E-books: Agriculture

Like the Green Revolution of the 1960s, a "Blue Revolution" has taken place in global aquaculture. Geared towards quenching the appetite of privileged consumers in the global North, it has come at a high price for the South: ecological devastation, displacement of rural subsistence farmers, and labour exploitation. The uncomfortable truth is that food security for affluent consumers depends on a foundation of social and ecological devastation in the producing countries. In Confronting the Blue Revolution, Md Saidul Islam uses the shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh and across the global South to show the social and environmental impact of industrialized aquaculture. The book pushes us to reconsider our attitudes to consumption patterns in the developed world, neoliberal environmental governance, and the question of sustainability.

Winner of the 2017 Paul Sweezy Marxist Sociology Book Award from the American Sociological Association Although humans have long depended on oceans and aquatic ecosystems for sustenance and trade, only recently has human influence on these resources dramatically increased, transforming and undermining oceanic environments throughout the world. Marine ecosystems are in a crisis that is global in scope, rapid in pace, and colossal in scale. In The Tragedy of the Commodity, sociologists Stefano B. Longo, Rebecca Clausen, and Brett Clark explore the role human influence plays in this crisis, highlighting the social and economic forces that are at the heart of this looming ecological problem.   In a critique of the classic theory "the tragedy of the commons" by ecologist Garrett Hardin, the authors move beyond simplistic explanations--such as unrestrained self-interest or population growth--to argue that it is the commodification of aquatic resources that leads to the depletion of fisheries and the development of environmentally suspect means of aquaculture. To illustrate this argument, the book features two fascinating case studies--the thousand-year history of the bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean and the massive Pacific salmon fishery. Longo, Clausen, and Clark describe how new fishing technologies, transformations in ships and storage capacities, and the expansion of seafood markets combined to alter radically and permanently these crucial ecosystems. In doing so, the authors underscore how the particular organization of social production contributes to ecological degradation and an increase in the pressures placed upon the ocean. The authors highlight the historical, political, economic, and cultural forces that shape how we interact with the larger biophysical world.   A path-breaking analysis of overfishing, The Tragedy of the Commodity yields insight into issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change.  

The world is regularly confronted on television and in other mass media with dramatic images of African boat migrants. Seemingly desperate, these Africans, most of them males, are willing to risk a perilous journey at sea, hoping for a better life in Europe. And, even worse, hundreds more are believed to die each year, swallowed up anonymously by the choppy waters off Africais coast. This book focuses on fishermen who have played a pivotal role in boat migration from Senegal to Spainis Canary Islands, advancing various reasons for the fishermenis prominent role. Besides their long history of migration, their proven experience with navigating, their familyis push and investment, their perceptions and ideologies about Europe, there is also their growing marginalization as a result of the deepening crisis in the Senegalese fishing sector and the inadequate policies of the Senegalese government that prevents them from having any bright prospects of improving their standards of living. The book provides deep insights into the meaning of boat migration, and on the effects of success or failure on the migrants and their families. It goes beyond the usual economic explanations to convincingly situate boat migration within the long-standing West African culture of migration, and highlight the significance of socio-cultural and political factors. Among the fascinating findings are the perception of migration as status enhancing and a rite de passage in the Senegalese fishing communities, and the profound roles of the extended family, social networks and, above all, religion, especially the widespread influence of the marabout. The importance of information and communication technologies in sustaining transnational networks is equally highlighted.

Earth's human population currently exceeds 7 billion, and by the year 2050 our planet will have at least two billion more mouths to feed. When faced with providing food for so many people, the idea is often advanced that Australia will become the "food bowl" of Asia. Australia currently grows enough food to feed about three times its population; however, Australia's role in feeding the world needs careful consideration. This highly topical book draws together the latest intelligence on the sustainable production and distribution of food and other products from Australian farms. It examines questions that policy-makers, farmers, politicians, agricultural scientists and the general public are asking about the potential productivity of Australia's arable land, the environmental and economic impacts of seeking to increase productivity, and the value of becoming cleaner and greener in agricultural output. With chapters on the emergence of new markets, consumer trends in China, the biophysical constraints on agricultural expansion, and the various products of Australian agriculture and aquaculture, Australia's Role in Feeding the Worldprovides valuable insight into the future of agriculture in this nation.

Using the extensive papers of the firm Charles Robin and Company of Jersey and Paspebiac, and the records of the Jersey mercantile establishment, Rosemary Ommer presents a detailed case study of commodity trade, uncovering the development, function, and strengths and weaknesses of all aspects of the fishery. Her analysis clearly reveals a functional three-point trading system: production in Gaspé, management in Jersey, and markets in the Mediterranean, the West Indies, and Brazil. Employing a new set of methodologies developed for this study, Ommer is able to escape the myopic perspective of works which assume that staple-based development comprises only "good" and "bad" staples that inevitably lead to development and underdevelopment respectively. She has instead produced a rich and complex analysis which broadens our understanding of colonial staple development and commodity trade and introduces new insights on regional development.

How can more of us protect and create waiwai, value, for coming generations? Culturally-rich education. Holistic health systems. Organic farming and aquaculture. Creative and conscious urban development. Caring for one another across difference. Telling our stories. Continuing the conversation of The Value of Hawai'i: Knowing the Past, Shaping the Future, this new collection offers passionate and poignant visions for our shared futures in these islands. The fresh voices gathered in this book share their inspiring work and ideas for creating value, addressing a wide range of topics: community health, agriculture, public education, local business, energy, gender, rural lifestyles, sacred community, activism, storytelling, mo'olelo, migration, voyaging, visual art, music, and the 'aina we continue to love and malama. By exploring connections to those who have come before and those who will follow after, the contributors to this volume recenter Hawai'i in our watery Pacific world. Their autobiographical essays will inspire readers to live consciously and lead as island people. Contributors: Jeffrey Tangonan Acido, U'ilani Arasato, Kamana Beamer, Makena Coffman, Donovan Kuhio Colleps, Sean Connelly, Elise Leimomi Dela Cruz-Talbert, Noelani Goodyear-Ka'opua, Consuelo Agarpao Gouveia, Tina Grandinetti, Hunter Heaivilin, Sania Fa'amaile Betty P. Ickes, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, Bonnie Kahape'a-Tanner, Kainani Kahaunaele, Joseph Keawe'aimoku Kaholokula, Haley Kailiehu, Hi'ilei Kawelo, Keone Kealoha, Emelihter Kihleng, James Koshiba, Derek Kurisu, Dawn Mahi, Brandy Nalani McDougall, Mailani Neal, Ryan Oishi, Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, Eri Oura, Faith Pascua, Mark Patterson, Prime/John Hina, No'u Revilla, Hawane Rios, Darlene Rodrigues, Cheryse Julitta Kauikeolani Sana, Dean Itsuji Saranillio, Lyz Soto, Innocenta Sound-Kikku, Cade Watanabe, Jill Yamasawa, Aiko Yamashiro, Matt N. Yamashita, Aubrey Morgan Yee.