Sustainable Agriculture and Food

1949 Pages·2007·15.55 MB·English

by  Jules N. Pretty

spine 49mm
R
EARTHSCAN
sustainable
‘Jules Pretty brings together the most E REFERENCE
comprehensive and carefully selected collection agriculture COLLECTIONS EARTHSCAN REFERENCE COLLECTIONS
of writings available about sustainable and food F
agriculture. Together with an excellent overview
This 4-volume set, edited by the world’s
chapter, the collected works provide the best a S
leading expert on agricultural E
available source for an enlightened analysis and u
sustainability, brings together the most n
debate about sustainability in agriculture. The
influential and time-tested international
four volumes will serve both as an excellent R s
scholarship across the fields of agriculture d
reader for students and a unique reference for all t
and food production with an overview Sustainable
with an interest in the pursuit of sustainability in
and individual volume introductions that a
the food system.’ E F
make sense of a diverse and complex
Professor Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Cornell University, i
field. o
former Chair of CGIAR Science Council and n
N
World Food Prize Laureate, 2001 Volume I o
a Agriculture
covers the history of agriculture from its
‘This is the single most comprehensive overview ancient origins through successive d b
of sustainable agriculture, from ancient
beginnings to the most topical modern issues. revolutions to the present. C l
Volume II
Jules Pretty e
has assembled a marvellous collection of the examines the relationship between and Food

most seminal papers that are driving sustainable agriculture and the environment. E A
agriculture in all parts of the world.’ Volume III
g
Jeffrey A. McNeely, Chief Scientist, provides coverage of the modern
IUCN–The World Conservation Union industrialized global food system, r
C
including poverty, hunger and
‘Showing that, after all, humans can learn from i
international successes and failures.
experience, Jules Pretty has woven together the c
Volume IV VOLUME I
best of the old with the best of what is new and O
visionary. He gives us a solid, knowledge-based addresses how we think about land and u
foundation for a badly needed new paradigm – our relationship to it, governance and l
that of an agriculture which sustains all life into stewardship, supportive and perverse
agricultural subsidies and policies thLat t HISTORY OF
the longer term. The impressive list of contributors
ensures that all relevant areas have been shape agriculture. u
competently assessed… A unique reference work L AGRICULTURE AND FOOD
r
for teachers, students and practitioners.’ JULES PRETTYOBE
is Professor of Environment and Society at
Hans R. Herren, World Food Prize Laureate, 1995 e
the University of Essex, UK, and Chief EEditor –––––––––––––––––––

‘An ambitious and deeply insightful series of the International Journal of Agricultural
that unites the great minds not just of the Sustainability. His works include The EaCrth VOLUME I EDITED BY
Only Endures(2007), The Earthscan Reader
agricultural, nutrition and environmental
in Sustainable Agriculture(2005), The HISTORY OF Jules Pretty
sciences, but also history, culture, economics,
Pesticide Detox(2005), Agri-Culture(2002), AGRICULTURE
technology, learning and communications,
T
policy, regulatory and institutional approaches. It The Living Land(1998), Regenerating AND FOOD
Agriculture(1995), The Hidden Harvest
will be
(1992) and Unwelcome Harvest(1991).
a major reference work for all interested in the I EDITED BY
ear thscan
future of humanity and sustainable food and Jules
O
agricultural systems.’ publishing for a sustainable future
Pretty
Parviz Koohafkan, Director, Environment, Climate
www.earthscan.co.u
Change and Bioenergy Division, FAO, Italy
ISBN 978-1-84407-408-2
‘This work presents a body of knowledge that ,!7IB8E4-aheaic! N
has come of age. It takes into account not only ear thscan
earthscan
the science but also human behaviour,
institutions and politics. It will be an invaluable
S
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
How to go to your page:

This eBook contains four volumes. Each volume of the original hardcopy set is numbered
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Sustainable Agriculture and Food
Volume I

EARTHSCAN REFERENCE COLLECTION
Sustainable Agriculture and Food
Volume I
Edited by
Jules Pretty
London (cid:127) Sterling, VA
First published by Earthscan in the UK and USA in 2008
Copyright © Jules Pretty, 2008
All rights reserved
ISBN-13: 978-1-84407-408-2
Typeset by Composition and Design Services
Printed and bound in the UK by Biddles Ltd, King’s Lynn, Norfolk
Cover design by Andrew Corbett
For a full list of publications please contact:
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Earthscan publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment and Develop-
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for
The paper used for this book is FSC-certified and
elemental chlorine-free. FSC (the Forest Stewardship
Council) is an international network to promote
responsible management of the world’s forests.
Contents
VOLUME I HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE
AND FOOD
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations xiii
Overview to Four Volumes: Sustainable Agriculture and Food xv
Editorial introduction to Volume I 1
Part I Before Agriculture
1 What Hunters Do for a Living, or, How to Make Out on Scarce Resources 17
R. B. Lee
2 Foragers and Others 41
R. B. Lee and R. Daly
3 Mind 73
H. Brody
4 Environmental and Health Benefits of Hunting Lifestyles and Diets
for the Innu of Labrador 107
C. Samson and J. Pretty
5 Language: A Resource for Nature 136
L. Maffi
Part II Early Agriculture
6 Our Vanishing Genetic Resources 159
J. R. Harlan
7 Oriental Despotism 168
K. Wittfogel
8 Marcus Cato on Agriculture 197
Marcus Porcius Cato
Marcus Terentius Varro on Agriculture 202
Marcus Terentius Varro
9 Agroecological Farming Systems in China 208
Li Wenhua
vi Sustainable Agriculture and Food
10 Farmers of Forty Centuries 222
F. H. King
Part III Agricultural Revolutions and Change
11 Agricultural Sustainability and Open-field Farming in England,
c 1650–1830 233
M. Turner, J. Beckett and B. Afton
12 Farmers’ Extension Practice and Technology Adaptation:
Agricultural Revolution in 17th–19th-Century Britain 258
J. Pretty
13 Past Successes 290
G. R. Conway
14 Soviet Collectivization, Capitalist Dreams 308
J. C. Scott
15 Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn: Challenges and Approaches of
an International Consortium 339
P. A. Sanchez, C. A. Palm, S. A. Vosti, T. P. Tomich and J. Kasyoki
Part IV Modern Agricultural Reforms
16 Making Soil and Water Conservation Sustainable: From Coercion and
Control to Partnerships and Participation 375
J. Pretty and P. Shah
17 Rethinking Agriculture for New Opportunities 403
E. Fernandes, A. Pell and N. Uphoff
18 Integrated Farming Systems at Different Scales 423
Li Wenhua
19 Agricultural Biotechnology in Southern Africa: A Regional Synthesis 475
D. Mnyulwa and J. Mugwagwa
20 Sustaining Cultivation 501
M. Bell
Index 519
Contents vii
VOLUME II AGRICULTURE AND THE
ENVIRONMENT
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations xiii
Editorial introduction to Volume II 1
Part I Agricultural Harm to the Environment
1 A Fable for Tomorrow 15
R. Carson
2 Reality Cheques 22
J. Pretty
3 External Costs of Agricultural Production in the United States 53
E. M. Tegtmeier and M. D. Duffy
4 From Pesticides to People: Improving Ecosystem Health
in the Northern Andes 82
S. Sherwood, D. Cole, C. Crissman and M. Paredes
5 Incidence of Acute Pesticide Poisoning Among Female and
Male Cotton Growers in India 97
F. Mancini, A. H. C. van Bruggen, J. L. S. Jiggins, A. C. Ambatipud
and H. Murphy
Part II Agroecology and Sustainability
6 The Properties of Agroecosytems 119
G. R. Conway
7 Interdependent Social-Ecological Systems and Adaptive Governance for
Ecosystem Services 139
C. Folke, J. Colding, P. Olsson and T. Hahn
8 Agroecology and Agroecosystems 166
S. R. Gliessman
9 Ecological Basis for Low-Toxicity Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
in Rice and Vegetables 178
K. Gallagher, P. Ooi, T. Mew, E. Borromeo, P. Kenmore and J.-W. Ketelaar
10 The Farm as Natural Habitat 201
D. L. Jackson
viii Sustainable Agriculture and Food
Part III Communities and Social Capital
11 Feminism and Environmental Ethics: A Materialist Perspective 217
M. Mellor
12 Gender and Social Capital: The Importance of Gender Differences for the
Maturity and Effectiveness of Natural Resource Management Groups 234
O. Westermann, J. Ashby and J. Pretty
13 Social Capital and the Collective Management of Resources 257
J. Pretty
14 Still Going: Recent Debates on the Goldschmidt Hypothesis 263
L. M. Lobao, M. D. Schulman and L. E. Swanson
15 Social Connectedness in Marginal Rural China: The Case of Farmer
Innovation Circles in Zhidan, North Shaanxi 274
W. Bin and J. Pretty
Part IV Ecological Restoration and Design
16 Ecological Design and Education 293
D. W. Orr
17 Multi-function Agricultural Biodiversity: Pest Management and
Other Benefits 318
G. M. Gurr, S. D. Wratten amd J. M. Luna
18 Generating Community Change 333
C. B. Flora and J. L. Flora
19 Issues for More Sustainable Soil System Management 357
N. Uphoff, A. S. Ball, E. C. M. Fernandes, H. Herren, O. Husson,
C. Palm, J. Pretty, N. Sanginga and J. E. Thies
20 Farming With the Wild: Foreword and Introduction 372
F. Kirschenmann and D. Imhoff
Index 388