Dirt

Dirt
Author: David R. Montgomery
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2007-05-14
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0520933168

Dirt, soil, call it what you want—it's everywhere we go. It is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds, however, that we are running out of dirt, and it's no laughing matter. An engaging natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern times, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores the compelling idea that we are—and have long been—using up Earth's soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain, cultivated soils erode bit by bit, slowly enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. A rich mix of history, archaeology and geology, Dirt traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China, European colonialism, Central America, and the American push westward. We see how soil has shaped us and we have shaped soil—as society after society has risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt. David R. Montgomery sees in the recent rise of organic and no-till farming the hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.

The Coming Population Crash

The Coming Population Crash
Author: Fred Pearce
Publisher: Beacon Press
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2011-04-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0807001228

A leading environmental writer looks at the unexpected effects—and possible benefits—of a shrinking, graying population Over the last century, the world’s population quadrupled and fears of overpopulation flared, with baby booms blamed for genocide and terrorism, and overpopulation singled out as the primary factor driving global warming. Yet, surprisingly, it appears that the population explosion is past its peak—by mid-century, the world’s population will be declining for the first time in over seven hundred years. In The Coming Population Crash, veteran environmental writer Fred Pearce reveals the dynamics behind this dramatic shift and describes the environmental, social, and economic effects of our surprising demographic future.

Marginality

Marginality
Author: Joachim von Braun
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2013-08-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400770618

This book takes a new approach on understanding causes of extreme poverty and promising actions to address it. Its focus is on marginality being a root cause of poverty and deprivation. “Marginality” is the position of people on the edge, preventing their access to resources, freedom of choices, and the development of capabilities. The book is research based with original empirical analyses at local, national, and local scales; book contributors are leaders in their fields and have backgrounds in different disciplines. An important message of the book is that economic and ecological approaches and institutional innovations need to be integrated to overcome marginality. The book will be a valuable source for development scholars and students, actors that design public policies, and for social innovators in the private sector and non-governmental organizations.​

Linkages Between Land Management, Land Degradation, and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Linkages Between Land Management, Land Degradation, and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Nkonya, Ephraim
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2008-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0896291685

Most African countries strive for both poverty reduction and sustainable land management, yet information on the exact relationship between these goals is limited. This report seeks to fill the gap by demonstrating a strong linkage between poverty and land management. Using Uganda as a case study, the authors show that certain policies, such as investments in soil and water conservation and agroforestry, may simultaneously increase productivity and reduce poverty and land degradation. Other strategies, including development of rural roads, non-farm activities, and rural finance, may reduce poverty without significantly affecting productivity or land management. Some policies, however, will likely involve trade-offs among different goals and will need to have their negative impacts minimized. Those in government, NGOs, the private sector, or academia who are concerned about sustainably reducing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa will benefit from this analysis of how to pursue these key development goals.

Population and Development

Population and Development
Author: W.T.S. Gould
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2008-11-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1134326513

Population and Development addresses important issues at the heart of the problems of developing countries. How these countries address the common difficulties of population growth, including mortality and fertility decline, population redistribution including internal migration and urbanization, and also international migration, for both source countries and for destination countries. How and why has population change affected development – both positively and negatively? How and why has development affected population change – both growth and distribution? The book opens with an introduction, preceding the ten substantive chapters, covering some of the broader issues for population studies and development studies and the relationships between them. The first three chapters set out the main concepts and theoretical discussions on how population affects development and also how development affects population. Detailed chapters then cover each of the three main components of population change – fertility, mortality and finally migration. These are followed by chapters on the impacts of age structures, including the potential for a demographic dividend, and of the more qualitative aspects of human resource development through formal education and ICTs, with further chapters on population policies and population futures. The book incorporates illustrative text boxes and case studies on regions in Africa, the Middle East and Asia which elaborate the broader theoretical and conceptual substance of the ten major chapters. Each chapter has ‘Discussion Questions’ and ‘Sources and Further Reading’ sections, and there is an extensive integrated References section. The arguments of the book bring together a large but fairly loosely integrated literature from population studies, development studies and geography in a conceptually coordinated, empirically wide-ranging and challenging discussion. It is targeted at an audience in undergraduate courses in Geography and in Masters courses in Development Studies and Population Studies. The books succinct but erudite structure means it can be used either as a course text book, or as a basic reference on a range of current issues and likely concerns at the interface between Geography, Development Studies and Population Studies.

Critical Political Ecology

Critical Political Ecology
Author: Timothy Forsyth
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2004-11-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1134665806

Critical Political Ecology brings political debate to the science of ecology. As political controversies multiply over the science underlying environmental debates, there is an increasing need to understand the relationship between environmental science and politics. In this timely and wide-ranging volume, Tim Forsyth uses an innovative approach to apply political analysis to ecology, and demonstrates how more politicised approaches to science can be used in environmental decision-making. Critical Political Ecology examines: *how social and political factors frame environmental science, and how science in turn shapes politics *how new thinking in philosophy and sociology of science can provide fresh insights into the biophysical causes and impacts of environmental problems *how policy and decision-makers can acknowledge the political influences on science and achieve more effective public participation and governance.

Shifting Ground

Shifting Ground
Author: Peter H. Lindert
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2000-10-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0262263483

Peter Lindert evaluates environmental concerns about soil degradation in two very large countries—China and Indonesia—where anecdotal evidence has suggested serious problems. In this book Peter Lindert evaluates environmental concerns about soil degradation in two very large countries—China and Indonesia—where anecdotal evidence has suggested serious problems. Lindert does what no scholar before him has done: using new archival data sets, he measures changes in soil productivity over long enough periods of time to reveal the influence of human activity. China and Indonesia are good test cases because of their geography and history. China has been at the center of global concerns about desertification and water erosion, which it may have accelerated with intense agriculture. Most of Indonesia's lands were created by volcanoes and erosion, and its rapid deforestation and shifting slash-burn agriculture have been singled out for international censure. Lindert's investigation suggests that human mismanagement is not on average worsening the soil quality in China and Indonesia. Human cultivation lowers soil nitrogen and organic matter, but has offsetting positive effects. Economic development and rising incomes may even lead to better soil. Beyond the importance of Lindert's immediate findings, this book opens a new area of study—quantitative soil history—and raises the standard for debating soil trends.

Properties and Management of Soils in the Tropics

Properties and Management of Soils in the Tropics
Author: Pedro A. Sanchez
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 685
Release: 2019-01-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1316812073

The long-awaited second edition of this classic textbook expands on the first edition to include advances made in the last four decades, bringing the topic completely up to date. The book addresses critical issues such as whether humanity can feed itself, and whether it can do so in environmentally sound and sustainable ways. Written from agronomic, environmental, and ecological standpoints, the textbook employs a multidisciplinary approach, including policymaking and plant genetic improvements, as well as ecosystem services, climate change, biodiversity, sustainability and resilience. New chapters in this second edition focus on organic carbon in soil, soil biology, soils in relation to livestock production and forestry, and agroforestry. The new edition will again be the go-to textbook for courses on tropical soils, and a reference textbook for soil and agricultural scientists and development professionals working in the tropics.

Environmental Change and Geomorphic Hazards in Forests

Environmental Change and Geomorphic Hazards in Forests
Author: Roy C. Sidle
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2002-09-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1845933362

This book reviews current knowledge of most types of geohazards in forested areas. The 11 chapters cover hydrologic impacts, including flooding and soil erosion, desertification in Mediterranean Europe and Africa, landslides, and hazards in mangrove forests and along shorelines. Examples covered are from all five continents.