Smallholdings Books

Book SynopsisThe Ecological Farm is a breakthrough resource for ecological fruit and vegetable growers at every scale who want to go beyond organic. Through a unique ecosystem-balancing approach focusing on reduced tillage, minimising farm and garden inputs and pest control, you’ll learn how to build higher soil quality and fertility by using fewer harmful inputs. Farmer, consultant, and educator Helen Atthowe (along with her late husband, Carl Rosato) have decades of farming experience which is shared in this essential book. They guide readers on how to reduce or eliminate the use of outside inputs of fertiliser or pesticides – even those that are commonly used on certified organic orchards and market gardens. With clear, easy to action language and colour photography, charts, and graphs throughout, The Ecological Farm emphasizes the importance of managing the details of an entire growing system over the full life of an enterprise. The Ecological Farm features a crop-by-crop guide to growing more than 25 of the most popular and profitable vegetables and fruits, including specific management advice for dealing with pests and diseases. You’ll also learn how to: design a system that establishes a year-round root-in-soil system for microbial health strengthen the “immune system” of a farm or garden supply crop needs using only on-farm inputs such as cover crops and living mulch maximise the presence of beneficial insects and microbes minimise ecological impact in dealing with insect pest and disease problems The Ecological Farm makes complex, sometimes messy, ecological concepts and practices understandable to all growers, and makes healthy farming, in which nature is invited to participate, possible.Trade Review“For forty years, Helen Atthowe has followed a relentless calling to combine her deep understanding of ecological systems with her love of farming. Now, she shares the best of her insights and methods in The Ecological Farm. This classic volume will guide all of us as we learn to farm in harmony with an ecosystem and to become obedient to the whole rather than being distracted by the urge to tinker with the parts.” —Wes Jackson, cofounder and president emeritus, The Land Institute“Helen Atthowe’s book takes ecological farming to the next level. It is packed with useful, field-tested, innovative techniques for farming more gently without sacrificing productivity. Atthowe effectively makes the case that, with a nature-based and minimalist approach, farmers can achieve more by doing—and spending—less. This is the future of farming. I highly recommend this book.” —Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Farm and The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables“Helen Atthowe has a rare gift: She knows how to listen to scientists, but she speaks ‘farmer.’ Her knowledge comes from observation and practice as if decades matter, not just seasons. Helen applies her intuitive ideas to complex whole-systems organic agriculture, with a special focus on growing the fertility of the soil. Most importantly Helen engages in her work with a sense of joy and celebration. She’s a born teacher who retains her sense of wonder that there is so much more to learn. Oh, and I think Helen must never sleep. The depth of the material she presents in The Ecological Farm and the citations she offers in support of her work is beyond my own comprehension!” —Bob Scowcroft, cofounder, Organic Farming Research Foundation; board member, Nell Newman Foundation“In The Ecological Farm, Helen Atthowe shares the practical knowledge she acquired over many years through experimentation on her own low-input, high-output ecological farm. Her book makes an exceptional and timely contribution to addressing interconnected global crises for which hands-on solutions are badly needed. Helen’s work will also be invaluable to smallholder producers who wish to transition to ecologically based, sustainable, and profitable organic production systems, also known as organic Conservation Agriculture.” —Dr. Amir Kassam, visiting professor, School of Agriculture Policy and Development, University of Reading, UK; former senior technical officer, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization; editor, Advances in Conservation Agriculture, volumes 1–3“The story of Helen Atthowe’s farming journey has stuck with me for many years, and now being able to hold it, savor it, and dive into the many nerdy details is an absolute gift. The combination of decades of experience and loads of data make her book incomparable: It is well researched, well written, and endlessly idea provoking. There are a thousand ‘Ah-Ha!’ moments, with each section offering a new applicable insight or concept for improving or understanding soil health. The Ecological Farm will teach you how to rebuild soil, minimize tillage, grow your own garden fertility, improve ecology, and much more. Quite frankly, Helen’s book belongs on the shelf of every serious grower.” —Jesse Frost, author of The Living Soil Handbook“Helen Atthowe employs her high skill set and shares the full depth and length of her experience in The Ecological Farm. The ecology she describes is beautiful to look at and a powerful tool for maintaining balance on the farm or in a garden. Helen guides readers through many methods, backed up by decades of results.” —Charles Dowding, author of Charles Dowding’s No Dig Gardening“Helen Atthowe is a rare, knowledgeable grower of both vegetable and fruit crops, one who also knows insects, plant diseases, and soil science. She is one of those people who never stop searching for better, Earth-friendly ways of growing food. In The Ecological Farm, Helen takes us on her journey into deep organics. Read this book, then keep it on your essential reference shelf next to Eliot Coleman, Michael Phillips, JM Fortier, Ruth Stout, and Louis Bromfield. Refer to it often. Use it to launch your own deep ecology journey.” —Brian Caldwell, organic farmer; National Organic Standards Board member; former field manager and researcher, Cornell Organic Cropping Systems Project“The Ecological Farm beautifully articulates the principles of holistic growing. Drawing on her wealth of practical experience, research, and years of observation, Helen Atthowe has distilled the infinite biological complexity of a farming system into some relatively simple principles. There’s plenty of soil and plant science in there for us geeks but also a wealth of technical detail and cultivation tips for soil health and individual crops. This book is essential reading for anyone starting a new growing enterprise, but even the most experienced farmers and gardeners will find something new.” —Ben Raskin, head of horticulture and agroforestry, The Soil Association; author of The Woodchip Handbook and Zero-Waste Gardening“I think about my farm’s fertility program nearly every day, and the tenets that Helen Atthowe lays out in The Ecological Farm are spot on. We can grow our own nitrogen and build the carbon resources of our soil without resorting to energy-intensive and expensive off-farm inputs. Farm ecosystems should be net producers of energy and nutrients, and Helen spells out pragmatic ways that a farm can simultaneously sponsor its own fertility, be productive, and build ecosystem health.” —Steve Ela, owner, Ela Family Farms; former chair, National Organic Standards Board“For farmers and gardeners wanting to go beyond the basic standards of certified organic farming and the superficial platitudes of ‘sustainable methods,’ Helen Atthowe’s book is a breath of fresh air. Over decades of experimenting with crop systems, she and her late husband Carl Rosato have pioneered new ways of thinking about crops, weeds, pests, and soils that challenge many of our assumptions regarding carbon/nitrogen ratios and the use of compost, animal manures, and imported soil amendments in general. “I have grown skeptical of academic experts with their analytical, reductionist approach to food and soil issues. Atthowe has an advanced degree and has worked as an extension agent, but despite that, she has an impressively holistic view of things organic. While not strictly no-till, she has devised strategies to greatly minimize disturbance of the soil community and encourage helpful pollinators and predators. She has lots of answers, yet I’m reassured that she frequently comments: ‘I'm still working on that.’” —Will Bonsall, author, Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical Self-Reliant Gardening“The Ecological Farm offers much for beginning and experienced farmers as well as gardeners. Helen eloquently summarizes her deep ecological farming experience and knowledge as well as insights gained from her partnership with Carl Rosato, providing practical examples of how farmers can work with nature to support diverse ecologies both below and above ground. She explains the evolution of her understanding of the relationships among plants, microbes, the soil, and insects, and how to manage them ecologically in an agricultural system. It’s both a great read and excellent reference book!” —Rex Dufour, senior fellow, National Center for Appropriate Technology“Drawing on decades of experience as a farmer and researcher, Helen Atthowe has developed an agroecological approach to growing organic food that is science-based, practical, and adaptable to site-specific conditions. Moving beyond input substitution, she offers a roadmap to minimum-input, soil- and Earth-friendly organic production that gardeners, homesteaders, and USDA-certified organic farmers can easily implement and adapt to their locale. This volume belongs on the bookshelf of all who seek to make a living in mutualistic partnership with the land.” —Mark Schonbeck, research associate, Organic Farming Research Foundation“With the concepts she lays out in The Ecological Farm, Helen Atthowe gifts us with a practical and scalable approach to cultivation that produces nutrient-dense food with an absolute minimum of external inputs. Full of stories and wisdom gathered from 40 years of hands-on growing, this book is a rare synthesis of careful scientific research, long-term observation, and deep intuition developed through decades of listening to the land.” —Alan Booker, executive director, Institute of Integrated Regenerative Design“In The Ecological Farm, Helen Atthowe shares decades of hard-learned lessons and keen observations. She is an inveterate tinkerer, experimenter, and researcher and has refined her organic production through the years. Atthowe has an immense respect for the role of biodiversity in the soil system. A fungi advocate, she guides the reader to reduce soil disturbance and feed the soil carbon. She writes as both a teacher and learner—as she tells readers, ‘I am still learning.’ Luckily she has taken a break from learning to share her accumulated knowledge and tips. While ‘more is better’ is often the strategy in our agriculture, Atthowe provides evidence and inspiration for selective and judicious management strategies to enhance your ecological farm.” —Dr. Douglas Collins, extension specialist and soil scientist, Washington State University“This inspiring book from Helen Atthowe demystifies some of nature’s critical interactions, helping farmers and others work with and support our natural world.” —Jo Ann Baumgartner, executive director, Wild Farm Alliance"Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, The Ecological Farm is unreservedly recommended as a core addition to personal, professional, community, and agricultural college Organic/Ecological Farming collections." —Midwest Book Review

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Book SynopsisMaynard Davies shares his lifetime's knowledge of the art of smoking and curing in this manual, explaining how to choose the best raw ingredients, build one's own smokehouse and the secrets of making the best sausage.

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Book SynopsisSmallholding as a concept is not limited to small-scale farming, and anyone can bring parts of it to their everyday lifestyle, whether it’s a window box to grow produce, a garden to keep chickens or a field or two for other livestock. Providing a comprehensive overview of smallholding for the beginner, Smallholding is a practical guide to growing food and farming livestock. It helps the reader learn how to incorporate some self-sufficiency into their lifestyle, to become knowledgeable enough to keep livestock, and to enjoy working and being productive with the land they have. It also gives information about making a profit from the fruits of labour, such as selling surplus home grown produce at the farm gate or farmers’ markets. Contents include an A-Z growing guide for fruits and vegetables, topics such as buying or renting land, soil health, composting, fruit trees, pasture management, stock fencing; and detailed livestock information about keeping bees, caring for poultry, goats, llamas and alpacas, pigs, sheep and cattle, and the legal requirements that come with it. Smallholding is a practical, comprehensive guide to smallholding for beginners, aimed at people who have access to land, as well as those growing produce in their back garden.

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Book SynopsisWritten by experts in the field, Keeping Pigs A Practical Guide for Smallholders is the only pig-keeping book aimed both at the small-scale producer and at keepers of pigs as pets that is written from a veterinary and keeper perspective. It offers practical and achievable advice about all aspects of pig husbandry and health, enabling readers to understand how their pigs cannot just survive, but also thrive. This detailed guide is an invaluable source of reference for anyone considering keeping pigs, as well as those who have already embarked on their porcine adventure. With hundreds of photos and diagrams, this book provides everything you need to know.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIt's the most complete book on all aspects of smallholding. Highly Recommended! -- Jaffa Brown, Smallholding Association Newsletter * Smallholding Association Newsletter *A great all-round source of inspiration and guidance for smallholders of all descriptions! -- Rachel Graham, Practical Pigs Magazine * Practical Pigs Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe First-Time Homesteader has all the essential information you need to start a homestead in the city, country, or suburbia, including advice on gardening, raising chickens, keeping bees, starting a home dairy, and living more resourcefully. Table of ContentsIntroduction CH 1 Making a Plan CH 2 Yard Birds CH 3 Meat in the Freezer CH 4 The Home Dairy CH 5 The Homestead Garden CH 6 Keeping Bees CH 7 Resourceful Living and Natural Remedies CH 8 Homestead Kitchen Skills Conclusion A Simple and Beautiful Life About the Author Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisSuitable for landowners as well as those contemplating a move to the countryside, this title takes the reader right from that all-important Step 1 - finding the perfect smallholding to creating a viable lifestyle.Table of ContentsTaking on a smallholding: pros and cons, commitment needed, financing the move. Finding the perfect place: importance of location, land needed, common pitfalls. Getting ready: learning new skills, planning how you will manage your land. Legal requirements: getting registered, dealing with red tape, livestock regulations. Essential equipment: finding the best kit to make light work of chores, health and safety. Growing fruit and veg: improving soil, extending the growing season, planting an orchard. Your first livestock: buying, caring for and rearing animals for meat. Growing feed for livestock: care of grassland, making silage and haylage. Selling your produce: regulations involved, direct sales, farmers' markets. Wildlife-friendly farming: biodiversity, habitat maintenance and creation. Showing your livestock: getting started, preparation, using shows to promote your stock.

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed actress Isabella Rossellini shares her enthusiasm for raising heritage-breed chickensTrade Review"When I heard that Isabella Rossellini had written a book about chickens, I was intrigued. What did the actress, face of Lancôme, muse to Martin Scorsese and David Lynch, and daughter of cinema royalty (Ingrid Bergman, the three-time Oscar-winning actor, and Roberto Rossellini, the Italian neo-realist director), know about hens? Quite a lot, it turns out. [...] It might be hard to warm to a chicken but she loves hers, and her affection for the birds bubbles up on every page of her new book, My Chickens and I, in which they appear in her own line drawings, as well as in photographs taken by her fashion photographer friend Patrice Casanova, who shot them against a white backdrop, as if they were models." Telegraph Magazine "If April is making you feel like a proverbial spring chicken, then look no further than Isabella Rossellini’s new book, In this delightful illustrated guide, the actress and filmmaker shares her newfound passion for raising these backyard birds and walks us through their upbringing, from their arrival in a cardboard box dotted with air holes to the fine-feathered specimens they have become." Daily Mail "Isabella Rossellini and chickens may seem an unlikely pairing, but it is in fact the subject of a book by the actor herself. Celebrating her passion for raising heritage-breed hens, it includes hand-drawn illustrations and wry observations on each breed, making it a helpful guide with a twist" Country Living "Sitting in a light-filled suite at The Savoy hotel, London, the daughter of actress Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini is regaling a group of beauty journalists with stories about her chickens – she has compiled a book, My Chickens and I, which is published this month. Isabella lives on a 28-acre farm on Long Island, New York. She sells her vegetables at a farmers’ market and she’s studying for a master’s degree in animal behaviour." Hello! magazine "My Chickens and I is a newly released study of the history, behaviour, appearance and distinctive traits of heritage breed chickens – told via illustrations, photographs, factual tidbits and anecdotes – by none other than Isabella Rossellini." AnOtherMag.com "Patrice’s photography is stunning and when combined with Isabella’s hand-drawn illustrations and wry observations, make for an unusual book, a bewitching one that is full of heart and soul. It’s a wonderful tribute to the new feathered members of her family." Smallholder magazine "After ordering a box of rare-breed chicks for her Long Island farm, Isabella Rossellini quickly became fascinated with her new brood. The actress vividly conveys this delight in My Chickens and I, a charming book filled with playful pictures and quirky illustrations of her feathered friends, that will be enjoyed by both young and old." Town & Country magazine

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Book SynopsisWith contributions from more than 60 contemporary draft-animal-powered farmers and equipment manufacturers Now is a time of exciting new developments for live animal power. As the numbers of adherents to this way of life grow, ecologically minded farmers in their fields are developing efficient horse-drawn systems, and equipment manufacturers in small shops all across North America and Europe are coming forth with new innovations in ground-drive technology that have us poised on the cusp of another agricultural revolution—with working horses, mules, donkeys, and oxen at the heart of it. Stephen Leslie’s first book, The New Horse-Powered Farm, presented an overview of the many facets of running a small, diversified farm with live horse power. Horse-Powered Farming for the 21st Century is focused entirely on the tools and methods required to successfully manage the horse-powered market garden with draft animal power. However, this is not a step-by-step how-to guide outlining one single system, but rather a manual that presents a range of options and approaches. Leslie examines the function and use of all the implements typically employed on a contemporary draft-animal-powered market garden and illustrates these points with insightful reports from the field, farm profiles, and home-built solutions contributed by over sixty draft animal-powered farmers from across North America and Europe. Each teamster’s story represents a patch in a quilt that is woven together with a narrative thread to guide the reader through the whole fabric of the growing season, from soil preparation to harvest. The book structure follows the seasonal progression of implements, beginning with several examples of contemporary draft-animal-powered produce farms; next an examination of the versatile utility of forecarts; then taking an in-depth look at fertility management on the farm; moving on through primary and secondary tillage, seeding and transplanting; then on to the multifold options for cultivators, tool carriers, and multipurpose implements, with technical harnessing and hitching details for the best use of the implements. For experienced teamsters and beginning market growers farming with horses, this is an invaluable and one-of-a-kind guide, sure to last forever in the agricultural canon. Trade Review“Stephen Leslie shines a spotlight on an inconspicuous but important revolution in agriculture that has been quietly gaining momentum for decades. In Horse Powered Farming for the 21st Century, Stephen has gathered an impressive collection of narratives and technical information that offer creative possibilities and innovative solutions for farming with real horse power. Both seasoned and aspiring horse farmers will find this book a valuable resource.”--Doc Hammill, DVM, Doc Hammill Horsemanship“In his first book, The New Horse-Powered Farm, Stephen Leslie presented a formidable mass of expert guidance and helpful information gleaned from his own experience horse farming and that of others similarly engaged. In Horse-Powered Farming for the 21st Century, Leslie piles on insightful wisdom that delves deeper into the subtle complexities of managing a horse-powered farm. The first book furnished plans for constructing a fully equipped horse farming toolbox. Horse-Powered Farming for the 21st Century bolsters that information with clear explanations of how to make the best use of the instruments found inside.”--Joe Mischka, Rural Heritage Magazine“Stephen Leslie has compiled an encyclopedia of horse-farming knowledge with excellent diagrams and photos to illustrate the various applications of draft-animal work. It is a luxury to be able to hold this vast accumulation of knowledge and experience offered by contributors across the United States and other countries. Stephen’s writing reminds us that horse farming is our hope for the future because it is not dependent on fossil fuels or large acreages. Horse-Powered Farming for the 21st Century is a great book, not only for its practical tips for farmers but also as a statement about what matters on this planet.”-Heather Smith Thomas, author of Storey’s Guide to Training Horses

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Book SynopsisMini farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Now expanding exponentially on his bestselling Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre, Brett Markham gives you tips, tricks, and planning advice on how to make the most of your mini farm. New topics include: Soil and Fertility Tools and Techniques Planting Guides and Seeders Easy Trellising Weed Control Techniques Greater Food Self-Sufficiency Making Your Own Country Wines Making Your Own Vinegars Making Cheese at Home Cooking for Self-Sufficiency Keep your costs down and production high with this complete guide to maximizing your mini farm—whether it’s a rooftop urban garden, a suburban backyard, or a more substantial plot of land. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with tables, diagrams, and 200 color illustrations and author photographs.

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Book SynopsisIn the last few years, with increasing frequency, modern medicine directs attention to natural products with biological and therapeutic properties and their use in clinical practice. The major arguments for implementing natural products, such as honey, are low cost and the absence of antimicrobial resistance risk. This book presents original current research and clinical results on the leading edge of honey research. Topics discussed include the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties of honey; possible anticancer and anti-diabetic properties of honey; immunomodulatory effects of honey on cutenous and immune cells during wound healing process; topical applications of honey and the use of honey in the treatment of burns, non-healing wounds and eye diseases.

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Book SynopsisBestselling author Brett Markham’s new handbook gives us the mini farming basics along with in-depth tips on vegetable gardening, fermenting, composting, and self-sufficiency in a handy new format and design. Includes:• Soil management and making your own fertilizer • Crop rotation and cover cropping• Composting• Seed starting and timing/planning• Raised beds and pest management• Pvc trellising and planting spacers• Raising chickens, making your own chicken plucker, and butchering• Growing fruit/nut trees and vines• Food preservation (canning and freezing)• Fermenting wine, vinegar and cheeseWith the full color photographs that made the original Mini Farming so popular, and step by step drawings, projects, graphs, and tables, you’ll have everything you need for your new or established mini farm at your fingertips. So dive in a learn how to begin and cultivate your own mini farm on less than a quarter acre.

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Book SynopsisVertical farming or high-rise farming is a proposed indoor, urban farming technology involving large-scale agricultural production in multi-story buildings. It is an intensive farming strategy which mainly employs advanced techniques such as hydroponics and aeroponics to produce crops like fruits, vegetables and edible mushrooms continuously. Unlike traditional farming in non-tropical areas, indoor farming can produce crops year-round. All-season farming multiplies the productivity of the farmed surface by a factor of 4 to 6 depending on the crop. With some crops, such as strawberries, the factor may be as high as 30. Furthermore, as the crops would be sold in the same infrastructures in which they are grown, they will not need to be transported between production and sale, resulting in less spoilage, infestation, and energy required than conventional farming encounters. Crops grown in traditional outdoor farming suffer from the often suboptimal, and sometimes extreme, nature of geological and meteorological events such as undesirable temperatures or rainfall amounts, monsoons, hailstorms, tornadoes, flooding, wildfires, and severe droughts. The protection of crops from weather is increasingly important as global climate change occurs. Because vertical plant farming provides a controlled environment, the productivity of vertical farms would be mostly independent of weather and protected from extreme weather events. Although the controlled environment of vertical farming negates most of these factors, earthquakes and tornadoes still pose threats to the proposed infrastructure, although this again depends on the location of the vertical farms. With high-rise farming, a relatively large area of land will be converted into a facility on which a multi-story building will be constructed. It will be located in the urban center. Important food crops will be grown in this building on soil-less media, employing mainly the techniques in hydroponics. It is estimated that by the year 2050, close to 80% of the world’s population will live in urban areas and the total population of the world will increase by 3 billion people. A very large amount of land may be required depending on the change in yield per hectare. Scientists are concerned that this large amount of required farmland will not be available and that severe damage to the earth will be caused by the added farmland.

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Book SynopsisFor Paul West, a meaningful life is one built around food and community. In The Edible Garden Cookbook & Growing Guide, Paul shows you how easy it is to grow and cook some of your own food, no matter how much space you have. Paul shares practical gardening advice, with guides on building a no-dig garden, composting and keeping chooks, and an A-Z guide of the veggies that are easiest to grow. There are also more than 50 of Paul's favourite family recipes - simple, produce-driven dishes that are bursting with freshness and flavour. And then there are ideas for fun food activities to do with your community, whether it's hosting a pickle party or passata day, brewing beer with some mates or whipping up a batch of homemade sausages. The Edible Garden Cookbook & Growing Guide is a celebration of real food and vibrant community. It will inspire you to grow, cook and eat with those you love - and find real meaning along the way.

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Book SynopsisWater is critical to all human activities, but access to this crucial resource is increasingly limited by competition and the effects of climate change. In agriculture, water management is key to ensuring good and sustained crop yields, maintaining soil health, and safeguarding the long-term viability of the land. Water management is especially challenging on smallholder farms in resource-poor areas, which tend to be primarily rainfed and thus highly dependent on unreliable rainfall patterns. Sustainable practices can help farmers promote the development of soils, plants and field surfaces to allow maximum retention of water between rains, and encourage the efficient use of each drop of water applied as irrigation. Using simplified concepts and easy-to-understand language, this book: - outlines the theoretical underpinnings of sustainable water management in agriculture, -introduces a range of beneficial practices, including the enhancement of soil water retention, water loss reduction, rainwater harvesting, conservation agriculture, and small-scale irrigation -provides schematic diagrams, and resources for further reading to help readers put theory into practice Especially useful for farmers' groups, agricultural extension workers, NGOs, students and researchers working with farmers in dryland areas, this comprehensive yet concise book is a practical and accessible resource for anyone interested in sustainable water management.Table of Contents1: Theoretical Foundations of Water Management in Agriculture 1: Key Concepts 2: Goals of Agricultural Water Management 3: Soil and Water 4: Plants and Water 5: Climate Outlook 2: Improving Water Productivity in Rainfed Agriculture 6: Soil-focused Strategies: Reducing Water Loss 7: Rainwater Harvesting 8: Crop-focused Strategies: Using Available Water Wisely 9: Conservation Agriculture 3: Irrigation 10: Irrigation 11: Irrigation Scheduling 12: Water Sources for Agriculture -: Summary of Key Points

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Book SynopsisWater is critical to all human activities, but access to this crucial resource is increasingly limited by competition and the effects of climate change. In agriculture, water management is key to ensuring good and sustained crop yields, maintaining soil health, and safeguarding the long-term viability of the land. Water management is especially challenging on smallholder farms in resource-poor areas, which tend to be primarily rainfed and thus highly dependent on unreliable rainfall patterns. Sustainable practices can help farmers promote the development of soils, plants and field surfaces to allow maximum retention of water between rains, and encourage the efficient use of each drop of water applied as irrigation. Using simplified concepts and easy-to-understand language, this book: - outlines the theoretical underpinnings of sustainable water management in agriculture, -introduces a range of beneficial practices, including the enhancement of soil water retention, water loss reduction, rainwater harvesting, conservation agriculture, and small-scale irrigation -provides schematic diagrams, and resources for further reading to help readers put theory into practice Especially useful for farmers' groups, agricultural extension workers, NGOs, students and researchers working with farmers in dryland areas, this comprehensive yet concise book is a practical and accessible resource for anyone interested in sustainable water management.Table of Contents1: Theoretical Foundations of Water Management in Agriculture 1: Key Concepts 2: Goals of Agricultural Water Management 3: Soil and Water 4: Plants and Water 5: Climate Outlook 2: Improving Water Productivity in Rainfed Agriculture 6: Soil-focused Strategies: Reducing Water Loss 7: Rainwater Harvesting 8: Crop-focused Strategies: Using Available Water Wisely 9: Conservation Agriculture 3: Irrigation 10: Irrigation 11: Irrigation Scheduling 12: Water Sources for Agriculture -: Summary of Key Points

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Book SynopsisThe feeding of farm animals directly effects their growth, health, reproduction and ultimately their economic value and is consequently one of the most studied areas of animal science. Building on the first edition and its predecessor, 'The Voluntary Food Intake of Farm Animals,' Forbes has produced an up-to-date and more focused examination of developments in the understanding of voluntary food intake and new ideas and studies relating to diet selection. Chapters have been reorganized and updated to provide a more streamlined approach.Trade Review"There can be few texts on feeding that cover such a broad range of disciplines, from feeding behaviour to modelling of food intake... The book will provide a ready introduction into the many facets of food intake control, and readers will be enthused by the author's obvious love of the area" - Alistair E. Lawrence in Applied Animal Behaviour Science "...Forbes' book is an invaluable reference volume not only for scientists and researchers, but also for postgraduate and undergraduate students studying animal nutrition...because this book is written in clear language, is well illustrated, and details fundamental scientific concepts." -S.U. Hubdy in Animal Feed Science and Technology"Table of ContentsPart I: Basics 1: Introduction 2: Feeding Behaviour Part II: Mechanisms 3: Feedbacks from the Gastrointestinal Tract 4: Metabolites and Hormones 5: Central Nervous System and the Special Senses 6: Learning about Food: Conditioned Preferences and Aversions 7: Diet Selection: Principles 8: Diet Selection: Practicalities Part III: Theories 9: Integrative Theories of Food Intake Control 10: Minimal Total Discomfort Part IV: Food Composition 11: Diet Digestibility, Energy Concentration and Supplementation of Forages 12: Protein and Other Nutrients 13: Appetites for Specific Nutrients 14: Silage Part V: Animal and Environmental Factors 15: Growth and Fattening 16: Reproduction and Lactation 17: Environmental Factors Affecting Intake 18: Epilogue

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Book SynopsisPoverty in sub-Saharan Africa is predominantly a rural and agricultural phenomenon. The large majority of all poor are farmers and herders, therefore as long as the poor remain smallholders, alleviation of poverty remains an agricultural task. African Smallholders documents the farm-level effects of agricultural policies, focusing on a variety of themes including micro-credit, infrastructure, cash crop production and food security. To deepen our understanding of agricultural development it discusses staple food production in sub-Saharan Africa and its response to changing geo-political, macro-economic and agricultural policy. It is a useful resource for all those researching or involved with food security, agricultural and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Introduction Part I: Comparative analysis 1.1: From Maputo Declaration to Global Financial Crisis 1.2: Macro trends among the Afrint countries 1.3: Production and productivity of food crops, 2002 to 2008 1.4: Drivers of staple food production in sub-Saharan Africa - evidence for maize from eight countries 2002 to 2008 1.5: Maize Remittances, markets and smallholder livelihoods in Africa Part II: Country case studies 2.1: Ethiopia 2.2: Ghana 2.3: Kenya 2.4: Malawi 2.5: Nigeria 2.6: Tanzania 2.7: Uganda 2.8: Zambia 2.9: Mozambique 3: Conclusion

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Book SynopsisSelected as a Book of the Year 2017 in You Magazine'A lavish monthly guide to getting the most from your garden' Daily MailA punnet of plums from your tree, a handful of gooseberries; home-grown nuts and herbs, and a few freshly laid eggs from your hens – all enjoyed in your own small plot. What could be more satisfying?The Garden Farmer is an evocative journal and monthly guide to getting the most out of your garden throughout the year. Whether you are a keen gardener looking for inspiration, or just starting out and wanting to rediscover and reclaim your patch of earth, Sunday Telegraph garden-columnist Francine Raymond lays the groundwork for a bountiful year of garden farming. Maybe you would like to get outside more, grow a few essential vegetables, some fruit trees or bushes for preserving, and create a scented kitchen garden to provide for you year round. Or perhaps you will raise a small flock of ducks or geese, or even a couple of pigs? Could this be the year you decorate your home with nature’s adornments, encourage wildlife back to pollinate your trees and plants, and spend celebratory hours in a haven of your own creation? Each chapter of The Garden Farmer offers insight into the topics and projects you might be contemplating that month, along with planting notes and timely advice, and a recipe that honours the fruits of your labour. With just a little effort and planning, every garden can be tended in tune with nature, and every gardener can enjoy a host of seasonal delights from their own soil.Keep up-to-date with Francine's gardening adventures on her blog at kitchen-garden-hens.co.uk.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis two-volume set discusses recent approaches and technological innovations for sustainable agriculture in smallholder farming systems impacted by climate change. The systems covered include crop-based agricultural production, as well as aquaculture and livestock production as related systems using similar techniques to combat food security issues brought about by climate change and resource overuse. The chapters detail innovations involving crop diversification, soil resilience management, geoinformatics and land suitability monitoring for smart farming, information technology in livestock production, and nutrient resource management in fishery aquaculture. Researchers, practitioners and industries will be able to use this information to implement socially and economically sustainable practices to achieve food security in impoverished areas vulnerable to climate change, while also learning about the rapid evolution in information technology that is applicable for and available to small holder farmers. Volume 1 focuses on current innovations in agricultural and livestock practices in response to climate change. It covers the technological challenges, approaches and mitigation strategies encountered by both scholars and practitioners working in livestock and agricultural production systems impacted by climate change.Table of ContentsChapter1. Impact of future climate change on Agriculture, Livestock Production and Aquaculture: Challenges and Policy.- Chapter2. Managing agricultural nitrogen losses in crop production and mitigation of climate change effects.- Chapter3. Critical analysis and evaluation of groundnut value chain for revamping its production for global food security.- Chapter4. Aluminum uptake, callose accumulation and invertase activity in lowland and upland rice genotypes in related to aluminum stress tolerance.- Chapter5. Gender issues in farming — Challenging socially embedded positions in agrarian context.- Chapter6. Characterization and Appraisal of Crop based Farming System for Sustainable Development of Agriculture.- Chapter7. Nitrogen based for farming system.- Chapter8. Resilience for salt tolerance in rice cultivars using various strategies of conventional breeding, molecular breeding and transgenic approaches.- Chapter9. Geoinformation for land suitability modelling for climate smart farming in Africa.- Chapter10. Climate Change Adaptation: Remote Sensing-based Flood Crop Loss Assessment to Support Crop Insurance.- Chapter11. Smallholder Pig value chains development and livelihood security.- Chapter12. Revolutionizing impact of poultry resources in food security and rural economy.- Chapter13. Milk and Milk Product Safety and Quality Assurance for Achieving Better Public Health Outcomes.- Chapter14. Diversification in Aquaculture Resources and Practices for Smallholder Farmers.- Chapter15. Value addition in meat and fish products for human health and nutrition.- Chapter16. Indian Fish as Bioindicators species.- Chapter17. Conclusion.

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