In print

Brave New Seeds: The Threat of GM Crops

By Robert Ali Brac de la Perriere and Frank Seuret
Published by Zed Books Ltd, 7 Cynthia Street, London N1 9JF, UK
Website: zedbooks.co.uk
2000, 159pp, ISBN 1 85649 900 6 (Pb), £9.99/US$17.50

The importance of genetic modification for the future of agriculture has created a hugely polarised debate, with little in the way of middle ground. To the impoverishment of the more agnostic reader, Brave New Seeds continues this pattern. To give credit where it's due, the authors do well in dividing the complexity of issues and claims surrounding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into seven short chapters. If you want a quick overview of the key arguments on the 'anti' side of the debate, covering such issues as how GMOs eliminate small farmers, the ecological and health risks they pose, or intellectual property rights and patenting, then Brave New Seeds does offer a succinct and jargon-free summary.

The book argues that just as the Green Revolution of the 1960's and '70s favoured large scale farmers, and forced smaller ones off the land and into the cities - to become the mass of malnourished urban poor still struggling to make a living today - so the genetic revolution will continue the process of marginalisation. 'The complexity of the techniques implemented, their degree of technicality and their cost can only accelerate the marginalisation of small-scale farmers all over the world', warns Arnaud Apoteker, the head of Greenpeace France's biotechnology programme, and one of the many contributors from both North and South whose comments make up a good proportion of the book.

Interestingly, the situation for small-scale farmers in the US seems little better than for those in the developing world. 'The marketplace irony is that the lower prices for raw materials go [as a result of more productive GM varieties], the more the farmers need to produce in order to make their debt payments. The more they produce the lower the prices go and the spiral continues…Despite record harvests, farmers are going out of business at a near record pace and small town economies are going with them'. Not surprisingly, the authors believe that the seed companies, that are largely driving the GMO revolution, are only interested in profits and whether they sell their seeds to a few large operations or to many small farmers does not make a huge amount of difference to them. If anything, they might prefer to sell to a smaller number of larger enterprises, since this would make their attempts to prevent the replanting of farm-saved seeds much easier.

In addition to all the warnings, the authors have made some good suggestions for what should be done to strengthen the anti-GMO influence. Their first suggested step is a moratorium on further developments, to give time for governments and regulations to catch up with the blistering pace set by the scientists. They touch on the role that farmers will need to have in the future as stewards of the land, and the support governments will have to provide if this role is to be economically viable. They also want more public support for breeding programmes that through genetic or other technology, address problems like salinification and drought, and minimise farmers' dependence on chemical inputs - one example of the 'middle ground' that could do with some more exploring. They would also like to see a research centre that could bring together biologists, legal experts and economists to ensure proper monitoring of GMOs and to raise awareness of their impacts.

There is no moral reason why the authors should try to present more than their own side of the story but, if they had done so, they might have written a more interesting book. As it is, Brave New Seeds, despite being well structured, accessible and passionate, is so relentlessly critical of all it describes, that the reader quickly feels preached at, rather than motivated to think through the issues at stake. Such a one-sided presentation may suit the converted, but is unlikely to assist any reconciliation between the polarised opponents, and leaves the reader intellectually unsatisfied and a little weary.

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A Field Manual of Camel Diseases: Traditional and modern health care for the dromedary

Compiled by Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, Paul Mundy and Evelyn Mathias
Published by ITDG Publishing, 103-105 Southampton Row, London,WC1B 4HL,UK
Email: itpubs@itpubs.org.uk
Website: www.itdgpublishing.org.uk/
2001, pp271, ISBN 1 85339 503 X (Pb) £12.95

Compiled through a workshop held in India in 1997, this field manual combines both traditional and modern advice in tackling camel diseases. Many camel herders live in remote areas where modern veterinary facilities are lacking. This guide has therefore been written on the basis that those diagnosing and treating their animals will have the minimum of facilities and equipment. The workshop participants were mostly from Kenya, Sudan, Arabia and South Asia, so it will be of most relevance for pastoralists in those areas. But anyone working with camels or with camel herders is likely to find it invaluable.

Comparatively little research has been done on camels under pastoral conditions, yet herders depend on them for food, transport and income. By presenting both traditional and modern cures the manual attempts to 'melt the ice' between local herders and professional vets. For each disease a simple description is given, often with a line drawing to aid diagnosis, and a range of treatments is listed, traditional ones linked to their place of origin. Many of them are marked as 'TRAD SCI', indicating that the traditional cures are borne out by scientific findings.

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Rubber

By M.A. Delabarre and J.B. Serier
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd, Between Towns Road, Oxford, OX4 3PP
Email: Victoria.Jenner@mhelt.com
Website: www.macmillan-africa.com
2000, 156pp, ISBN 0 333 68355 2 (Pb), £7.85

A comprehensive and practical guide to rubber production, combining clearly written text, diagrams, photographs and colour plates. The guide includes a short history of rubber cultivation, a description of the plant and its life cycle and environmental factors affecting rubber production. More important are the chapters on the establishment, maintenance and exploitation of rubber plantations, which have been written with the needs of both small and large scale producers in mind. Final sections describe the processing and use of rubber and rubber products.

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Agricultural Science Policy: Changing global agendas

Edited by Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey and Michael J. Taylor
Published for the International Food Policy Research Institute
by The Johns Hopkins University Press,2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21218-4363
Website: www.press.jhu.edu
2001, 312pp, ISBN 0 8081 6604 9(Pb), US$21.95

For students of agricultural economics and agricultural research policy makers, this collection of papers provides a broad, yet rigorous overview of the factors that are shaping the agenda. Thus, competing for funds with the traditional areas of productivity enhancement, economic growth, farm incomes and food security, come the environment, genetic diversity, food safety and intellectual property rights, to name but a few.

The authors share a concern that the factors influencing agricultural R & D are so new and progress so rapidly, that policy-makers are coming to decisions without the benefit of sound economic analysis or an understanding of economic consequences. As a result their contributions are closely-written and technical, and will be of interest to all who are working in or studying the area.

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Social and Institutional Issues in Watershed Management in India

By OIKOS, India and International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
Published by International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Y.C. James Yen Center, Silang, 4118 Cavite, Philippines
Email: Information@iirr.org
2000, 419pp, ISBN 0 942717 86 4, US$20

The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), through their pioneering workshop-based participatory approach, has compiled yet another nicely presented and user friendly guide to an important subject. Around 65% of India's arable area is classified as 'rainfed', which essentially means it receives low rainfall, is not irrigated, and its people must survive on three or so months of monsoon rain every year.

Finding ways of using that rainfall to both recharge the underground aquifers, keep the soil productive and provide water for washing and drinking has been the task of watershed management projects for over twenty years. At first, outside experts tried to apply technologies developed in temperate climates, and little say was given to the local stakeholders. However, success rates for these earlier projects were variable, leading to a paradigm shift towards local participation and indigenous water and soil conservation methods. This book sets out the practicalities of how this participatory approach can be managed and the important issues for community watershed management, such as involving women in planning, capacity building, cost sharing, and the role of micro-credit institutions.

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Critical Choices: The United Nations, networks and the future of global governance

By Wolfgang H. Reinecke and Francis Deng
Published by IDRC, PO Box 8500, Ottowa, Canada, K1G 3H9
Email: pub@idrc.ca or www.idrc.ca
2000, 164pp, ISBN 0 88936 921 6 (Pb), US$20

The world is a complicated place, write the authors, 'with an ever expanding multiplicity of actors, interests and issues to be resolved'. National governments no longer have the resources to keep up with the pace of change, and as a result are unable to serve their people in fully effective or legitimate ways. Moreover, the authors claim, the UN has lost its credibility as a body capable of providing agreed solutions to global problems.

This is the scenario that Critical Choices seeks to address; the choices are those that the UN must make if it is to serve the globalizing world, and the solution proffered lies in Global Public Policy networks. The networks bring together experts and stakeholders from North and South, and from all sectors, more particularly the big three: governments, the business community and civil society. Together they need to discuss, negotiate and hopefully come with some kind of usable output, be it a report, an agreement, a plan or whatever. An example of such a network would be the World Commission on Dams, which succeeded in bringing together long-standing opponents from the construction industry, national governments, local communities, and environmental groups.

Critical Choices argues that facilitating such networks, and offering a 'safe place' for negotiation may be the only way for the UN to achieve its goals, and that if such co-operation fails a backlash against globalization and re-imposition of national boundaries seems most likely, as governments lose any shared understanding of the complex issues that they face. The book states its important case with clarity and a wealth of interesting and topical examples.

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Understanding and Using Market Information
Market Extension Guide 2

By Andrew W. Shepherd
Published by FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
Copies available from Andrew.Shepherd@fao.org or by download from the FAO website.
2000, 85pp, ISSN 1020 7317 (Pb) Free

As many governments reduce their marketing activities and production subsidies, and withdraw from price setting, so the importance of farmers being able to access and interpret market information increases. Extension workers, who up to now may have only felt comfortable giving production advice, may feel the need to increase their own familiarity with market information services, and this little guide would be an excellent start.

Written in extremely clear language and illustrated with excellent cartoons, which all contain a memorable message, it works from three basic questions: why farmers need market information; how they can use information and benefit from its use; and what kinds of information are available to them. Subjects covered include how to obtain information, why prices change, calculating marketing costs, and using market information for production planning.

'A Guide to Maize Marketing for extension officers', and 'A Guide to Marketing Costs and how to calculate them' are also available in the same series.

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The Current Pandemic of Cassava Mosaic Disease in East Africa and its Control

By GW Otim-Nape et al.
Published by Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
Copies available (quote ref. PSTC 28), from:
NRI Catalogue Services, CAB International, Wallingford, OX10 8DE, UK
2000, 106pp, ISBN 0 85954 513 X (Pb), £10

Since the late 1980s Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) has been reducing crop yields in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. This short report on the current pandemic describes its possible causes, the threat it poses to other countries and lessons that can be learned from the different control methods that have been tried. The approach that seems to offer the best chance of decreasing crop losses demands training for farmers in CMD management, so that they can cultivate disease-resistant plants in blocks of land that have been cleared of infected material. The report includes maps and tables, and is written in a clear, scientific style.

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Coffee: Recent Developments

Edited by R.J. Clarke and O.G. Vitzthum
Published by Blackwell Science, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0EL
Website: www.blackwell-science.com
2001, 272pp, ISBN 0 632 05553 7 (Pb), £85

Twenty coffee experts present the latest developments in coffee research in this volume, but sadly neither the content nor price of this book are going to make it attractive to small-scale producers. However food scientists and technologists and those engaged in the coffee industry will find it at times entertainingly written, and containing a huge amount of interesting and pertinent information. It begins with 'three cutting edge chapters covering non-volatile and volatile compounds that determine the flavour of coffee'. Other chapters deal with technological developments in roasting techniques, decaffeination, instant coffee science, and beverage preparation. There are also chapters on the health implications of coffee, and the agronomic aspects of coffee breeding and growing.

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Cover Crops in Smallholder Agriculture: Lessons from Latin America

By Simon Anderson, Sabine Gündel and Barry Pound, with Bernhard Triomphe
Published by ITDG Publishing, 103-105 Southampton Row, London,WC1B 4HL,UK
Email: itpubs@itpubs.org.uk or www.itdgpublishing.org.uk/
2001, 148pp, ISBN 1 85339 530 7 (Pb), £12.95

Cover crops have the potential to offer a wide range of benefits to smallholder agriculture. Not only can they be a source of 'green manure' for resource-poor farmers, but they can offer fodder for livestock, food for families, and also have environmental benefits such as protecting soils from erosion, and reducing siltation in rivers. They can thus appeal to farmers, development institutions, natural resource conservationists and policy-makers.

The case studies in this book come from a wide variety of agro-ecosystems in Latin America, and will be of interest to those engaged in rural development both within and beyond that area. Key issues for integrating cover crops into smallholder agricultural systems include: use of cover crops in annual and perennial cropping systems; value of cover crops as food, feed and forage; their role in animal husbandry; farmer-to-farmer diffusion of ideas; and research strategies for cover crop innovation.

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The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture

By FAO Fisheries Department
Published by FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
Website: www.fao.org
2000, pp160, ISBN 92 5 104492 9(Pb), US$30

Apart from reviewing world fish stocks and fleets, this latest report includes discussions of many important current issues in fishing and aquaculture. Sea fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Death rates for fishers in the USA are up to thirty times higher than the national average, and it can only be guessed that the rates other in countries, where accidents go unlogged, are worse. The report offers recommendations, for example improved accident reporting and analysis of causes, training both of crews and safety inspectors, and better collaboration between fishers, boat owners and authorities in formulating and enforcing regulations.

The report suggests that increasing the role of fishers themselves in fisheries management, will be necessary for sustainable exploitation, and that for this to happen much greater understanding of fishing cultures is needed. It supports that process with some interesting case studies of several communities, including whale-hunting Inuits and coastal communities in the Dominican Republic.

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Plant Invaders: The threat to natural ecosystems

By Quentin CB Cronk and Janice L Fuller
Published by Earthscan, 120 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JN, UK
Email: earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk or www.earthscan.co.uk
2001, pp255, ISBN 1 85383 781 4 (Pb), £24.95

Invasive plants by their nature do not fit in; they drive other plants out, potentially replacing diversity with a single species (in some cases leading to extinction of native plants), changing the nutrient status of soil, altering sedimentation processes, and removing food sources or else providing one which did not exist before. All these can have very significant long term consequences, not least because unlike human pollution, from which habitats may be able to recover, invasive plants do not go away, they just tend to spread themselves further.

This thorough and readable 'handbook', aimed primarily at academics but also useful for practitioners, includes a well-structured account of how, why and where invasion of natural or semi-natural habitats by exotic plants is taking place, planning a control programme, and details on the status and control options for some of the more common and destructive plant invaders.

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Environmental Indicators for Agriculture Volume 3: Methods and results

By the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Available from OECD Bookshop, 2 rue André-Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France
Email: sales@oecd.orgWebsite: www.oecd.org/bookshop
2001,410pp, ISBN 926418614X (Pb), £44

Reviewing the environmental performance of agriculture, this volume presents and interprets the current state and trends from an impressive range of indicators, revealing both good news and bad. Those wanting facts and figures on nitrogen and fertilizer use, levels of water pollution, soil erosion, water resource depletion and the impact of agriculture on bio-diversity, wildlife habitats and landscape in OECD countries, will find all they need here. The volume also highlights the linkages between different indicators, and outlines key challenges for the future.

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Going to Scale: Can we bring more benefits to more people more quickly?

Published by International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Y.C. James Yen Center, Silang, Cavite, Philippines
Email: pub-iirr@cav.pworld.net.ph
2000, pp122, ISBN 0 942717 99 6 (Pb), US$15 / PhP300

These 'Conference Highlights' include case studies of small-scale sustainable agriculture projects that have been 'scaled up' in the attempt to spread their success at a wider level, and lessons that can be learned by policy makers in applying local initiatives to a national context. However, general readers may find themselves struggling with 'Going to scale', not least because many of the ideas it wishes to present have been encrypted into 'development speak', and in other places poor editing has left confusing errors. The following sentence from the preface is a good example:

'Failure to promote such people-centered agricultural research and development efforts and to invest in alternative technological approaches will rescue lost opportunities to raise agricultural productivity in economically viable, environmentally benign, and socially uplifting ways'. Hmm!

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People, Plants and Protected Areas: A guide to in situ management

By John Tuxill and Gary Paul Nabhan
Published by Earthscan, 120 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JN, UK
Email: earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk or www.earthscan.co.uk
2001, 262pp, ISBN 1 85383 782 2 (Pb), £24.95

This volume in the People and Plants series focuses on how protected areas can be better managed, and presents new approaches for the conservation of plants within their native habitats. It particularly recognises the social dimension of in situ protection, highlighting the collaboration that is necessary between conservation professionals and local communities.

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