Shifting cultivation is one of the oldest forms of subsistence agriculture and is still practised by millions of poor people in the tropics. Typically it involves clearing land (often forest) for the growing of crops for a few years, and then moving on to new sites, leaving the earlier ground fallow to regain its soil fertility. This book brings together the best of science and farmer experimentation, vividly illustrating the enormous diversity of shifting cultivation systems as well as the power of human ingenuity. Some critics have tended to disparage shifting cultivation (sometimes called 'swidden cultivation' or 'slash-and-burn agriculture') as unsustainable due to its supposed role in deforestation and land degradation. However, the book shows that such indigenous practices, as they have evolved over time, can be highly adaptive to land and ecology. In contrast, 'scientific' agricultural solutions imposed from outside can be far more damaging to the environment and local communities. The book focuses on successful agricultural strategies of upland farmers, particularly in south and south-east Asia, and presents over 50 contributions by scholars from around the world and from various disciplines, including agricultural economics, ecology and anthropology. It is a sequel to the much praised "Voices from the Forest: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Sustainable Upland Farming" (RFF Press, 2007), but all chapters are completely new and there is a greater emphasis on the contemporary challenges of climate change and biodiversity conservation.

This textbook defines the complex nature of agriculture in the context of environmental constraints and social stimuli. Attention is paid to plant and animal domestication, and to the subsequent spread of agricultural systems worldwide

The Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change is the first major reference work in this multi-disciplinary field, and presents outstanding authorship and high quality editing. Comprehensive coverage with over 3,800 pages in 5 volumes. Over 500 articles, 100 biographies, 150 definitions, and 100 acronyms. Extensive bibliographies with up-to-date references. The Wiley Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change has been published to meet the need for a comprehensive integrated reference in this burgeoning field. Each volume contains articles of between 1,000 and 10,000 words on major topics. Articles contain an abstract written for the non-specialist, followed by the main text, which provides greater detail for the specialist Biographies of distinguished environmental scientists discuss their contributions to a better understanding of global environmental change. Definitions of international terms and descriptions of acronyms of international and regional programs and agencies provide a quick reference source for the environmental scientist and student. Presents a thematic approach and includes theory, empirical studies, and applications emphasising the inter-relationship between various disciplines and systems--From the publisher's description.

Agricultural development that is environmentally, socially, economically, and culturally sustainable is essential for food production of the increasing world population, and the very future of mankind. The issues pertaining to the so-called population-environmental nexus are at the heart of the current debate on sustainable development. It is argued that while on a global scale population growth is one of the main driving forces of environmental change, there are significant local variations in the interrelationship between people, food production, and environmental change. This publication is base on the UNU Global Environmental Forum, which brought together leading scholars from both the South and the North to address the issues of population, land management, and environmental change. The authors draw extensively upon field research carried out in the tropical and subtropical regions of South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Amazon. the agricultural ecosystems; indigenous knowledge in the sustainable management of biological and land resources; the role of women; and participatory approaches to rural development. It is realized that a large part of the problem of conservation of biological diversity lies outside of the protected areas, in agricultural areas where pressures have led to often detrimental changes in the production processes and the environment. It is argued that indigenous production systems are often highly adaptive to the local ecological and socio-economic conditions, and can be sustainable if given the chance.

THE DEFINITIVE RESOURCE The Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change is the first major reference work in this multi-disciplinary field, and presents... * Outstanding authorship and high quality editing * Comprehensive coverage with over 3,800 pages in 5 volumes * Over 500 articles, 100 biographies, 150 definitions and 100 acronyms * Extensive bibliographies with up-to-date references ABOUT THE ENCYCLOPEDIA The Wiley Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change has been published to meet the need for a comprehensive integrated reference in this burgeoning field. It consists of five volumes of inter-related material: Volume 1: The Earth System: Physical and Chemical Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Volume 2: The Earth System: Biological and Ecological Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Volume 3: Causes and Consequences of Global Environmental Change Volume 4: Responding to Global Environmental Change Volume 5: Social and Economic Dimensions of Global Environmental Change * Each volume contains articles of between 1,000 and 10,000 words on major topics * Articles contain an abstract written for the non-specialist, followed by the main text which provides greater detail for the specialist * Biographies of distinguished environmental scientists discuss their contributions to a better understanding of global environmental change * Definitions of international terms and descriptions of acronyms of international and regional programs and agencies provide a quick reference source for the environmental scientist and student * Presents a thematic approach and includes theory, empirical studies and applications emphasising the inter-relationship between various disciplines and systems

Cum laude graduation (with distinction).

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