a region with only one type of soil and climate as these are all-important factors where farming is concerned. Subjects covered are crops, crop cultivation, livestock and livestock handling, the farm and its yard, and the farm in connection with other farms. Crop plants and animals are described, together with their origin. New tools such as the plough, wheen, wagon and scythe are introduced. Groundplans of farm buildings, the history of the outhouse and the presence or absence of hamlets are presented as well, and the impact of farming on the landscape is not forgotten. The loess belt was not an island and the world beyond its boundaries was important for new ideas, new materials and new people. Summarising six millennia of agriculture, the thinking in terms of the Western European loess belt as one agricultural-cultural unit seems justified.

Geomorphology, the discipline which analyzes the history and nature of the earth's surface, deals with the landforms produced by erosion, weathering, deposition, transport and tectonic processes. In recent decades there have been major developments in the discipline and these are reflected in this major Encyclopedia, the first such reference work in the field to be published for thirty-five years. Encyclopedia of Geomorphology has been produced in association with the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) and has a truly global perspective. The entries have been written by an international editorial team of contributors, drawn from over thirty countries, who are all among the leading experts in the discipline. In two lavishly illustrated volumes, Encyclopedia contains nearly 700 alphabetically organized entries to provide a comprehensive guide both to specific landforms and to the major types of geomorphological processes that create them. The Encyclopedia also demonstrates the major developments that have taken place in recent years in our knowledge of tectonic and climatic changes and in the use of new techniques such as modelling, remote sensing and process measurement. Older concepts, however, are not forgotten and provide an historical perspective on the development of ideas. Both accessible and authoritative, Encyclopedia of Geomorphology is destined to become the definitive resource for students, researchers and applied practitioners in the field of geomorphology and the cognate disciplines of geography, earth science, sedimentology and environmental science.

This book presents state-of-the-art scientific evidence and technological innovations to restore lands on the Loess Plateau of China, known worldwide for its serious land degradation and desertification problems. Supported by a rapidly developing Chinese economy and the dissemination of effective technology, the Grain-for-Green Project and Western Development Action launched by the Chinese government have resulted in successful ecological restoration and protection over the past 30 years. These programs have contributed not only to conservation of soil and water, but also to economic development. At the same time, however, these developmental interventions have brought new challenges that have not yet been fully addressed. The book describes (1) case studies of success and failure in practice, including rare success stories of combating desertification; (2) technical issues such as erosion control and breeding of stress-tolerant plant species, and socioeconomic measures taken by the Chinese government and lending policies with support from the World Bank; and (3) comprehensive measures against desertification, such as water and wind erosion, salinization, and deforestation. This volume is recommended for researchers and students above the undergraduate level in diverse fields including soil science, rural engineering, social technology and civil engineering, biology, ecology, climatology, physical and human geography, and developmental economics, among others. It also serves as a valuable resource for engineers, government officials, and NPOs and NGOs involved in afforestation, ecological restoration, combating desertification, disaster prevention, and sustainable rural development.