Facing new challenges with respect to sustainable agriculture and rural development strategies for low-income countries, related to global environmental change and globalization of markets, an interdisciplinary Wageningen University and Research Centre group set out to draw lessons from the DLO-IC projects of the last eight years. In discussing the way ahead and a future agenda, a number of major research challenges, as well as policy questions are outlined.

This reissue, first published in 1995, focuses on philosophy and social science in human ecology, and includes case studies dealing with the problems of political implementation of development plans and schemes. Part One deals with theory, including a comprehensive introduction to the field and an overview of the conceptual modelling typical in human ecology. Part Two moves towards questions of human behaviour and action, exploring the relationship between environmental ethics and policy in terms of the justification and implementation of human interactions with nature and the environment on an ecologically sustainable basis. In Part Three, the author focuses on environmental policy in China since 1949 and on a regional case study in India. The final part of the book discusses the prospects for sustainable development more broadly, in terms of favouring ecological and cultural variety in agriculture and of viewing the relationship between human beings and the natural environment as a matter of overexploitation rather than crisis.

This publication contains papers and discussions arising from a series of UN Economic and Social Council meetings organised to discuss the theme of promoting an integrated approach to rural development in developing countries to achieve poverty eradication and sustainable development. The papers are arranged under six chapter headings of: i) the fundamentals of integrated development, including the millennium development goals and the role of NEPAD; ii) agricultural issues including agro-industries, land use practices, sustainable livestock production methods, smallholder agriculture and co-operatives; iii) environmental issues including rural energy development, water privatisation, forest areas and E7 public-private partnerships; iv) market access issues, including commodity markets, microcredit systems, the coffee and mining sectors; v) health and education; and vi) culture and work.

Papers, chiefly in relation to India and Bangladesh.