A Critical Analysis of Agricultural Improvement as a Concept and Practice in the Context of Cumbria, 1800-1920

A Critical Analysis of Agricultural Improvement as a Concept and Practice in the Context of Cumbria, 1800-1920
Author: Andrew Brian Humphries
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:

'Improvement' has been the focus in extensive studies of agricultural change. The term has been frequently used to emphasise productivity and efficiency. In the early decades of this study period 1800-1920, the contributory processes were portrayed as strongly reflecting the influence of landowners of high status. From the mid-nineteenth century, changes were progressively effected by market conditions, migration from the countryside and the application of science, technology and innovative husbandry. The more specialised and market orientated systems that evolved, created a need for new skills in farmers and workers to successfully apply improvements in practice. Knowledge, understanding, the capacity to make informed decisions, and the ability to interact with a new order of professionals, were necessary for successful adjustment. The development of a more responsive and accessible approach to education was crucial to competitiveness in a period of specialisation in farming systems and the greater globalisation of trade. This research is focussed on Cumbria as a case study, set in the context of Northern England, subject to wider national and international influences. Key European states and the New World provide a wider setting for comparison and interaction. Cumbria as a relatively remote pastoral area was perceived by some observers as an unlikely setting for leadership in improved agriculture. Paradoxically at the end of the study period, its high reputation for progressive livestock husbandry and breeding suggests that improvement had been significant. The study argues that improvement is more complex than the paternalistic development of productivity. Less emphasis has been afforded by scholars to the complex processes and contributions of education, extension and capacity building to successful adjustment. This thesis proposes that local leadership linked to a network or 'invisible college,' has incrementally over the study period built the capacity and confidence to apply improvement with a strong element of mutuality. The thesis contends that in the changes from an agrarian to a more urbanised and industrialised society, agriculture and its development became a marginalised activity in respect of government policy and the related commitment to research, education and extension through a systematic publicly funded and integrated range of services The thesis is divided into nine chapters. The first two provide a context to the subject and Cumbria's validity as a region for the study through an examination of key characteristics having a bearing on the research. Chapter Three considers a review of literature, sources and their interpretation. Five chapters form the main case study. Individual initiatives form Chapters Four and Five for the period c.1800-1870. Chapters Six and Seven analyse the period of transition c.1870-1900 during which the application of science through ./ organisations was characterised by mutuality and led to the introduction of public funding delegated to local authorities. The development of systematic formal agricultural education and extension during the period c.1895-1920, through more visible structures forms the core of Chapter Seven. In Chapter Eight a study of the emergence of publicly funded provision in five neighbouring north of England counties places the Cumbria case in context. The conclusions in chapter nine find that agriculture, and ipso facto agricultural education and extension during the study period, became marginalised as the drift of power moved from the landed to urban and industrial interests. Paradoxically, improvement through individual leadership, innovation and mutuality formed a continuum of capacity building at all stages, spatially embracing regional, national and international links. Regional interactions between the actors in the six counties of northern England developed provision with different emphases in higher education, research, extension and instruction for typical farmers and workers, in which Cumbrian outcomes were exemplars of national note, within the constraints of financial resources.

Planting Improvement

Planting Improvement
Author: Anya Zilberstein
Publisher:
Total Pages: 544
Release: 2008
Genre:
ISBN:

(cont.) Scientific improvement would erase the geography of difference which made their lands marginal to the real estate market, staple-crop economy, and migration flows of the British empire and the early United States. Because improving the landscape and environment promised to improve the people inhabiting them, agricultural improvement was also a program for social reform: northern elites crafted projects to employ 'surplus laborers'--especially Indians, Acadians, Jamaican Maroons, women, children, criminals, and the poor-in silk production or in the region's small farms. Yet the limits of the northern environment challenged the regional practicability of scientific agriculture as well as enlightened improvers' pretensions to universalism. I conclude by analyzing these broad ambitions in relation to northern improvers' allegations of widespread indifference (or their own failure to popularize) a scientific approach to agriculture. The study bridges the 'First' and 'Second' Empires in British imperial historiography and the colonial and early national periods in the field of United States history, emphasizing instead the solidarities that persisted among elite Americans, Loyalists, and Britons, through kin, friendship, and scientific networks, despite conflicting allegiances to the Crown or to the republican causes of the American and French Revolutions.

Bioinvaders

Bioinvaders
Author: Sarah Johnson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2010
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781874267553

We are pleased to announce a new series of environmental history readers, suitable for students. Comprising essays selected from our journals, Environment and History and Environmental Values, each inexpensive paperback volume will address an important theme in environmental history, combining underlying theory and specific case-studies. The first volume, Bio-invaders, investigates the rhetoric and realities of exotic, introduced and 'alien' species. The book comprises a number of general essays, exploring and challenging common perceptions about such species, and a series of case studies of specific species in specific contexts. Its geographical coverage ranges from the United Kingdom to New Zealand by way of South Africa, India and Palestine; and the essays cover both historical and recent introductions.

Protected Landscapes and Agrobiodiversity Values

Protected Landscapes and Agrobiodiversity Values
Author: Thora Amend
Publisher: Kasparek Verlag
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2008
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 3925064486

Presents twelve case studies from different parts of the world illustrating the role Protected Landscapes are playing in conserving agrobiodiversity and related knowledge and practices. This title includes a synthesis that focuses on the key lessons to be learned from these case studies

Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management
Author: John Bratton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 530
Release: 2021-12-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1350933325

Authoritatively and expertly written, the new seventh edition of Bratton and Gold's Human Resource Management builds upon the enduring strengths of this renowned book. Thoroughly updated, topical and accessible, this textbook explores the theory and practice of human resource management and will encourage your students to reflect critically on the realities of the ever-changing world of work. The new edition truly captures the zeitgeist of contemporary human resource management. With coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in relation to business ethics, physical and mental wellbeing, inequality and the rise of the gig-economy and precarious work, students will feel connected to the complex issues that face workers, organisations and wider society. This edition also includes expanded coverage on the ever-palpable effects of globalization and technological change and explores the importance of sustainable practice. Students will gain critical insight into the realities of contemporary HRM, engaging with the various debates and tensions inherent in the employment relationship and understanding the myriad of different theories underpinning human resource management. New to this edition: - New 'Ethical Insight' boxes explore areas of current ethical concern in trends and practice - New 'Digital Spotlight' boxes explore innovations in technology, analytics and AI and the impact on workers and organisations - Topical coverage on job design and the rise of the gig economy and precarious work - A critical discussion of the core themes and debates around human resource management in the post-Covid-19 era, including mental health and wellbeing. - A rich companion website packed with extra resources, including video interviews with HR professionals, work-related films, bonus case studies, links to employment law, and vocab checklists for ESL students make this an ideal text for online or blended learning.

Cumbrian Language in Its Cultural Context

Cumbrian Language in Its Cultural Context
Author: Simon Roper
Publisher:
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2020-07-09
Genre:
ISBN:

This book delves into the linguistic history of the Cumbrian dialect, tracing its phonological development from the early Middle English period to the present day. With an introductory chapter on historical linguistics to make it more accessible to a layman, this book attempts to place the dialect in its constantly-evolving cultural context.

Land, Law and Islam

Land, Law and Islam
Author: Hilary Lim
Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2013-07-18
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1848137206

In this pioneering work Siraj Sait and Hilary Lim address Islamic property and land rights, drawing on a range of socio-historical, classical and contemporary resources. They address the significance of Islamic theories of property and Islamic land tenure regimes on the 'webs of tenure' prevalent in the Muslim societies. They consider the possibility of using Islamic legal and human rights systems for the development of inclusive, pro-poor approaches to land rights. They also focus on Muslim women's rights to property and inheritance systems. Engaging with institutions such as the Islamic endowment (waqf) and principles of Islamic microfinance, they test the workability of 'authentic' Islamic proposals. Located in human rights as well as Islamic debates, this study offers a well researched and constructive appraisal of property and land rights in the Muslim world.

Water for People, Water for Life

Water for People, Water for Life
Author: World Water Assessment Programme (United Nations)
Publisher: Unesco
Total Pages: 608
Release: 2003
Genre: Water quality management
ISBN:

The world's freshwater resources are coming under growing pressure through such environmental hazards as human waste, urbanization, industrialization, and pesticides. The problems are exacerbated through drought in many parts of the world. The improvement of the water quality itself and access to it have been major concerns for politicians and development agencies for over a decade. First officially formulated at the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, they have been restated or expanded since then. The UN Millennium Declaration of 2000 transformed general guidelines into specific targets. The international community pledged "to halve by 2015 the proportion of people who are unable to reach, or to afford, safe drinking water" and "to stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources, by developing water management strategies at the regional, national and local levels, which promote both equitable access and adequate supplies." Thus, ten years after Rio it is time to take stock. Based on the collective inputs of 23 United Nations agencies and convention secretariats, this Report offers a global overview of the state of the world's freshwater resources. It is part of an on-going assessment process to develop policies and help with their implementation as well as to measure any progress towards achieving sustainable use of water resources. Generously illustrated with more than 25 full-color global maps and numerous figures, the report reviews progress and trends and presents seven pilot case studies of river basins representing various social, economic and environmental settings: Lake Titicaca (Bolivia, Peru); Senegal river basin (Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea); Seine Normandy (France); Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe (Estonia, Russia); Ruhuna basin (Sri Lanka); Greater Tokyo region (Japan); and Chao Phraya (Thailand). It assesses progress in 11 challenge areas, including health, food, environment, shared water resources, cities, industry, energy, risk management, knowledge, valuing water and governance. Proposing methodologies and indicators for measuring sustainability, it lays the foundations for regular, system-wide monitoring and reporting by the UN, together with the development of standardized methodologies and data. With its comprehensive maps, glossary, references and coverage of a broad range of themes and examples of real-world river basins, the UN World Water Development Report will no doubt prove to be a most valuable reference work. Visit the United Nation's Water Portal for more information on the report and on the International Year of Freshwater 2003.

Poultry Meat Processing and Quality

Poultry Meat Processing and Quality
Author: G Mead
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 405
Release: 2004-06-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1855739038

Poultry products are universally popular and in recent years the consumption of poultry meat has risen dramatically. To ensure the continued growth and competitiveness of this industry, it is essential that poultry meat quality and safety are maintained during production and processing. This important collection provides an authoritative review of the key issues affecting poultry meat quality in production and processing. The book begins by establishing consumer requirements for meat quality, before examining the influence of breeding and husbandry, and techniques for stunning and slaughter of poultry. Chapters 5 and 6 look at primary and secondary processing and Chapters 7, 8 and 9 discuss packaging, refrigeration and other preservation techniques. There are also chapters on microbial hazards and chemical residues in poultry. Quality management issues are reviewed in the final group of chapters, including shelf-life and spoilage, measuring quality parameters and ways of maintaining safety and maximising quality. Poultry meat processing and quality is an essential reference book for technical managers in the Poultry Industry and anyone engaged in teaching or research on poultry meat production. An essential reference for the entire poultry meat industry Reviews the key issues affecting poultry meat quality in production and processing Extensive analysis of poultry meat safety issues