In print

Agri-Culture: Reconnecting People, Land and Nature

By Jules Pretty
Published by Earthscan
120 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JN, UK
Email: earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk
Website: www.earthscan.co.uk
2002, 277pp, ISBN 1 85383 925 6 (Pb), £14.95

While Agri-Culture's subtitle may be about 'reconnecting', Jules Pretty is not simply proposing some kind of backward step to an imagined age when farms and farmers lived in healthy, productive harmony. He acknowledges that the challenge facing agriculture is huge - 800 million people in the world underfed - and that to meet this need, every available technology will have to be considered - including genetic modification of crops. But the key test for those technologies is their impact on the environment: do they build natural resources or degrade them? Do they leave soils further depleted, water bodies plundered and polluted, biodiversity sacrificed to 'monoscape'.

As professor of both environment and society at the University of Essex, we should not be surprised that Pretty's breadth of knowledge is formidable. And it is his capacity to see the wider significance of agriculture, as not just a provider of food but as a uniquely multifunctional activity, that makes his case so readable and persuasive. The arguments in Agri-Culture are not all new; for example, when he advocates the need for the real costs of modern agricultural production to be included in food prices, there is clearly an overlap with Lester Brown's 'eco-economy'. But how many agricultural writers are able to bring in David Henry Thoreau's concept of wilderness, or discuss modernist agriculture by contrasting it with the artistic and cultural innovation of Japan's Edo period? As a writer and thinker, Pretty is undoubtedly in a tiny, but very welcome minority.

To return to Agri-Culture's thesis, one central question it would have us ask is, 'What is farming for?' Of course it is to provide food; how farming systems may continue to do this, and do it better, is an important subject of the book. But agriculture, when done correctly, has the potential to offer so much more, economically, environmentally, socially. Some of these side-benefits may be difficult to quantify in economic terms. How much is it worth to hear skylarks singing on a summer's day? Others make hard-nosed economic sense. Flood damage, for example, is already costing tax-payers millions every year. Loss of water meadows - nature's storage tanks - to arable land is a major cause. Converting the fields back to meadows may in many cases be the best solution, even ignoring the landscape benefits. Another striking example of the costs of modern farming is the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, where the costs of nutrient overuse in the Mississippi basin are being borne by the fishing families of Louisiana.

Pretty is also supremely interested in the relationship of people and the land. He cites an analysis of two farming communities in California, similar in all respects except for farm size. In one area, characterised by small, family farms, the analysis found a better quality of life, superior public services and facilities, twice the number of organisations for civic and public improvement and better participation in community activity. By contrast an area dominated by corporate farms was found to have reduced rural population, increased poverty and income inequality, and lower levels of democratic participation. The point is that family farms do a lot more than just produce food: they bind rural communities, giving them meaning and direction.

Despite extraordinary growth in agricultural productivity, farming communities across the world are in a state of crisis. To address the situation will, argues Pretty, demand clear thinking, firm policies and brave action by farmers. In this excellent book, which draws on his contact with rural communities from across the globe, the author has set out the responsibilities for all - farmers, consumers, agri-businesses, politicians - in pursuing the path of sustainable agriculture.

Back to top

African Renaissance: Roadmaps to the challenge of globalization

By Fantu Cheru
Published by Zed Books
7 Cynthia St., London N1 9JF, UK
Website: zedbooks.co.uk
2002, 253pp, ISBN 1 84277 087 X (Pb), £14.95 $25.00

Thoughtful, honest and, therefore, at times a little depressing, the chapter in this book on agriculture and rural development would alone make the case for far more open political systems in Africa than have so far been achieved. The basic premise of the book is that globalization is an irreversible process and that any vision of an 'African Renaissance' must depend on African countries being able to manage globalization to their own advantage by reform at national and regional levels without heavy-handed intervention by the institutions of the world system.

After analysing the Herculean tasks of renewing and restoring democracy in Africa, reforming education, rethinking regional economic integration, managing the urban rural interface and rebuilding war-torn societies, the author concludes with a wake-up call to fellow Africans to commit themselves to democracy and the rule of law, social justice, innovation, hard work, to scaling the technological ladder, and to becoming far more assertive in international organizations. Unless they do so, an African Renaissance would be still-born.

Back to top

Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution and Profit

By Vandana Shiva
Published by South End Press
7 Brookline Street, #1, Cambridge, MA 02139-4146, USA
Website: www.southendpress.org
2002, 172pp, ISBN 0 89608 650 X (Pb), $14

In 1995 Ismail Serageldin, vice president of the World Bank made a much-quoted prediction about the future of war: 'If the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water'. Competition for limited supplies of water already underlie numerous local and regional conflicts and, argues Shiva, in a world where water is increasingly being regarded as a resource to be owned and traded, the poor are the losers. Setting out her case clearly, and with numerous examples from across the globe, Shiva argues that the 'market paradigm' for water use and distribution is flawed; water is a limited resource, and where shortage arises, it cannot be substituted. State or corporate control of water erodes not only the water sources, but also the democratic structures that may have governed community water use for centuries. Poor communities become victims of a form of terrorism that kills millions every year, by denying them access to safe water for their families and their fields.

Her scope is impressive, examining water rights in the contexts of state, market and community, the causes and impacts of climate change, controversy over dam building, and the roles of the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation and multinational corporations in the commodification of water. She is also critical of post Green Revolution agriculture, which she says has focussed on labour productivity but ignored water productivity, leading to desertification, erosion of soil water retention, waterlogging and salinization. 'Improved' varieties of wheat and rice are criticised for using up to three times more water than indigenous ones; genetically modified golden rice is rejected as 'a blind approach to blindness control' being 1500 times less efficient than green vegetables, per unit of water used, in providing Vitamin A.

Back to top

Prajateerpu: A citizen's jury/scenario workshop on food and farming futures for Andhra Pradesh, India

By Michael P Pimbert and Tom Wakeford
Published by IIED,
3 Endsleigh Street, London, WC1H 0DD
Email: orders@earthprint.co.uk
Website: www.earthprint.com
2002, 80pp, ISBN 1 84369 191 4 (Pb), $30

How much do development planners and donor organisations really listen to the people they claim to be working for? Can communities of small, marginal farmers ever hope to influence the policies that shape their lives and livelihoods? Prajateerpu, 'people's verdict', is an attempt to achieve just that. Jurors, predominantly women, drawn from small and marginal farming communities in Andhra Pradesh, were invited to discuss and frame their vision for the future of their land and lives. To support this, they were able to interrogate various 'expert' witnesses from the state government and its advisory boards, universities, a multinational agrochemical company and local non-government organisations. Their conclusions contrasted strongly with the Vision 2020 programme being pursued by the State government with support from the World Bank and the UK's Department for International Development. In particular, the farmers rejected the notion that the percentage of families deriving an income from the land should be reduced by improved farming efficiency, land consolidation and labour-displacing mechanisation.

This stimulating report begins by examining the concepts of 'deliberative democracy' (decision-making based on open discussion) and citizen empowerment, and goes on to describe the rationale and methodology of the Prajateerpu process. The largest section details the jury's discussions and interrogations on a wide range of subjects, including self-reliance, markets, GM crops, health policies and export-led growth. This is followed by an evaluation of the deliberative democracy process, including issues such as hierarchy and self-censorship, facilitation methods, and recognition of knowledge. The report closes with critical reflections on the wider significance of the Prajateerpu findings, for example the need for donor organisations to incorporate such democratic exercises into policy-making so that aid programmes are not founded in pre-formed positions, generalised economic formulae and unproven assumptions about the needs and wants of the rural poor.

Back to top

Utilizing different aquatic resources for livelihoods in Asia

Published by International Institute of Rural Reconstruction,
Y.C. James Yen Center, Silang, 4118 Cavite, Philippines
with IDRC, FAO, NACA and ICLARM
Email: Bookstore@iirr.org
2001, 416pp, ISBN 1 930261 02 0 (Pb), US$10

Development agencies have attempted for many years to add value to the efforts of farmers, the landless, and fishers all over the world who make use of natural water resources as a means of livelihood. This resource book describes more than 60 such development experiences from Asia. Varied in scope, style and content - there are many different authors - the book is held together as a coherent whole by charming and cheerful line drawings which add much to enhance the text. Indeed, without these clear, explanatory drawings of ponds and people - the artists are to be congratulated - some early sections might seem a little too full of development jargon especially to those already well versed in, for example, the guiding principles of participatory approaches. The more practical information is contained in the second half of the book. Here you will find tips on the cultivation of a wide range of species, in many different systems, in many different countries.

Readers are encouraged to make use of the resource book, which is free of copyright, in, training, field-support work, newsletters - indeed in any way that it might be useful - which it surely will.

Back to top

A Guide to IPM in French Bean Production - With emphasis on Kenya

By Abdurabi Seif et al
Published by ICIPE Science Press,
PO Box 72913, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: isa@icipe.org
2001, 94pp, ISBN 92 9064 142 8 (Pb), US$6

In July 2001, the European Union tightened up the rules regarding pesticide residues on imported vegetable crops. At the same time Kenya, a country where more than 500,000 people directly depend on export of French beans, experienced a downturn in production of the crop, in part owing to worsening levels of pest and disease prevalence. While previously farmers have tended to rely on frequent application of foliar pesticides to treat pest problems, the European regulations may force a change in approach. This IPM guide, based on research conducted through the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya, is based on the principles that foliar pesticides should be avoided for as long as possible, to give natural control agents the best opportunity to protect the crop, and that no pesticides should be applied after the onset of pod formation. It offers brief guidelines on field preparation, planting, and other field operations, and details specific management measures for the major pests and diseases of French beans such as bean flies, aphids, root rots and thrips. Emphasising the importance of correct diagnosis for effective treatment, it also contains colour plates and detailed descriptions of each pest or disease. A useful pocket-sized guide for extension staff working with French bean growers in Kenya or elsewhere.

Back to top

Africa Environment Outlook

Published by Earthprint Ltd for AMCEN/UNEP
UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: enquire@earthprint.com
Website: www.earthprint.com
2002, 422pp, ISBN 92 807 2101 1 (Pb), US$37.50

This claims to be the first comprehensive, integrated report on the African environment. Why 'integrated'? Because it goes beyond describing the state of the environment to ask four questions: What is happening to the environment? Why is it happening? What can we do, and what are we doing about it? and What will happen if we do not act now? Intended for African policymakers, and initially for the Johannesburg Summit, the report divides the continent into six regions and, for each, analyses driving forces behind environmental change, assesses consequences for social and economic development, and suggests policies that should be pursued. It is beautifully designed and illustrated, and full of facts.

Looking forward to the next 30 years, the report suggests four possible scenarios that are likely to result from different policy interventions. The first three; market forces, policy reform, and 'fortress world', would lead to greater environmental degradation. The fourth, 'great transitions' describes a new ethical code translated into policies that bring social and political stability, renewed ecosystem health, ensure abundant resources and sustain the lives and livelihoods of new generations. Sadly, this fourth scenario is regarded as Utopian. Whether calls for a halting of activities that lead to land degradation, conserving biodiversity, improving access to and quality of freshwater resources, improving living conditions in urban areas, mitigating the effects of climate change etc., - most requiring international donor support - are any less utopian is a matter of opinion. At least the report sets out what it would be good to see in an ideal world.

Back to top

Company-community forestry partnerships

By James Mayers and Sonja Vermeulen
Published by IIED
3 Endsleigh Street, London, WC1H 0DD
Email: orders@earthprint.co.uk
Website: www.earthprint.com
2002 154pp ISBN 1 899825 94 0 (Pb), $22.50

'Let's deal with the wood before the trees show up' is a surprisingly apt quotation by the British comedian, Spike Milligan, and serves well as a chapter heading in a book about partnership deals between forestry companies and local communities. Worldwide, it is said that 1.6 billion people depend heavily on forest resources for their livelihoods. Many different kinds of deals are struck between forestry companies and local communities and for a variety of reasons. Companies want access to land, labour and raw materials and communities want employment, income, services, and secure access to a wide range of forest products.

Accepting that there is no perfect deal, and that a pre-requisite must always be secure land tenure and an enabling government policy, this book features six examples in detail (from South Africa, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Ghana and Canada) and many more in short case study form, to highlight good and poor practice. If there is one over-riding message it is that forestry partnerships are worthy of support but that prospective partners should enter the deal-making arena with their eyes open - and preferably before the trees show up.

Back to top

Defensive Publishing: A strategy for maintaining intellectual property as public goods

ISNAR Briefing Paper 53
By Stephen Adams and Victoria Henson-Apollonio
Published by ISNAR, PO Box 93375, 2509 AJ The Hague, The Netherlands.
Can be read online at http://www.isnar.cgiar.org/publications/briefing/bp53.htm
Or downloaded in Pdf format from ftp://ftp.cgiar.org/isnar/publicat/bp-53.pdf
2002, 12pp, ISSN 1021-2310 (Pb), free

Scientific research generates intellectual property. That is new knowledge and ideas belonging to the individual creators who did the research or the enterprises that funded the work. Intellectual property can be patented provided it meets the requirement for novelty. Where public research institutions need to ensure that the products of their work remain accessible to those whom they wish to benefit, it may be appropriate to block others from obtaining proprietary rights over the same matter by deliberately publishing information. No-one else could then patent and subsequently control the use of a research finding or product because they would be unable to satisfy the requirement for novelty. This is the subject of ISNAR Briefing Paper 53 which is intended primarily for research managers in public institutions who may need to consider whether defensive publishing would be appropriate and what form it should take. It is also a short, clear guide to a subject that many people feel they should know more about but who feel daunted by the complexity of patent law. (see also News: Making IPR work better for developing countries)

Back to top

Livestock keeping in urban areas

FAO Animal Production and Health Paper 151
Published by FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
Email: publications-sales@fao.org
Online catalogue: www.fao.org/catalog/giphome.htm
2001 60pp ISBN 92 5 104575 5 (Pb), $14

This is a short, general introduction for a non-specialist that is attractively illustrated with colour photographs. Perhaps surprisingly, pleasure and emotional attachment are cited as reasons for keeping animals, as well as more obvious and practical reasons such as earning income from the production of meat, milk, eggs, transport and power. Concentrating on traditional technologies that have developed for small scale urban livestock production in a wide variety of situations in many different countries, the review describes opportunities that livestock keeping presents, suggests defusing (as opposed to accelerating) technologies to cope with problems, describes product processing and waste management , and concludes that successful development in urban livestock lies in understanding its multiple functions and applying technical solutions that take full account of social and economic factors.

Back to top

The State of Food and Agriculture 2002

Published by FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
Email: publications-sales@fao.org
Online catalogue: www.fao.org/catalog/giphome.htm
More information available at http://www.fao.org/es/ESA/sofa.htm
2002 227pp ISBN 92 05 104762 6 (Pb), $49

FAO's 2002 annual report on current developments and issues in world agriculture is now available. Affixed to the back inside cover is the SOFA 2002 CD-ROM which includes time series data for 150 countries. Statistical information has been prepared from information available to FAO up to April 2002.

Back to top

Bringing the food economy home

By Helena Norberg-Hodge, Todd Merrifield and Steven Gorelick
Published by Zed Books for the International Society for Ecology and Culture
7 Cynthia St., London N1 9JF, UK
Website: zedbooks.co.uk
2002 150 pp £13.95 ISBN 1 84277 233 3(Pb), £13.95

With examples taken predominantly from the USA and UK, the authors demonstrate their antipathy to the industrialization and globalization of food supply. Perhaps intended as a dreadful warning, they cite environmental degradation, pesticide poisonings, farmer suicides, global warming, social breakdown and ethnic violence (not forgetting 9/11) as direct and indirect consequences of the trend. They argue that reverting to eating food produced locally has environmental, social and health benefits and that food security would increase if the growing reliance on the global food system were reversed. Maybe, but even the authors seem a little doubtful as to whether the world will really change. But no doubt they practice what they preach and encourage others - those who have the choice - to do the same.

Back to top