Browsing by Author "Pretty, Jules"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
  • Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems
    Uphoff, N. T.; Ball, A. S.; Fernandez, E.; Herren, H.; Husson, O.; Laing, M.; Palm, C.; Pretty, Jules; Sanchez, P. A.; Sanginga, N. (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2006)
    Sustainable Soil Systems are critical to expanding agricultural output. This book aims to increase knowledge of biological processes of the soil in order to advance understanding of effective soil systems management. The editors have assembled contributing authors from a variety of disciplines and countries to create a comprehensive resource on soil biological systems. Part I offers a base for understanding soil system management in tropical, temperate, and arid regions. Part II provides a multidisciplinary overview of soil agents and processes, examining soil ecology through topics such as the rhizosphere, the role of fauna and fungi in soil systems, and allelopathy. Part III presents strategies for soil management, exploring methods as diverse as conservation agriculture and deep tillage. Part IV broadens the scope to contextualize biological approaches to soils systems management, analyzing effects on crop pests on diseases, economic and policy contexts, and approaches for monitoring and assessment.
  • Case study of agri-environmental payments: The United Kingdom
    Dobbs, T. L.; Pretty, Jules (Elsevier B.V., 2008)
    This article describes and analyzes two of the United Kingdom's agri-environmental payment programs - the Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) program (began in 1986) and the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) (launched in 1991 as a supplement to the ESA program).
  • Thumbnail Image
  • Gender and social capital: The importance of gender differences for the maturity and effectiveness of natural resource management groups
    Westermann, O.; Asby, J.; Pretty, Jules (Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Elsevier Ltd, 2005)
    This article focuses on gender social capital and natural resource management (NRM). The authors present a range of gender theories that justify why social groups differ in activities and outcomes for NRM. This study used three different statistical methods to analyze the data collected in 33 rural programs in 20 countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The data shows mixed results, men and women do not differ in terms of altruism, but result indicate that the presence of women increase collaboration, solidarity, and conflict resolution in groups. Men have greater institutional social capital and women have stronger relational social capital. Women's groups show greater reciprocity; this is due to the fact that women depend on each other to cope with multiple responsibilities. Capacity for self-sustaining collective action also increased in women's groups. A relationship was found between gender and group maturity and NRM, achievements and approaches. These results reinforce the importance of gender analysis in NRM, and the need to allow adequate opportunities for women's participation.
  • Production systems for sustainable intensification: Integrating productivity with ecosystem services
    Kassam, Amir H.; Friedrich, Theodor; Shaxson, F.; Reeves, T.; Pretty, Jules; Moraes Sá, J. C. (Herausgeber: Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS), 2011)
    Most agriculture is conducted through an ‘interventionist approach’ in which the application of synthetic mineral fertilizers for plant health and technological developments (such as weed and pest control with agrochemicals, soil tilling, etc.). However, “Conservation Agriculture,” an ecosystem approach to farming characterized by fertile soils, is becoming more common. This Conservation Agriculture approach is sustainable through both its ecological impacts and its capacity to produce food and raw materials economically. The article calls for formation of knowledge-diffusion, technologies, policies, research, funding and institutional arrangements that promote the spread and development of Conservation Agriculture.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Social capital and the collective management of resources
    Pretty, Jules (2003)
    The proposition that natural resources need protection from the destructive actions of people is widely accepted. Yet communities have shown in the past and increasingly today that they can collaborate for long-term resource management. The term social capital captures the idea that social bonds and norms are critical for sustainability. Where social capital is high in formalized groups, people have the confidence to invest in collective activities, knowing that others will do so too. Some 0.4 to 0.5 million groups have been established since the early 1990s for watershed, forest, irrigation, pest, wildlife, fishery, and microfinance management. These offer a route to sustainable management and governance of common resources.
  • The spread of conservation agriculture: Justification, sustainability and uptake
    Kassam, Amir H.; Friedrich, Theodor; Shaxson, F.; Pretty, Jules (2009)
    This paper argues that conservation agriculture has both environmental and agricultural benefits, but is knowledge intensive because it requires fundamental change in our thinking and approach to agriculture. The purpose of the paper is to justify why a transition to conservation agriculture is necessary, setting up discussion in a subsequent paper of the conditions for the spread of conservation agriculture.
  • Sustainable intensification in African agriculture
    Pretty, Jules; Toulmin, C.; Williams, S. (London, UK: Earthscan, 2011)
    For many developing countries, agricultural production gains have facilitated rural and urban economic growth. However, African countries in general are viewed as being unsuccessful in increasing productivity. Sustainable intensification is a method of production that incorporates the principles of natural resource conservation and efficient use with intensive agricultural practices. Recently, it is a coming into ideological and practical popularity among agriculturalists, environmentalists, and economists as a means to increase productive capacity sustainably. In this study, forty projects and programs utilizing concepts of sustainable intensification in twenty African states were evaluated the determine the commonalities of success. Increased yields and benefits to farmers and their families were demonstrated, and scaling out now presents significant issues and challenges. Common factors in the success of these forty endeavors include farmer and scientist-generated animal integration technologies, improving social infrastructure, incorporation of the private sector, adoption of modern communication technologies, developing rural banking and microfinance opportunities, garnering support from the public sector, and focusing on impacts and issues related to gender.