Search results for ""CABI Publishing""

Although the avocado has been cultivated and consumed for more than 9000 years in its native Latin America, world production and trade have only developed over the past few decades, and now exceed 3.5 million tonnes. The avocado is now widely traded between warmer and colder countries as a result of the global community becoming increasingly aware of its versatility and nutritional value. For the past decade, the global avocado industry has been going through a period of rapid technological change and innovation. The dietary value of 'the most nutritious of all fruit' is also receiving more attention.

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At a time when the world's food supplies are increasingly unable to meet the needs of a burgeoning population, the subject matter of this book has never been more relevant. At the same time, there is significant diversity of opinion concerning the benefits and perceived dangers of the applications of biotechnology in food production. To help inform this debate, the aim of Plants, Biotechnology & Agriculture is to provide the reader with a comprehensive yet concise overview of plants as both biological organisms and useful resources for people to exploit. The first half of the book gives a basic overview of plant biology including how plants develop and respond to their environment, acting as a primer for those without a biology background and a refresher for students of plant biology and agriculture. These chapters set the scene for an outline of human exploitation of plants, from domestication to scientific manipulation. The complex technologies now being applied to improving crops are then described, guiding the reader through the extensive terminologies and jargon, using focus boxes to illustrate key processes and issues. The final two chapters address society's response to biotechnology, how these technologies are being modified in response to public concerns, and new technologies being developed to meet the challenges of rapid population growth, depletion of non-renewable resources and climate change.

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The soybean is a crop of global importance and is one of most frequently cultivated crops worldwide. It is rich in oil and protein, used for human and animal consumption as well as for industrial purposes. Soybean plants also play an important role in crop diversification and benefit the growth of other crops, adding nitrogen to the soil during crop rotation. With contributions from eminent researchers from around the world, The Soybean provides a concise coverage of all aspects of this important crop, including genetics and physiology, varietal improvement, production and protection technology, utilization and nutritional value.

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When relations are facilitated by communication technologies such as e-business, food supply networks can improve efficiency, flexibility and effectiveness. However, a lack of trust within such transactions can prevent the integration of e-business into this large, economic sector. Using case studies from European countries, chapters discuss trust-building methods for food networks in an e-business environment. Key issues include the influence of cultural disparity and cross-border transactions upon major product groups such as meat, cereal products and fresh produce.

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The management of tropical forest ecosystems is essential to the health of the planet. This book addresses forest insect pest problems across the world's tropics, addressing the pests' ecology, impact and possible approaches for their control. Fully updated, this second edition also includes discussions of new areas of interest including climate change, invasive species, forest health and plant clinics. This work is an indispensible resource for students, researchers and practitioners of forestry, ecology, pest management and entomology in tropical and subtropical countries.

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Outlining the core principles of the subject, this introductory-level textbook covers the production of meat, its structure and chemical composition, meat quality and hygiene, and animal welfare, handling and slaughter. The new edition has been updated to cover significant advances such as the process of conditioning, leading to the tenderisation of meat, and the new coverage of the use of molecular genetic techniques to try to select animals for improved meat quality. Key Features New larger format in two colours throughout Fully revised and updated including new coverage of genomics Carefully selected references and titles for further reading

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Rural policy in industrialized countries is currently undergoing significant change. 'Place-based economies', where the unique attributes and assets of individual places determine their attractiveness for particular types of activities and investments, are increasingly important for rural development. The Next Rural Economies debates the future of rural development and highlights successes and failures to inform research, policy and community action. Case studies present discussions of the current state of rural community and economic restructuring and provide research and policy directions for constructing resilient and sustainable rural economies.

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The development of competitive agro-industries is crucial for creating employment and income opportunities as well as enhancing the demand for farm products. However, in order to avoid adverse effects to vulnerable countries and people, sound policies and strategies for fostering agro-industries are needed. This book has been developed from a meeting of policy makers, governments, UN technical agencies and agro-industry specialists. It addresses the strategies and actions required for improving agro-industrial competitiveness in ways that can contribute to broad-based economic development and poverty reduction. This book is a co-publication with FAO and UNIDO

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This work debates and investigates the cross-compliance system - whereby farmers comply with certain standards relating to the environment, food safety and animal and plant health. It discusses cross-compliance in the context of existing standards, on-farm costs and the competitiveness of farm businesses. Analysing the economics of regulation both within the internal market of the EU and the broader world market by examining a broad range of agricultural products. This resource will be of value to agriculture and resource economists, policy makers, researchers and students in environmental and agricultural policy and modelling.

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Many of the world's most serious agricultural pests are highly migratory. Through the use of special-purpose radars we are provided with insights into their movement and how they learn about and navigate through their environment. This text examines the behaviour and regional variations of these species, as well as the altitude of migration, concentration of insects in layers and how they respond to large and small-scale wind systems. The book relates radar observation of insect movement to complementary and competing methodologies and surveys its capabilities and limitations. It also deals with the applications of these findings in the management and forecasting of both pest and beneficial insects, and is an essential reference for those working in agricultural entomology and pest management.

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Mastitis in dairy herds is a worldwide problem, with significant implications for milk yields and quality, economic losses, and animal health and welfare. Effective control makes a considerable difference to the farmer and the animal, and this new edition includes updated information throughout as well as new chapters covering organic dairy herds, dry period infections, robotic milking, residue avoidance, and best practice procedures. The authors, both fellows of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and recognised experts in the field, provide basic principles relevant to farmers, vets and veterinary students in a clear and practical way, covering anatomy, epidemiology, milking machines, disinfection, somatic cell counts, and diseases of the udders and teats in order to provide a thorough understanding of the causes of mastitis and measures of control and prevention. It is an indispensable resource for large animal vets, dairy industry personnel, farm managers, dairy herdsmen, and researchers and students in animal sciences and related disciplines.

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This fully updated new edition of the Reference Reviews Top Ten Print Reference Source 2004 is a comprehensive, fully cross-referenced collection of terms, names and phrases used in entomology, incorporating an estimated 43,000 definitions. It is the only listing which covers insect anatomy, behaviour, biology, ecology, histology, molecular biology, morphology, pest management, taxonomy and systematics. The origin, etymology, part of speech and definition of each term and phrase are all provided, including the language, meaning or root of each term and constituent parts. The common names of insects, their scientific binomen and taxonomic classification are provided, with diagnoses of pest species in many cases. All insect order, suborder, superfamily, family and subfamily names are given, together with the diagnostic features of orders and families. With new and updated terms, particularly in molecular biology, phylogeny and spatial technology, this is an essential reference for researchers and students of entomology and related disciplines.

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In the last three decades, the global production of lentils has almost tripled due to larger harvest areas but also more importantly from progress in research and productivity. Chapters outline improvements in production, such as water and soil nutrient management, agronomy, mechanization and weed management. Developments in genetics and breeding are discussed alongside improved knowledge of the lentil's origin, domestication, morphology and adaptation. The implementation and impact of this new research at the farm level is also addressed as well as the crop's post-harvest processing and nutritional value.

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Sustainable development is the single most important consideration for those working in the tourism industry. Presenting a discussion by leading contributors on the impacts of tourism on local culture and the environment, this new edition moves forward the debates in sustainable tourism, covering new locations, concepts and perspectives, and new case studies providing a global outlook for a universal issue.

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Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding describes breeds of livestock worldwide as well as a range of breed-related subjects such as husbandry, health and behaviour. This definitive and prestigious reference work presents easily accessible information on domestication (including wild ancestors and related species), genetics and breeding, livestock produce and markets, as well as breed conservation and the cultural and social aspects of livestock farming. Written by renowned livestock authorities, these volumes draw on the authors' lifelong interest and involvement in livestock breeds of the world, presenting a unique, comprehensive and fully cross-referenced guide to cattle, buffalo, horses, pigs, sheep, asses, goats, camelids, yak and other domesticants. Volume 1: contains asses, camelids, cattle, goats, horses and pigs Volume 2: contains sheep, water buffalo, yak and other livestock Coverage: Breed descriptions: including groups, types and varieties, history and links between groups, livestock products and trends for creating new breeds Wild species: ancestral and relatives, potential domesticants and hybridization Humans and breeds: spread of domestication, transhumance and pastoralism, social and cultural influences, suitability of different groups for different human purposes Genetics and Conservation: a dedicated section and glossary of terms Placing breeds in a practical agricultural context, this two volume encyclopedia will be of great value to agriculturalists, breeders, geneticists, biologists, rural historians, conservationists, ecologists, and all those who are interested in the rich diversity of livestock breeds.

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Tourism based on natural environments is a significant and growing international industry, and one that requires access to land with scenery, native plants and wildlife. In turn, land managers need money to maintain their land and its natural resources. This book looks at the economic, social and environmental consequences of nature-based tourism, and its effects on land managers. It discusses the importance of links and partnerships, as well as the conflicts between commercial tourism interests and land management agencies. Now in paperback, this book will be an essential resource for tourism students, as well as researchers and industry practitioners.

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This book documents and illustrates major developments in the use of nematodes for the biological control of insects and slugs. It covers the use of three main types of nematodes: entomopathogenic nematodes, entomophilic nematodes and slug-parasitic nematodes. The biology, commercial production, formulation and quality control, application technology, strategy and safety of each of these three nematode groups is discussed. The book also examines the application of nematodes in different cropping systems, and the efficacy of nematodes against specific pests. The potential of predatory nematodes to control plant-parasitic nematodes and mycophagous nematodes to control fungal pathogens is also reviewed.

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The ecosystem approach to fisheries management is high on national, regional and international agendas for sustainable fisheries management. Implementing the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries covers both theoretical and applied aspects, with a particular emphasis on practical experiences in the form of case studies from around the world, and tools for solutions. Researchers, practitioners and policy makers in fisheries, aquaculture, marine biology and ecology will find this book an invaluable overview and guide to fisheries management.

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In the current trend of increasing globalization, relationships are evolving between global and local realities, rich and poor regions of the world and ‘old’ and ‘new’ leisure and tourism patterns. The tourist has become an active agent in their travel experiences, moving between and among multiple localities, in an environment of transnational, interconnected social networks. In order to understand the modern tourist, concepts of mobility have begun to be applied to tourism studies and have questioned whether the word tourism is any longer sufficient to describe the complex socio-political milieu of people on the move. Bringing together theoretical and practical issues, this edited volume analyses tourism’s wider role as an agent for the mobile modern population of the world. Themes range from post-modern youth and independent mobility to theoretical texts on hypermobility and citizenship within global space and mobility, media and citizenship. Offering a thought-provoking examination of modern tourism, this will be an important text for students of tourism and human geography as well as tourism professionals.

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Spices are high value, export-oriented crops used extensively in food and beverage flavourings, medicines, cosmetics and perfumes. Interest is growing however in the theoretical and practical aspects of the biosynthetic mechanisms of active components in spices as well as the relationship between the biological activity and chemical structure of these secondary metabolites. A wide variety of phenolic substances and amides derived from spices have been found to possess potent chemopreventive, anti-mutagenic, anti-oxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties. Representing the first discussion of the chemical properties of a wide cross section of important spices, this book covers extensively the three broad categories of plant-derived natural products: the terpenoids, the alkaloids and the phenyl propanoids and allied phenolic compounds. Spice crops such as black pepper, ginger, turmeric and coriander are covered with information on botany, composition, uses, chemistry, international specifications and the properties of a broad range of common and uncommon spices.

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Mathematical modelling is increasingly applicable to the practical sciences. Here, mathematical approaches are applied to the study of mechanisms of digestion and metabolism in primary animal species. Farmed animals - ruminants, pigs, poultry and fish are comprehensively covered, as well as sections on companion animals. Common themes between species, such as energy and amino acid metabolism, are explored with a worldwide approach. Leading researchers from around the world have contributed to France and Kebreab's volume to provide an integrated approach to mathematical modelling in animal nutrition.

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Agri-food traditional, regional and typical products are an important resource for agricultural and rural development in many areas of the European Union. These Origin Labelled Products (OLPs) activate a complex system of relationships involving the local production and marketing and distribution systems, rural development dynamics and the consumer. Based on research conducted in European countries, this book provides an account of the current state of OLPs, enabling a better understanding of their characteristics and evolution in the agri-food system. It also assesses public policies at various levels and the effects of legal protection, financial support and public promotional initiatives on those involved, and consumers’ and citizens’ concerns and expectations.

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Marine environments have long been places of exploration, subsistence, transport and trade, but it is only recently that marine tourism has extended beyond coastal resorts and beaches. Demand for marine wildlife experiences has grown considerably in recent decades but a corresponding increase in the conservation of these environments as well as adequate legislative and management responses aimed at sustainability has not yet followed. This book demonstrates that through scientific approaches to understanding and managing tourist interactions with marine wildlife, sustainable marine tourism can be achieved. Drawing from disciplines such as marine and conservation biology and behavioural ecology, the effects of human disturbance on marine wildlife as well as management approaches to moderate these impacts are explored. Social science perspectives are also used to understand consumer demand and the ethical and legislative problems that this demand creates. This comprehensive volume provides valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners in marine conservation and tourism.

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One of the most notable changes in the world economy during the past three decades has been the diverging trends in the growth of the developing countries. Compared to East Asian countries that have integrated well into the global economy, those of Sub-Saharan Africa have remained stagnant and have become the world's least developed area. The policies and programmes of international organizations have failed to improve the situation while the global economy becomes dominated by trans-national corporations. A review of the suitability of globalization as an economic strategy for these under-developed countries is therefore needed. Focusing on the impact of globalization and on the constraints imposed by the changes in the world's production and trade, this book examines the opportunities open to the least developed countries as they design their strategies to accelerate growth and alleviate poverty. As the world's awareness of issues concerning globalization grows, this study will provide valuable insights.

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As agricultural production increases to meet the demands of a growing world population, so has the pace of biotechnology research to combat plant disease. Diseases can be caused by a variety of complex plant pathogens including fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes, and their management requires the use of techniques in transgenic technology, biochemistry and genetics. While texts exist on specific pathogens or management practices, a comprehensive review is needed of recent developments in modern techniques and the understanding of how pathogens cause disease. This collection of studies discusses the key approaches to managing each group of pathogens within the context of recent developments in biotechnology. Broad themes include microbe-plant interactions, molecular diagnostics of plant pathogens and enhancing the resistance of plants.

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Conservation in protected areas has focused on preserving biodiversity of ecosystems and species, whereas conserving the genetic diversity contained within species has historically often been ignored. However, maintaining genetic diversity is fundamental to food security and the provision of raw materials and it is best preserved within plants' natural habitats. This is particularly true for wild plants that are directly related to crop species and can play a key role in providing beneficial traits, such as pest or disease resistance and yield improvement. These wild relatives are presently threatened due to processes of habitat destruction and change and methodologies have been adapted to provide in-situ conservation through the establishment of genetic reserves within the existing network of protected areas. Providing a long-awaited synthesis of these new methodologies, this book presents a practical set of management guidelines that can be used for the conservation of plant genetic diversity of crop wild relatives in protected areas.

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Animal welfare issues are becoming increasingly prominent in animal production, for both economic and moral reasons. This book presents a clear understanding of the relationship between the welfare of major food animal species and their physiology, and the direct impact this has on meat quality. This new edition focuses on recent research and developments and also looks into welfare in aquaculture.

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Fresh concepts in the study of seed dispersal are spurring a host of exciting new questions, new answers to old questions, new methods and approaches, and a reinvigoration of the field.Seed Dispersal: Theory and its Application in a Changing World presents both recent advances and reviews of current knowledge demonstrating the vigour and vibrancy of the field. It provides new perspectives and directions at a time when efforts to meet growing environmental challenges threatening natural systems are of utmost importance.

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Inositol phosphates are a group of organic compounds found widely in the natural environment. They are important in agriculture because they constitute most of the phosphorus in grain seeds, but they cannot be digested by some animals. As a result, considerable research has been directed towards improving the digestibility of inositol phosphates in animal diets. Inositol phosphates are also abundant in soils and water bodies, yet a clear understanding of their behaviour in the environment remains elusive. This is surprising given the importance of phosphorus in the nutrition of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Written by leading experts, this book brings together critical reviews on inositol phosphates in agriculture, ecology, and the environment. The sixteen chapters cover a diverse range of topics, including the synthesis and hydrolysis of inositol phosphates, their role in animal nutrition, and their fate in soils and aquatic ecosystems. It will prove valuable to a wide readership in the agricultural and biological sciences, and will serve as a unique reference source on this emerging topic.

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Interest in ecotourism in Scandinavia has seen recent growth. Extended forests, rivers, and lakes allow for a great variety of nature-based activities, such as hiking, mushroom collecting, kayaking, snow mobiling and bird watching, making Scandinavia a unique region from a nature-based tourism perspective. Ecotourism in Scandinavia: Lessons in Theory and Practice is the first book to comprehensively describe, analyse and evaluate aspects of Scandinavian ecotourism and will appeal to researchers and students of ecotourism.

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Adventure tourism is a new, rapidly growing area at both practical and academic levels. Written at an introductory level, Adventure Tourism provides a basic background and covers commercial adventure tourism products across a range of adventure tourism sectors.

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The movement of people, goods, capital and information is a central aspect of living in the inter-connected, globalised late-modern world. Although this broader view of mobility is recognized, this book focuses mainly on migration or the movement of people. It examines multiple dwelling as a societal response to the major influences of increased mobility and amenity tourism. The book also considers the modern-day meaning of multiple dwelling, how it affects personal identity and the meaning of 'home' and its impacts on host communities and landscapes.

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This book is a much-expanded and updated edition of a previous volume, published in 1996 as "No-tillage Seeding: Science and Practice". The base objective remains to describe, in lay terms, a range of international experiments designed to examine the causes of successes and failures in no-tillage. The book summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of no tillage. It highlights the pros and cons of a range of features and options, without promoting any particular product.Topics added or covered in more detail in the second edition include:* soil carbon and how its retention or sequestration interacts with tillage and no-tillage* controlled traffic farming as an adjunct to no-tillage* comparison of the performance of generic no-tillage opener designs* the role of banding fertilizer in no-tillage* the economics of no-tillage* small-scale equipment used by poorer farmers* forage cropping by no-tillage* a method for risk assessment of different levels of machine sophistication

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In Western societies, leisure has been a major force in changing people's lives. The containment of working time and the rise in spending power have been long-term trends and are likely to continue over the next decades. While growth of leisure may not have eradicated differences by social class, gender or age, it has transformed how these differences are expressed, challenged or modified. In parallel, leisure studies has itself developed significantly as an academic discipline. This second edition is a complete rewrite of the first edition published in 1999. It is an introductory undergraduate text on leisure. It has a sociological perspective and discusses recent debates and research on topics such as post-modernity, consumer cultures and lifestyles.

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Vitamin E is an important dietary constituent which helps in the defence against cellular damage. The process of its absorption from food and its utilisation by the body is an intricate series of reactions. It is also used therapeutically in treating numerous diseases and conditions such as skin damage and the prevention of pathological lesions in major organs, and has been shown to be an important factor in preventing heart disease and cancer. Over 100 chapters from international contributors make this book the most comprehensive reference work in describing both the positive and negative effects and actions of Vitamin E. Chapters are divided into subsections which cover: nomenclature, biochemical, physical and chemical aspects of vitamn E related compounds. Dietary and nutritional influences and effects; cocktails, anti-oxidants mixtures and novel analogues; general physiological systems, metabolism and metabolic stress; brain, neurological and optical systems; reproductive systems, fetus and infant; musculo-skeletal systems and exercise; cardiovascular and pulmonary systems; skin; hepatic, nephrotic and gastrointestinal systems; immune and haematological systems and cancer.

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This book is based on papers presented at a symposium held in 2005 in South Africa. It brings together the most recent academic writings on modelling concepts, problems and applications of models and looks at the development, usefulness and limitations of models in pigs and poultry. Contents includes; description of growth and feed intake, modelling social systems and disease effects, nutrient flow models, energy transactions and energy feed systems, optimisation of broiler nutrition and modelling egg production in layering hens.

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The concept of welfare is a somewhat neglected area within tourism studies, despite the continued growth of interest in key issues such as ethics, tourist safety, employee's well-being, human rights, ethnocentrism, cultural sensitivity and behaviour codes, green consumerism, and the perceptions of management of 'sustainability'. This book provides an explanation, definition and a critique of welfare and a welfare approach covering these issues. Chapters cover the welfare of tourists, employees in the tourism industry, residents in tourism destinations, animals as tourist attractions and the natural environment.

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This book explores the policy implications of growing pressures for economic adjustment in the agricultural sectors of developed countries. The primary focus is on Europe and North America, but adjustment policies in other developed countries are discussed. Some chapters are based on an international workshop at Imperial College, London in October 2003 and an international symposium in Philadelphia in the spring of 2004.

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There are many hypotheses describing the interactions involved in biological invasions, but it is largely unknown whether they are backed up by empirical evidence. This book fills that gap by developing a tool for assessing research hypotheses and applying it to twelve invasion hypotheses, using the hierarchy-of-hypotheses (HoH) approach, and mapping the connections between theory and evidence. In Part 1, an overview chapter of invasion biology is followed by an introduction to the HoH approach and short chapters by science theorists and philosophers who comment on the approach. Part 2 outlines the invasion hypotheses and their interrelationships. These include biotic resistance and island susceptibility hypotheses, disturbance hypothesis, invasional meltdown hypothesis, enemy release hypothesis, evolution of increased competitive ability and shifting defence hypotheses, tens rule, phenotypic plasticity hypothesis, Darwin's naturalization and limiting similarity hypotheses and the propagule pressure hypothesis. Part 3 provides a synthesis and suggests future directions for invasion research

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The price of food commodities - such as wheat, corn and rice - is unstable. It can suddenly shoot up, making food unaffordable for millions of people around the world, bringing hunger and famine. A shortage may be due to bad weather or to a human pandemic which disrupts the food system. The other side of the volatility coin is a grain surplus - too much grain on the market. A grain surplus can cause food prices to rapidly fall, wiping out the profits of farming families and jeopardising their livelihoods. The whole world would be better off if commodity prices were more stable. The challenge is for governments to manage food and farming so that there are neither food shortages nor food surpluses. This book explores how governments can do this and uses theory and evidence to address major ideologies and global problems anew by: - Exploring the causes, consequence and potential for moderation of food price volatility. - Evaluating the various policy tools that have been proposed to eliminate hunger and reduce volatility. - Concluding with a practical strategy to moderate volatility - grain buffer stocks. In so doing the book addresses a core question: how can prices be managed for the benefit of consumers and farmers without impairing the efficiency of the market? Authored by an agricultural economist with thirty years of practical experience in farm policy, this book will assist governments in the design of their food and agricultural policies. Requiring no prior knowledge of economics, it is essential reading for students, researchers and policy makers in the areas of economics, international and sustainable development, agriculture, and food security.

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