Sustainable Farmland Management : Transdisciplinary Approaches

by R. Fish; S. Seymour; M. Steven; C. Watkins

• ISBN13: 9781845933517
• ISBN10: 1845933516
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-02-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Summary

Examining the relationship between sustainability and farmland management in differing temporal, spatial and production contexts, this book considers farmland multifunctionality, systems and systemic thinking, debate over information and knowledge, and ethical aspects. It suggests productive ways of proceeding to enhance integrated thinking on the subject, and will be essential reading for researchers and students in agriculture, rural studies, environmental management, geography, sociology, ecology and conservation.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	p. viii
List of Figures	p. xi
List of Tables	p. xii
List of Abbreviations	p. xiv
Preface	p. xv
Agendas for sustainable farmland management	p. 1
Scene-setting Sustainable Farmland Management	p. 23
The elusive quest for sustainable agriculture	p. 25
The contested concept of sustainability in agriculture: an examination of the views of policymakers, scientists and farmers	p. 30
Historical dimensions of sustainable farming	p. 42
Soils and sustainability: the future of the South Downs	p. 49
The role of organics within sustainable farmland management	p. 58
Communities of Information and Knowledge	p. 67
Just knowledge? Governing research on food and farming	p. 69
Agricultural advisers and the transition to sustainable soil management in England: a focus on agronomists' understanding of soil	p. 77
Combining scientific and lay knowledges: Participatory approaches to research in organic farming	p. 94
Sustainable foodscapes? Examining consumer attitudes and practices towards food and farming in Washington State, USA	p. 107
Ethical Production and Protection	p. 123
A notional ethical contract with farm animals in a sustainable global food system	p. 125
Beasts of a different burden: agricultural sustainability and farm animals	p. 135
Agricultural biotechnology and ethics: for or against nature?	p. 149
Practising Systemic Thinking	p. 159
Multifunctionality in practice: research and application within a farm business	p. 161
Linking environment and farming: integrated systems for sustainable farmland management	p. 169
Environmental and profitable sustainability in agricultural production	p. 178
The use of indicators to assess the sustainability of farms converting to organic production	p. 194
Agri-environment schemes and sustainable farmland management: a farm level assessment of the economic costs and benefits	p. 203
Political and Policy Frameworks	p. 215
International perspectives on sustainable farmland management	p. 217
The national policy dimension for environmentally sustainable agriculture: a UK perspective	p. 223
Multifunctional agriculture and integrated rural development in Germany: the case of the Regional Action programme	p. 236
Agendas for transdisciplinarity	p. 249
Index	p. 253
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