Published in 1998, the aim of this text is to promote awareness of the evolution of Greek agriculture, as well as of the development of national strategies, in conformity with the Common Agricultural Policy provision - which is important for a successful confrontation of modern and prospective international challenges. It offers a case study developing integrated policies for unemployment, for prevention of diversification of rural areas and for provision of solutions to the problem of increasing competition, while enhancing environmental quality and making rational use of productive resources.

Agricultural Geography has changed dramatically in recent decades, reflecting the transformation of the farming industry itself. Geographies of Agriculture embraces these changes, applying ideas and methods from contemporary social science, as it moves beyond farm-based production to address current issues affecting the production and consumption of food and fibre throughout the world. The book places special emphasis on topics that reflect globalisation processes, integration of agriculture into the wider agri-food system, concern with attaining sustainable production systems, and the importance of both government and supra-government policies. Examples are drawn from North America, Western Europe and the developing world. Geographies of Agriculture will appeal especially to Geography students, but should also be of interest to a broader range of students in Sociology, Economics and Development Studies, and anyone interested in agriculture, food production and consumption, and rural development.

Freer Trade, Sustainability, and the Primary Production Sector in the Southern European Union is the first full-scale academic work to cap ture the primary production sector policy aspects of trade liberaliza tion and sustainability with a detailed focus on a typical southern EU country, Greece. Many efforts were pooled together in making this book. In May 1996 the Department of Economics of the University of Crete organ ized an international conference on European Agriculture in the light of the recent WTO agreement and the need for sustainable develop ment. The conference was sponsored by the European Commission (DG XII, contract no ENV4-CT-96-6514), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, contract no L320263049), the Hellenic Ministries for Agriculture and for the Environment, and the University of Crete. While summarizing the conclusions of the conference, sev eral speakers felt that the issues relating to the Southern EU would de serve separate coverage. The conference directors judged that cover age of the issues for a single Southern EU country might have an ad vantage, regarding detail, over a cross country analysis which would certainly be welcome at a later stage. Responding to this call, the University of Crete generously reallo cated all of its infra-structural costs covered by DG XII, ESRC, and the other sponsors above, in the form of a new grant to host a follow-up conference aiming to explore the issues for Greece.

Bringing together case studies from Germany, Greece, Poland, Portugal and the UK, this book examines the contribution of entrepreneurial ventures and new technology in stimulating economic development in rural locations. It looks at instances of 'good practice' in terms of both public and private initiatives, and develops a coherent combination of policy objectives facilitating the long-term economic development of the countryside. Firstly analyzing the key causes and effects of economic restructuring currently affecting Europe's rural areas, the book then explores the consequences that European integration and 'globalization' have had and will have in future. It identifies sources of entrepreneurship and examines their distribution between different gender, age and other social groupings. The book continues to evaluate the extent to which the existing institutional, social and technological environment and infrastructure encourages and facilitates entrepreneurship.

Whilst many books on the European economy have focused on the analysis of its industrial sectors, this book draws attention to the often ignored contribution made by the development of European agriculture over the past two centuries. In doing so, the authors adopt a revisionist perspective on the subject, addressing the lack of coherent study of the agricultural sector and reassessing old theories about the links between agricultural and economic development. In focusing on those countries which by 1870 still had a large agricultural sector, namely, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Greece and Turkey, this book determines the role of the agricultural sector in the economic development of Europe. These chapters demonstrate how the rate of development in the agricultural sector depended on specific industrial, political and market conditions; the diversity of ways and timings through which transformation was achieved is also considered.

Today the use of the term countryside reflects a dual historical shift due to the decreasing importance of agriculture - both in terms of employment and production - in European economies and the shift toward the environment. An increasing part of rural populations is being drawn into non-agricultural sectors such as tourism, construction, manufacturing, and the conventional and innovative services, thereby granting a more diversified and contemporary role to the countryside. The environmental shift has questioned many of the very fundamental premises governing the relationship between social practices and nature. Agenda 2000 and the ongoing debate concerning the CAP reforms are connected to a large extent with these new realities. This engaging book focuses on the prospects for the development of the Southern European countryside during a transitional period of a major policy paradigm shift. Bringing together case studies from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece, the book discusses the key issues mentioned above, as well as the restricting factors and prospects of the adjustments required.

An exciting handbook offering a uniquely accessible study of the complex interplay between the environment and the peoples of the Mediterranean from earliest times to the present day. Part of ABC-CLIO's Nature and Human Societies series, this book covers the key environmental developments in the Mediterranean throughout recorded history. Case studies chart the agricultural problems of ancient Mesopotamia, how climatic change contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire, and the impact of dam building at Aswan on the Nile. Of particular interest are the book's sections dealing with the impact of human colonization on the flora and fauna of the early Mediterranean and the extinction of creatures such as dwarf elephants and giant shrews. Especially important, given the ongoing conflicts in the region, are the examples cited of the adverse environmental impact of Western colonization and how human exploitation of the earth's natural resources has led to unforeseen disasters.