Drylands Dilemma

We have always had land in which the agricultural productivity is limited because there is not enough moisture. Systems of farming and burning often degrade dryland further until it is desert. Today, however, the problem is becoming much more serious. Over 20 per cent of the world's population lives in dryland areas, and unless action is taken drylands will increase dramatically. This book focuses on the people who live and .farm in the drylands, their use of land resources and the economic returns from their decisions. In a clear and thorough economic appraisal, the authors show how it is still possible to arrest the problem. Originally published in 1989

Drylands are a sizeable part of the world's potentially arable land. They vary from the hyper-arid regions of the classic deserts of Africa and Asia to the more common semi-arid and sub-humid areas that support extensive agricultural systems dependent on rainfall or irrigation. Following their successful and innovative work The Economics of Dryland Management the editors have assembled twenty case studies from nine countries in the continents of Africa, Asia, North America and Australia. They help to explore more fully the costs of land degradation and illustrate the economics of reclamation, rehabilitation and prevention. The cases in this book present a rich, varied and readable survey of a wide range of drylands and their resources. Originally published in 19990

This book presents a comprehensive overview of global environmental problems - past, present and future - examining their roots and implications and suggesting, where possible, ways in which they might be mitigated or avoided by careful management.

This superb, concise dictionary comprises over 2,000 entries defining terms and concepts relating to environmental planning, management, conservation and sustainable development. The text includes diagrams and boxes covering the whole span of environmental issues with the emphasis on: * international conventions * environmental law * environmental evolution in many countries * pollution control * environmental impact assessment * sustainable development * inter-generational equity Containing more entries than any other previously published dictionary of its kind, this book is an essential reference for students, environmental managers, politicians and journalists.

In this provocative book, the authors look at the interaction between population and food supply and offer a powerful and radical strategy for balancing human numbers with nutritional needs. Their proposals include improving the status of women, reducing racism and religious prejudice, reforming the agricultural system, and shrinking the growing gap between rich and poor. "This ambitious, enlightened handbook is a cornucopia of strategies and ideas for concerned citizens and policymakers."--Publishers Weekly "Give equal education and power to women throughout the world, argue the authors: when that happens, birth rates fall and food supplies go up."--San Francisco Chronicle (Best Bets of 1995) "[The book] can help us understand the past and possible future of the meals most Westerners take for granted."--Bill McKibben, New York Review of Books "A well-reasoned account of how poverty forces unsustainable use of natural resources . . . a careful and balanced treatment of developments in agriculture . . . that may help food production to stay ahead of population growth."--Basia Zaba, Nature "This generation faces a set of challenges unprecedented in their scope and severity and in the shortness of time left to resolve them. . . . The Stork and the Plow sets these out thoughtfully [and] accurately. . . . We can all hope this urgent message is carefully heeded."--Henry W. Kendall, Nobel laureate and Julius A. Stratton Professor of Physics, MIT "A wonderful piece of work."--Partha Dasgupta, American Scientist

Under ongoing climate change, natural and cultivated habitats of major food crops are being continuously disturbed. Such condition accelerates to impose stress effects like abiotic and biotic stressors. Drought, salinity, flood, cold, heat, heavy metals, metalloids, oxidants, irradiation etc. are important abiotic stresses; and diseases and infections caused by plant pathogens viz. fungal agents, bacteria and viruses are major biotic stresses. As a result, these harsh environments affect crop productivity and its biology in multiple complex paradigms. As stresses become the limiting factors for agricultural productivity and exert detrimental role on growth and yield of the crops, scientists and researchers are challenged to maintain global food security for a rising world population. This two-volume work highlights the fast-moving agricultural research on crop improvement through the stress mitigation strategies, with specific focuses on crop biology and their response to climatic instabilities. Together with "Climate Resilient Agriculture, Vol 2: Agro-Biotechnological Advancement for Crop Production", it covers a wide range of topics under environmental challenges, agronomy and agriculture processes, and biotechnological approaches, uniquely suitable for scientists, researchers and students working in the fields of agriculture, plant science, environmental biology and biotechnology.