Agriculture

Broad themes of food systems and people, agriculture and the environment, the science of agriculture, agricultural products, and agricultural production systems are covered in more than 200 separate chapters of this work. The book provides information that serves as the foundation for discussion of the food and environment challenges of the world.

This book presents and discusses current research in the study of agriculture, with a particular focus on technology, production and economics. Topics discussed include agricultural software; mechanized land application of organic fertilizers; pesticide models; optical metrology in agriculture; amplification of small interfering RNAs in transgenic plants; spate irrigation of rangelands; land titling and agricultural development; social labels for agricultural products and contemporary ecological-economic assessment of contaminated agricultural lands.

"This comprehensive collection of 71 peer-reviewed articles presents an authoritative overview of the role and impacts of agriculture on the natural and human environments, from its origins historically to current praxis and outlooks. It examines the major themes of global and regional environmental change, the evolution of agriculture, historical styles of agriculture, famine, agricultural pollutants, research needs in agriculture, and the future of agriculture. Curated by an international panel of scholars, the collection includes expert perspectives on specific important crops, soil science, land abuse and stewardship, methods of irrigation, experimental agricultures, patterns of farming, history and agro-archaeology, current agricultural trends, and contemporary public policy."