Description
Book SynopsisThis concise text offers an overview of the key issues in sustainable food production for all readers interested in the ecology and environmental impact of agriculture. It details the ecological foundations of farming and food systems, showing how to create sustainable alternatives to the industrial production methods used today.
Trade ReviewA little book with a big scope, this primer focuses on the social and ecological context for how agriculture fits into the global agenda for environmental sustainability. Timely and succinct, it is a useful resource for understanding interdisciplinary issues in development and for shifting toward more equitable and environmentally sound food systems. It could serve as an excellent add-on textbook for courses in sustainability science, agricultural policy, and agricultural ecology. -- Louise Jackson, professor emerita, University of California Davis
One of today’s greatest environmental challenges is to feed a hungry planet without jeopardizing the sustainability of our food production systems or the Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity. Written in a highly engaging style, this short book does an incredible job of explaining how to address this challenge. Broadly sweeping in scope, from historical context to forward thinking, it offers an indispensable overview of how to draw together social, ecological, and economic principles to enhance the sustainability of food, farming, and agriculture. -- Oswald J. Schmitz, Oastler Professor of Ecology, Yale University School of the Environment
Sustainable Food Production brings a broad subject area with many terms and concepts into a coherent framework. Naeem, Lipton, and van Huysen provide a big picture view for students of sustainability and other readers interested in the environment, natural resources, agriculture, and human impacts. -- Mark Rasmussen, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University
Table of ContentsPreface
1. Sustainable Development: A New Century, a New Paradigm
2. Nature and Nature’s Goods and Services
3. Sustainable Development and Food Production
4. Food, Farming, and Human Well-Being
5. Bringing It All Together: The Sustainable Future Before Us
Glossary
Notes
Index