Understand sustainable development from economic, ecological, and social perspectives As world population continues to increase, the need grows for a safe, sustainable supply of food. Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability: Considerations for the Future provides the latest research results and vital information on the process of p

Farming for Our Future examines the policies and legal reforms necessary to accelerate the adoption of practices that can make agriculture in the United States climate-neutral or better. These proven practices will also make our food system more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Agriculture's contribution to climate change is substantial--much more so than official figures suggest--and we will not be able to achieve our overall mitigation goals unless agricultural emissions sharply decline. Fortunately, farms and ranches can be a major part of the climate solution, while protecting biodiversity, strengthening rural communities, and improving the lives of the workers who cultivate our crops and rear our animals. The importance of agricultural climate solutions can not be underestimated; it is a critical element both in ensuring our food security and limiting climate change. This book provides essential solutions to address the greatest crises of our time.

Discussion paper providing a description of the broad context within which the farmers and ranchers of Alberta make decisions. It is written for those who may have limited familiarity with the agriculture industry and the relationships between that industry and other sectors of the economy. Aspects covered include: factors affecting farm decison making, such as commodity pricing, natural resources, government policies and programs, and weather; impacts of decisions on type of farming; methods of increasing farm income by organic farming, increasing land, mining the existing land base, and increasing inputs; and relationships with other resources users, such as the urban sector, wetlands, coal sector, fish and wildlife, forestry, and oil and gas.

Over the past two decades, existing documentation of women in the agricultural sector has surveyed topics such as agricultural restructuring and land reform, international trade agreements and food trade, land ownership and rural development and rural feminisms. Many studies have focused on either the high-income countries of the global North or the low-income countries of the global South. This separation suggests that the North has little to learn from the South, or that there is little shared commonality across the global dividing line. Fletcher and Kubik cross this political, economic, and ideological division by drawing together authors from 5 continents. They discuss the situation for women in agriculture in 13 countries worldwide, with two chapters that cover international contexts. The authors blur the boundaries between academic and organizational authors and their contributors include university-based researchers, gender experts, development consultants, and staff of agricultural research centers and international organizations (i.e., Oxfam, the United Nations World Food Program). The common thread connecting these diverse authors is an emphasis on practical and concrete solutions to address the challenges, such as lack of access to resources and infrastructure, lack of household decision-making power, and gender biases in policymaking and leadership, still faced by women in agriculture around the world. Ongoing issues in climate change will exacerbate many of these issues and several chapters also address environment and sustainability. This book is of great interest to readers in the areas of gender studies, agriculture, policy studies, environmental studies, development and international studies.

Understand sustainable development from economic, ecological, and social perspectives As world population continues to increase, the need grows for a safe, sustainable supply of food. Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability: Considerations for the Future provides the latest research results and vital information on the process of producing an enduring food supply that is healthy for consumers and does not harm the environment. Internationally respected experts provide diverse perspectives on the issues and problems in striving for a safe, continuous food supply that is stable for future generations. Researchers and practitioners will gain insight into the current and oncoming challenges in providing food for the hungry around the world. The neglect of environmental factors would inevitably lead to the collapse of both industry and agriculture. Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability: Considerations for the Future focuses on the economic, ecological, and sociological issues that intertwine with efforts for effective agricultural sustainability in the coming years. This crucial look to the future provides a clear view of what needs to be done in long-term land use to ensure sustainability of resources, economic viability, and environmental preservation. This important resource is well-referenced and has several figures, tables, and graphs to clearly illustrate ideas. Topics in Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability: Considerations for the Future include: sustainability of agriculture issues, such as economic returns, environmental preservation, and enhancing quality of life opportunities for alleviating poverty and stopping land degradation through agroforestry management principles to improve and restore soil whole-system modeling approach to work for sustainable agricultural systems global wheat mega-environments and sustainability enhancing the productivity and sustainability of the rice-wheat cropping system overcoming the use of the outmoded plow holistic model systems to help farm families become more food secure the economic impact of bacterial wilt and drought stresses in banana production the sale of environmentally friendly products in developed countries Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability: Considerations for the Future is an essential resource for crop breeders, geneticists, agronomists and horticulturists, educators, and students and belongs in every agricultural university library.