Guides: ENV 121: Population, Resource Use, and Cities: Soil & Crops

Soil

Print books
Ebooks

Contaminated Urban Soils by Helmut Meuser
With more than 50% of the world's population already living in towns and cities, migration from rural areas continuing at an alarming rate in developing countries and suburbanisation using more and more land in developed countries, the urban environment has become supremely important with regard to human health and well being.
Crop Ecology: productivity and management in agricultural systems by David J. Connor
This edition provides in-depth coverage of the impact of environmental conditions and management on crops, resource requirements for productivity and effects on soil resources. The approach is explanatory and integrative, with a firm basis in environmental physics, soils, physiology and morphology. System concepts are explored in detail throughout the book, giving emphasis to quantitative approaches, management strategies and tactics employed by farmers, and associated environmental issues.
Organic Futures:The Case for Organic Farming by Adrian Myers
Organic Futures shows what we can learn from 4,000 years of sustainable organic agriculture in the Far East and explains how organic farming is different from conventional agriculture. It demonstrates the damaging effects of conventional farming and discusses the importance of maintaining soil fertility. Presenting a vision of an organic future, the book also documents inspiring developments in both the West and the Third World.
Agriculture and Environmental Security in Southern Ontario's Watersheds by Glen C. Filson
This book attempts to undertake critical, social scientific scrutiny of contradictions between the evolving forms of agricultural production and ecosystem health within Ontario's southern agricultural watersheds in the light of prevailing environmental management systems and policies. It's purpose takes a critical look at the environmental and social implications of Ontario's increasingly intensive and industrialised agriculture.
Rice:Global Networks and New Histories by Francesca Bray (Editor)
Rice today is food to half the world's population. Its history is inextricably entangled with the emergence of colonialism, the global networks of industrial capitalism, and the modern world economy. The history of rice is currently a vital and innovative field of research attracting serious attention, but no attempt has yet been made to write a history of rice and its place in the rise of capitalism from a global and comparative perspective. Rice is a first step toward such a history.
Governing Risk in GM Agriculture by Michael Baram (Editor); Mathilde Bourrier (Editor)
This book addresses the issues and methods involved in governing risks posed by genetically modified (GM) agriculture. It examines the evolution of policies intended to ensure the safety of GM crops and food products in the United States and Europe and the regulatory approaches and other social controls employed to protect human health, the environment, conventional farming and foods, and the interests and rights of consumers.

Soil Fertility by Derek P. Lucero
"Soil fertility refers to the amount of nutrients in the soil, which is sufficient to support plant life. Soil fertility is critical in sustainable farming and needs to be considered not only for crop productivity but also for the protection of aquatic environments. Fertile soil has an abundance of plant nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, an abundance of minerals as well as an abundance of organic matter. This book discusses new developments in the field."
Mercury in the Environment: Pattern and Process by Michael S. Bank (Editor)
Only recently have scientists begun to establish a holistic approach to studying mercury pollution that integrates chemistry, biology, and human health sciences. Mercury in the Environment follows the process of mercury cycling through the atmosphere, through terrestrial and aquatic food webs, and through human populations to develop a comprehensive perspective on this important environmental problem. This timely reference also provides recommendations on mercury remediation, risk communication, education, and monitoring.
Fertilizers: components, uses in agriculture and environmental impacts by Fernando López-Valdez
This book describes many important principles of fertilizer management and the environmental pollution problems due to the indiscriminate soil fertilization rate. The long-term impacts of organic or mineral fertilizer use have implications on soil fertility, crop yields, water quality, climatic change, greenhouse gas emissions, etc. Twelve chapters provide the state of the art of some important topics on subsistence agriculture, modern agronomy, and technological improvements which have sharply increased yields from cultivation, with a special emphasis on the sustainable management and environmental impact of commercial and nontraditional fertilizers.