CONTENTS
Chapter One: Sustainable Agriculture
A Vision for Agriculture
What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Science and Sustainability
Conditions for Sustainable Agriculture
Outline for the Book
Chapter Two: The Modernization of Agriculture
Agricultural and Rural Modernization in the
20th Century
The Pursuit of Productivity
The Pursuit of Environmental Conservation
The Modernization of Indonesian Rice Farming
The Modernization of Mexican Wheat and Maize
Farming
The Modernization of Soil and Water
Conservation in the USA and Africa
Consequences of Packaged Technologies
The Financial Costs of Modernization
Summary
Chapter Three: The Environmental and Social Costs of
Improvement
The General Costs of Improvement
Pesticides and Human Health Impacts
Soil Conservation and Erosion
The Loss of Biodiversity
The Breakdown of the Social Fabric of Rural
Communities
Summary
Chapter Four: Resource-Conserving Technologies and
Processes
Adopting Resource-Conserving Technologies
The Management and Control of Pests and
Diseases
Managing Natural Enemies
Integrated Plant Nutrition
Soil Conservation
Water Management Systems
Summary
Chapter Five: Local Groups and Institutions for
Sustainable Agriculture
Collective Action at Local Level
The Perils of Ignoring Local Institutions
New Challenges During Intervention
Local Groups for Sustainable Agriculture
Scaling Up from the Local Level
National Initiatives for Local Group Action
Summary
Chapter Six: External Institutions and Partnerships with
Farmers
The Conventional Institutional Context
`Participation' in Development
Farmer Participatory Research and Extension
Towards Learning Organisations
Towards a New Professionalism for Agriculture
Summary
Chapter Seven: Linking Process to Impact: The Transition
to Sustainable Agriculture
Sources of Evidence
The Impacts of Sustainable Agriculture
Cases from Twenty Communities
Summary
Chapter Eight: Agricultural Policy Frameworks and
Institutional Processes
The Need to Focus on Policies and
Institutions
Agricultural Policies
Legal Issues and Regulations
Agricultural Research, Extension, Educational
and Planning Services
Policies That Support Sustainable Agriculture
Chapter Nine: Policies That Work for Sustainable
Agriculture
Policies That Work
Encouraging Resource-Conserving Technologies
and Practices
Supporting Local Groups for Community Action
Reforming External Institutions and
Professional Approaches
Summary
