Humans have been modifying plants and animals for millennia. The dawn of molecular genetics, however, has kindled intense public scrutiny and controversy. Crops, and the food products which include them, have dominated molecular modification in agriculture. Organisations have made unsubstantiated claims and scare mongering is common. In this textbook Paul Thompson presents a clear account of the significant issues - identifying harms and benefits, analysing and managing risk - which lie beneath the cacophony of public controversy. His comprehensive analysis looks especially at genetically modified organisms, and includes an explanation of the scientific background, an analysis of ideological objections, a discussion of legal and ethical concerns, a suggested alternative - organic agriculture - and an examination of the controversy's impact on sub-Saharan African countries. His book will be of interest to students and other readers in philosophy, biology, biotechnology and public policy.

In Indian context.

The agricultural industry is dealing with enormous challenges across the globe, including the limited availability of arable lands and fresh water, as well as the effect of climate change. Machinery plays a crucial role in agriculture and farming systems, in order to feed the world’s growing population. In the last decade, we have witnessed major advances in agricultural machinery and technologies, particularly as manufacturers and researchers develop and apply various novel ways of automation as well as the data and information gathering and analyzing capabilities of their machinery. This book presents the state-of-the-art information on the important innovations in the agricultural and horticultural industry. It reviews and presents different novel technologies and implementation of these technologies to optimize farming processes and food production. There are four sections, each addressing a specific area of development. Section I discusses the recent development of farm machinery and technology. Section II focuses on water and irrigation engineering. Section III covers harvesting and post-harvest technology. Section IV describes computer modelling and simulation. Each section highlights current industry trends and latest research progress. This book is ideal for those working in or are associated with the fields of agriculture, agri-food chain and technology development and promotion.

The machinery and technology primarily used in farming and other agricultural processes are referred to as agricultural machinery. Some of the equipment which fall in this category are hand tools, power tools and tractors. There are different types of farm machinery such as combine harvesters, tillage implements and planters. Machines are also used to deliver fertilizers and pesticides. Some of the diverse technologies used for agricultural purposes are computer monitoring systems, GPS locators and self-steer programs that are used in tractors that use less fuel and do not waste seeds or fertilizer. The topics included in this textbook on agricultural machinery and technologies are of utmost significance and bound to provide incredible insights to readers. While understanding the long-term perspectives of the topics, it makes an effort in highlighting their impact as a modern tool for the growth of this field. This book will provide comprehensive knowledge to the readers.

It is known that dryland farming is not remunerative due to several constraints. Location specific technologies have been evolved for yield stabilization in dryland farming and conservation of fragile ecosystem by sustainable use of soil and water resources. Drought and flood situations are experienced some where in the country inspite of pletifull resources of waters unshine hours but poverty among farmers still exists. This is a point of sereous concern. Agrotechniques are alone the answer for low productivity (0.8 t/ha) of 90% rainfed farming. To feed over one billion gallowping population of country, there is a need to increase the productivity to 1.5 t/ha by 2010 AD. This book deals with seed, soil, watersheds, crop, weed and nutrient management use of weather forecast, measure to save crops under abiotic stresses like drought and flooding, selection of crops and variety, reclamation of degraded land, organic recycling, agro-meterological approaches, water requirement, early harvest on physiological maturity, agro-hydro modelling and suitable medicinal and aromatic crops to make dry farming remunerative for welfare of common farmers. This is the first comprehensive book where large number of agro-techniques are incorporated. Chapters are written by eminent scientists of national repute who have devoted their life time to solve probable problems of dryland. Agro-techniques can well be adopted with ease by farmers through extension agencies to avoid bankrupsy. Book includes all relevant aspects of rainfed farming and is therefore a valuable addition in Dryfarming and meets the expectations of all those interested in rainfed farming in the country and abroad. Long outstanding demand has thus fulfilled with this book. The novel approach of editor has made the readers task quick and minimized their efforts by compiling all agro-techniques together at one place for benefit of farmers.

Describes the technology used by ancient farmers, covering the evolution of farming tools, irrigation methods, animal breeding, and the processing of crops, including the ancient civilizations of China, Greece, Rome, India, and the Middle East.

This study uses a large dataset that covers a wide geographical and agricultural scope to describe the use patterns of improved agro-technology in Uganda. Using latent class analysis with data on more than 12,500 households across the four regions of Uganda, we classify farmers based on the package of improved agro-technologies they use. We find that the majority of farmers (61 percent) do not use any improved agricultural practices (the “nonusers”), whereas only 5 percent of farmers belong to the class of “intensified diversifiers,” those using most of the commonly available agro-technologies across crop and livestock enterprises. Using multinomial regression analysis, we show that education of the household head, access to extension messages, and affiliation with social groups are the key factors that drive switching from the nonuser (reference) class to the other three (preferred) classes that use improved agrotechnologies to varying degrees. Results reveal the existence of heterogeneous farmer categories, certainly with different agrotechnology needs, that may have implications for optimal targeting.