Funded by and written during theEuropean Multisward project, this open access ebook presents an inventory of grasslands and forage crops in Europe by placing them in the production system in which they are embedded, and studying the technical, economic and regulatory determinants of past and present trends. Profusely illustrated with maps, it also features many case studies in all European regions and interviews of farmers and key stakeholders.

Agriculture, alpine, global change, nutrients, farming

There is widespread public concern about the effects of nitrate derived from farming on water quality and public health. But research on nitrate during the past decade has revealed wide discrepancies between public perceptions and reality. The main problems from nitrate are ecological changes in coastal and estuarine waters and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. This gas, largely derived from nitrate, is a threat to the ozone layer in the stratosphere and is also a greenhouse gas. This book builds on Farming, Fertilizers and the Nitrate Problem (CABI, 1991) by Addiscott, Whitmore and Powlson but has been restructured to take account of new developments and to bring out more clearly the role of politicians and economists in the 'nitrate problem'.

Agro-Ecosystem Diversity: Impact on Food Security and Environmental Quality presents cutting-edge exploration of developing novel farming systems and introduces landscape ecology to agronomy. It encompasses the broad range of links between agricultural development and ecological impact and how to limit the potential negative results. Presented in seven sections, each focusing on a specific challenge to sustaining diversity, the book provides insights toward the argument that by re-introducing diversity, it should be possible to maintain a high level of productivity of agro-ecosystems while also maintaining and/or restoring a satisfactory level of environment quality and biodiversity. Demonstrates that diversified agro-ecosystems can be intensified with environmental quality preserved, restored and enhanced Includes analysis of economic constraints leading to specialization of farms and regions and the social locking forces resisting to diversification of agro-ecosystems Presents a global vision of world agriculture and the tradeoff between a necessary increase in food production and restoring environment quality

Increased yields, markets, and profitability have led to changes in crop husbandry. Since its first publication in 1966, revised editions of Lockhart & Wiseman's Crop Husbandry Including Grassland have upheld and increased the book's good reputation. This ninth edition maintains its status as the standard textbook for many agricultural courses. Part one covers the principles of crop production with chapters concerning plants, climate, soil management, fertilizers, manures, weeds, and diseases threatening farm crops. Part two surveys crop husbandry techniques. Environmental impact has been addressed in greater detail in this edition. This section looks at issues such as sustainable crop management, precision farming, and organic crop husbandry. The way these general techniques apply to individual crops is explained in part three. This part considers a range of cereals, combinable break crops, root crops, industrial crops, and fresh produce crops. Part four looks at the use of grassland and forage crops, with chapters considering arable forage crops, the characteristics of grassland, and the corresponding methods for establishing and improving grassland. This part also includes information regarding equine grassland management and conservation of grass and forage crops. This ninth edition of Lockhart and Wiseman's Crop Husbandry Including Grassland is relevant for students throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. It is a useful reference book for agriculture National Diploma courses, Foundation Degrees, and BSc degrees, and is important for Masters level students entering agriculture from another discipline. - The previous edition has been widely expanded and remains the standard text for general agriculture, land management, and agri-business courses - Includes new chapters on cropping techniques, integrated crop management and quality assurance, seed production and selection, and the influence of climate - Discusses basic conditions for crop growth, how techniques are applied to particular crops, the influence of weather, and the use of grassland

Current pressures to maximise the use of forages in ruminant diets have renewed interest in fast, inexpensive methods for the estimation of their nutritional value. As a result, a wide variety of biological and physiochemical procedures have recently been investigated for this purpose.This book is the single definitive reference volume on the current status of research in this areaCovers all forages eaten by ruminant animals

Through examining concrete policy experiences from OECD countries, this study concludes that agricultural policy reforms can improve the environment, provided they are accompanied by appropriate environmental measures.

Good agroecological practices are indispensable for the development of sustainable agriculture. In this book, principles, diversity and applications of agroecological practices for a range of systems are presented, transforming scientific research and participatory knowledge of production into practical application. It illustrates a broad range of research and teaching being used within the farming community to demonstrate best practice and current state-of-play within the field. Agroecological methods used in crop farming, grass-based livestock farming, fish production, and other complex farming systems are discussed. Conclusions are drawn from studies to provide an outlook on future trends of agroecological practices and on policies supporting implementation.Due to emphasis on real-life application, it is relevant not only to students of the agricultural sciences and public policy, but also to researchers, stakeholders and policy makers involved in the development of sustainable agriculture.