In print

Buy it here and save 19%

Stolen Harvest, the Hijacking of the global food supply

by Vandana Shiva
Published by South End Press, 7 Brookline Street #1, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
http://www.lbbs.org/sep/sep.htm
2000, 146pp., ISBN 089608-607-0 (Pb) US$14.00

The title alone declares this a campaigning book. It is a book that protests about the development of agriculture and food production of benefit to a handful of large international corporations at the expense of consumers and the great majority of farmers. Many scientists and professional agronomists may disagree or find the arguments too extreme, the examples selective and the tone reactionary, but the accusations made by Vandana Shiva deserve to be considered.

Agriculture remains central to the economy of very many countries, including the US, Canada and Australia but, more importantly, to the so-called developing countries. All are affected by increasing globalisation and its attendant rules and restrictions on production and trade. If the welfare and social fabric of many millions of rural people, who are already amongst the poorest in their societies, are to be undermined by external and largely unaccountable organisations, the world should be prepared for tragic consequences.

The author focuses on half a dozen issues as examples of her premise that the global food supply has been hijacked and is in just a few hands. Only six corporations control 90 per cent of the exports of grain from the US, Canada, Europe, Argentina and Australia; two, Cargill and Continental, each control 25 per cent. The world soybean crop is in the same hands. A few companies now control the world seed industry, a few others major sections of marine and aquaculture fisheries. The consequences are not beneficial to producers or consumers, says the author, but only to shareholders. The apparent benefits of cheaper food, standardised production and the availability of previously seasonal and luxury products such as prawn and shrimp are outweighed by the calamitous destruction of local industries, habitats and groundwater supplies.

Using examples from her native India, Vandana Shiva cites how a flourishing and long-established edible oil industry, based on home-grown high content oilseeds such as coconut (75%), groundnut (55%), sesame (50%) and castor (56%), was replaced by imported soybean with an oil content of 18%. Being of high oil content, indigenous seeds are easy to process using small-scale technology operated by and providing rural employment to tens of thousands of oil crushers. Farmers benefit from growing a familiar crop and consumers from access to oils sold at affordable prices. In 1998 the status quo was rocked by the discovery of mustard oil in New Delhi that was adulterated with diesel, industrial and waste oils as well as the seeds of a noxious weed, Argemone mexicana. Mustard oil sales were banned throughout much of India and, despite protests, the Indian government announced the importation of 1 million tons of soybean for oil production. This demands an industrialized extraction process using solvents such as chloroethylene. The adulteration remains unexplained but, according to the health minister of Delhi, adulteration on such a scale was not possible without an organized conspiracy. While the ban on local processing has benefited soybean exporters it has "destroyed the domestic, small-scale edible-oil economy. It has criminalized the small-scale oil processor. It has criminalized the small trader. And it has destroyed the local market for farmers. Mustard prices have crashed from Rupees 2200 to Rs. 600-800 per 100 kilograms."

Genetic engineering, seed production, patents and monopolies, and mad cow disease all come under Vandana Shiva's scathing scrutiny. Also the widespread development of prawn and shrimp culture in India and other parts of the tropics. "While Western countries such as the United States have highly productive and profitable shrimp farms, shrimp farming has not proliferated in the United States or any other industrialized country. Instead, US investment has grown in countries such as Mexico and Ecuador," writes the author. "This indicates that the environmental destruction caused by intensive shrimp farming is one of the major factors for its spread in Third World countries. In country after country where commercial shrimp farming has been tried, it has proved unsustainable. Coastal mangroves and their fish breeding grounds have been destroyed, soils and groundwater sources salinized and large areas have been polluted and abandoned. For this reason it is known as a 'rape and run' industry."

Undoubtedly, the majority of agricultural scientists, advisors and consultants support new science as the way forward for development. This book infers that many may unwittingly be supporting some trends and practices that have dubious benefits and unacceptable paybacks. Science cannot be held back and cannot be 'uninvented'. But practitioners of agriculture in the new century cannot abdicate the responsibility for understanding the implications of what is proposed and done in the name of agricultural and food production progress.

Modern Coconut Management: palm cultivation and products

Edited by J.G. Ohler
Published by IT Publications, 103/105 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4HH, UK
Email: itpubs@itpubs.org.uk or http://www.oneworld.org/itdg/publications.html

Also available from:

FAO Publications, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, ITALY
Email: Publications-Sales@fao.org or http://www.fao.org/catalog/giphome.htm
1999, 472pp., ISBN 1 85339 467 X or ISBN 92 5 104392 2 (Pb) £45.00/US$70.00

There is probably no other tree that has provided mankind since earliest times with more uses and products than the coconut palm. However, currently coconut is undergoing something of a economic downturn. As an oil crop, coconut is facing increasing competition from other oils on the world market while decreasing prices for other coconut products are seriously affecting smallholder incomes. The only way to improve the difficult position of the coconut smallholder is by improving his cultural techniques, replanting his plantations with high-yielding planting material, making better use of land through intercropping or mixed husbandry, and producing and selling other products to the industry besides copra and oil. A large part of Modern Coconut Management has been dedicated to the various systems of intercropping, mixed cropping and mixed farming by which the returns from coconut land may be considerably improved. One chapter has been dedicated to specific research problems and prospects, and an overview is presented of the various institutions and experimental stations involved with coconut research and development.

This hand book is aimed at a wide readership from scientists and students, from among various disciplines, to farmers. An extensive bibliography on current literature is included at the end of the book.

Back to top

Save 9%

Ghana

By Rachel Naylor
Published by Oxfam Publishing, 274 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7DZ, UK
Email: publish@oxfam.org.uk
2000, 80pp., ISBN 0 85598 431 7 (Pb) £6.95/US$9.95

This book is one in a series of Oxfam Country Profiles and describes the historical, social, economic and environmental context of the country against which the lives of the everyday Ghanaian is set. Although not primarily a book about agriculture, there is a chapter devoted to "Living off the Land". As in most developing countries, agriculture is the most important economic sector in Ghana. Over half the population is employed in farming and agricultural products make up forty-five percent of GDP. Boxes profiling the lives of farmers, traders, stockbrokers and schoolchildren explain what life is like for them as they cope with the economic and social constraints that they face in the Ghana of today. A most interesting book brought vividly to life in the stories told by the people featured in it.

Back to top

How to Start a Garden with Only a Few Cents

By Abalimi Bezekhaya
Published by Juta & Company Ltd, PO Box 1473, Kenwyn 7790, SOUTH AFRICA
Email: cserv@juta.co.za
1999, 48pp., ISBN 0 7021 4318 9 (Pb) R25.96

This little gem of a publication is a real "hands-on" manual. Packed from cover to cover with useful information, the enthusiasm that emanates from it is so infectious that anybody reading this book, who had never grown a vegetable before, could be rushing for the seed packets. It takes you through the A-Z of planning and preparing a vegetable garden, to sowing the seeds, and caring for, and harvesting the crop. Explanatory illustrations and diagrams supplement the clear, concise text. As the title would suggest, this is for beginners - schools, communities and individuals who have a patch of land that can be used to good effect - to improve their nutrition, boost their income and get a lot of pleasure! In the words of the author: "To start a garden is not difficult. It costs very little, and the rewards are great."

Back to top

Agriculture, Fertilizers and the Environment

By M. Laegreid, O. C. Bøckman and O. Kaarstad, Norsk Hydro, Norway
Published by CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, UK
Email: orders@cabi.org or http://www.cabi.org/bookshop
1999, 320pp., ISBN 0 85199 358 3 (Pb) £22.50/US$40.00

Mineral fertilizers are indispensable for ensuring that targets to meet the food needs of rapidly increasing populations are met, whilst at the same time, preventing declines in soil productivity through nutrient depletion. However, it has to be acknowledged that current food production is putting serious strain on the environment: misuse of fertilizers in some areas has led to nitrate leaching, eutrophication and consumption of non-renewable resources.

Agriculture, Fertilizers and the Environment sets out to present environmental and sustainability issues related to fertilizer use and its role in ensuring adequate food supplies. It is primarily a textbook for undergraduates and college students taking courses in soil, crop and environmental sciences but also of interest to advisers to farmers. The book is well laid out with the text amply illustrated by photographs, diagrams, tables, graphs and coloured boxes that serve to emphasize important points. This makes the book readable to a more general audience concerned with food production and the environment.

The book is divided into three parts: Part I: Global Food Production and Challenges looks at the basis for food production (the plant nutrients), and the global challenge (to feed the people); Part II: Soil Productivity, Fertilizer Use and the Environment looks at concerns related to fertilizer use and food quality, environmental and sustainability aspects of fertiliser use in agriculture; and Part III: Productivity and Sustainability Challenges looks at world cereal production (challenges and opportunities), agricultural productivity in various regions (constrains and opportunities) and summary and conclusions.

Back to top

The Use of Spices and Medicinals as Bioactive Protectants for Grains

By Peter Golob, Caroline Moss, Melanie Dales, Alex Fidgen, Jenny Evans and Irene Gudrups
FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin No 37
FAO Publications, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, ITALY
Email: Publications-Sales@fao.org or http://www.fao.org/catalog/giphome.htm
1999, 256pp., ISBN 92 5 104294 2 (Pb) US$28.00

Post-harvest losses in the developing world, due to inadequate storage and insect damage, are considerable and the detrimental effect on food security is well known. But this volume steps away from the usual approach of reliance on conventional insecticides by looking at the use of more natural, sustainable methods of protecting stored foods from insect damage. The use of locally available plants with insecticidal properties avoids the need to establish complex pesticide distribution systems. The plants can be collected or propagated by local communities providing a sustainable, biodegradable and environmentally sensitive method of crop storage.

Over 100 species are described in The Use of Spices and Medicinals as Bioactive Protectants for Grains. The plants are listed alphabetically (according to their Latin botanical name) and their common name or names are given also. They are illustrated either by a photograph or line drawing, followed by a description, its habit and its uses. There is a comprehensive bibliography at the end of the book listing further related reading.
(See also Focus on Crop Storage)

Back to top

Paying for Agricultural Productivity

Buy it here and save 19%

Edited by Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey and Vincent H.Smith
Published by International Food Policy Research Institute, 2033 K Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20006, USA
Email: IFPRI@cgiar.org or http://www.cgiar.org/ifpri
1999, 204pp., ISBN 0 8018 6278 7 (Pb) US$21.50/UK£17.00

Since the 1950s, the role of Agricultural Research and Development has been pivotal to the enormous increases in agricultural production. It has been a feature of the developing countries and, in particular, in Asia where the "Green Revolution" was born. Today the challenges facing agricultural production are far greater than they were only 50 years ago, with increased pressure on available land and diminishing public sector finance. Countries the world over are having to change the way they manage and pay for Agricultural Research and Development (R&D).

Paying for Agricultural Productivity looks at agricultural R&D in five developed countries: Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The authors document the changes that have taken place in these countries, particularly since the 1970s, and they examine the questions of whether the shift away from institutional to private funding have affected the efficiency and quality of research. To complement the case studies, the book also analyses trends in R&D investment in twenty-two other developed countries. The implications described are also relevant to developing countries.

Paying for Agricultural Productivity is particularly useful for policymakers, economic and development specialists, and anyone who needs to, or wishes to understand the relationship between R&D and agricultural productivity.

Back to top

Competitive Agricultural Technology Funds in Developing Countries

By Gerard J. Gill and Diana Carney
Published by Overseas Development Institute, Portland House, Stag Place. London SW1E 5DP, UK
Email: odi@odi.org.uk
1999, 76pp., ISBN 0 85003 400 0 (Pb) £5.95

This booklet echoes some of the same sentiments and findings as Paying for Agricultural Productivity except that the focus has been on developing rather than developed countries. Whilst it acknowledges that productivity gains due to agricultural R&D have been impressive in some places, in others the impact was limited. The effects were only marginal in the least developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa, those countries that were reliant on uncertain rainfall and those with poor physical and social infrastructure.

Competitive Agricultural Technology Funds in Developing Countries draws on new evidence from ten case histories operating under very different conditions in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It provides a reassessment of what can and cannot be expected to achieve and suggests how funds might best be managed. Again, a book principally for policymakers, economic and development specialists.

Back to top

Underfed and Overfed: the global epidemic of malnutrition

By Gary Gardner and Brian Halweil
Published by Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036-1904, USA
Email: mcaron@worldwatch.org or http://www.worldwatch.org
2000, 68pp., ISBN 1 878071 52 1 (Pb) US$5.00

Malnutrition is not just a problem of the hungry, but also of the overweight. Both share high levels of sickness and disability, shortened life expectancies, lower levels of productivity but increasing demands on health care. Both represent a huge deficit of potential and a drain on resources. The World Bank estimates that hunger costs India between 3-9% of GDP in 1996, while obesity in the United States cost US$118 billion.

The common thread that runs through nearly all malnourishment, in rich and poor countries, is poverty and lack of education. Since women as farmers and mothers are the ones through whom the rising generation receive their nutrition, boosting their status and education is a big step toward improving national nutrition (and education). It has often been said, "educate the woman and you educate the next generation".

As this Worldwatch Paper points out, most countries simply do not make nutritional well-being a priority. The malnutrition of a hungry and underfed baby irreversibly damages the development of the brain, however good the level of nutrition thereafter. The overfed child lays down the seeds of future health hazards (such as heart disease) as well as nutritional habits that can last a lifetime. Only when policy-makers appreciate the burden malnutrition places on the development of a nation, will adequate nutrition and nutritional education become a leading priority.

Back to top

Research Partnerships: Issues and lessons from collaboration of NGOs and Agricultural Research Institutions

Published by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Y. C. James Yen Center, Silang, Cavite, 4118 PHILIPPINES
Email: bookstore@iirr.org or http://www.cav.pworld.net.ph/~iirr
1999, 106pp., ISBN 0 942717 73 2 (Pb) US$15.00/P300.00 (excluding postage)

The publication comes out of an International Workshop on Research Partnerships Between Non-Governmental Organisations and Agricultural Research Institutions (ARIs). The Workshop brought together thirty-five participants from fourteen countries. It discusses issues and lessons of collaboration between NGOs and ARIs in the formal research process. Summaries of the twelve cases of successful research partnerships from Africa, Asia and Latin America provide insights on a wide array of relationships and strategies for collaboration. It contains topics useful for field extension and research workers from NGOs and ARIs, and it can be reproduced and distributed in different fora. Materials may also be used on web-sites of interested institutions.

Back to top

Communication in Extension: A teaching and learning guide

Text prepared by Harry Carey
FAO Publications, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, ITALY
Email: Publications-Sales@fao.org or http://www.fao.org/catalog/giphome.htm
1999, 145pp., ISBN 92 5 104357 4 (Pb) US$20.00

The effectiveness of an extension service relies on the knowledge and communication skills of field staff. Extension plays an important role in technology transfer. In order for extension staff to help farmers discuss, identify and overcome their problems, perhaps by adoption of new technologies, they must themselves be properly trained in communications skills and have access to good educational materials.

This manual has been prepared as a teaching and learning guide to be used in the pre-service and in-service education of extension staff, community development workers and others who work and serve in rural communities. It is has fourteen units which cover subject areas such as Teaching that Enhances Learning; Writing Skills Development; Delivering Speeches; Visual Communication; and Conference and Meeting Management. Each unit is divided into a teaching component and practical exercises for the students. The appendices contain many further practical exercise worksheets for the student to work through to test the skills they have acquired during the course.

Back to top

Enterprise in Africa: between poverty and growth

Edited by Kenneth King and Simon McGrath
Published by IT Publications, 103/105 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4HH, UK
Email: itpubs@itpubs.org.uk or http://www.oneworld.org/itdg/publications.html
1999,352pp., ISBN 1 85339 478 5 (Pb) £17.29/US$27.50

Micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) have increasingly become the focus of policymakers and academics in developing countries. Market liberalisation in many countries led to a shake-up of government imposed controls and subsidies and a shake-out in public sector employment and large enterprise viability. Some saw MSEs as a source of economic salvation.

In Africa, aid will continue to play an important role for the foreseeable future, but enterprise and partnership with business are essential. This book examines how small and medium-sized enterprises with external finance and expertise are being linked to restore the growth of the informal sector, which provides jobs and contributes to the reduction of poverty. Through leading practitioners, academics and policymakers this book addresses a series of crucial questions, among them: is the macroeconomic climate a brake on small enterprise development? Are small enterprises, and policies and programmes to support them, succeeding. Does education make a difference to enterprise performance?

Back to top

Biotechnologies in the Developing World and Countries in Economic Transition

Edited by G. T. Tzotzos & K. G. Skryabin
Published by CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, UK
Email: orders@cabi.org or http://www.cabi.org/bookshop
1999, 320pp., ISBN 0 85199 331 1 (Hb) £45.00/US$85.00

This volume is essentially the second edition of an earlier book entitled Biotechnology Worldwide. However, this book pays particularly attention to emerging biotechnology trends in developing countries and in Central and Eastern Europe through twenty-nine country profiles. It includes information on government policy and legislation, biotechnology programmes, research centres, universities, private companies, and national societies and organisations in each country. Separate chapters deal with industrial, agri-food and medical biotechnologies. The book will be of special interest to those countries that are relatively new to the biotechnology field.

Back to top

Intellectual Property Rights, Trade and Biodiversity

By Graham Dutfield
Published by Earthscan Publications Ltd, 120 Pentonville Road, London N1 9JN, UK
Email: earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk or http://www.earthscan.co.uk
2000, 238pp., ISBN 1853836923 (Hb) £35.00

The vital importance of plant genetic resources for agriculture, food security, the pharmaceutical industry and therefore all of human welfare is incalculable. However, estimating the economic value and ownership of intellectual property rights (IPRs) of crop genetic resources is extremely difficult.

This book examines the relevant international agreements: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the World Trade Organisation's TRIPS Agreements; and the Convention of the International Union for the Protection of New Variety of Plants (UPOV). It sets out the case for the need to integrate the requirements of the CBD into an equitable IPR regime, whilst taking into account ethical concerns, environmental and social impacts, technology transfer, and traditional knowledge. The text makes ample use of tables, boxes and case histories which high-light and enhance the issues. Together with its chapters on Governmental, Regional and Non-Governmental Initiatives, the book will be a valuable resource for both experts and non-experts alike.

Back to top