Meeting the world’s food security challenge will require a multi-national, collaborative effort to integrate the best research from science, engineering and socioeconomics so that technological advances can bring benefits where they are most needed. The present book covers the effect of major environmental problems on crop production and how to cope with these issues for sustainable agriculture and improvements of crops. The world’s population is predicted to hit 9.6 Billion by 2050, up from today’s total of nearly 7.3 Billion, and with it food demand is predicted to increase substantially. The post-war ‘second agricultural revolution’ in developed countries, and the ‘green revolution’ in developing nations in the mid- 1960s converted agricultural practices and elevated crop yields spectacularly, but the outcome is levelling off and will not meet projected demand. Simultaneously, crop production is affected by many other factors, including industrial pollution, overuse of fertilizers and insecticides, heavy metal and radiation stresses etc. It has been noted that many pests are becoming resistant to insecticides. Estimates vary, but around 25% of crops can be lost to pests and diseases. Climate change associated with agriculture is also a global issue. Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases and is estimated to account for 10-12% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Many of the issues highlighted are global problems and are addressed thoroug hly in this work.

This volume examines the factors currently affecting agriculture on a global scale. Land use, soil quality, and the inherent production of greenhouse gasses by agriculture each receive their own chapters.

Agricultural production has been considered as the key sector for revitalization of the economy and well being of the people in any country. For decades, due to increasing food demand together with policies encouraging production, agricultural science has focused on boosting production through the development of new technologies. Agriculture has become increasingly intensive. Farmers are becoming capable of producing higher yields using less labor and less land due to many factors, including use of fertilizer, and pesticides, introduction of farm machinery, development of hybrid and genetically modified strains and increased knowledge about farm management practices. Intensification of agriculture has not, however, been an unmixed blessing because this success has come at a high environmental cost. The damaging effects of intensification of agriculture include water, air and soil pollution, as well as the loss of wildlife, habitats and landscape features. As agricultural sustainability means maintaining productivity while protecting the natural resource base, there is increasing general recognition of the need to improve environmental performance in agriculture, through enhancing the benefits and reducing the harmful environmental effects. The book 'Crop Production and Global Environmental Issues' is a very timely effort in this direction. It discusses the main environmental issues and challenges which affects the crop production and productivity throughout the globe, particularly in developing countries. The book also provides some solutions to cope up with such challenges.

At the beginning of the 1970’s, global grain reserves were level and food prices were low however as the decade progressed crop production plummeted leading to a food crisis. Originally published in the aftermath in 1977, Crosson and Frederick set out to explore the ability of agricultural output to meet the global food demands of future generations. This study analyses how resources and environmental factors would affect food production in developing countries and the United States until the end of the 21st Century. The environmental impacts of land levels, fertiliser and pesticide use are explored in relation to the challenges of meeting food demands. This title will be of interest to students of environmental studies.

Annotation. Worldwide climatic changes have been raising concerns about potential changes to crop yields and production systems. Such concerns include the ability to accommodate these uncertain effects in order to ensure an adequate food supply for an increasing population. Written by leadinginternational experts, this book is the first comprehensive examination of the potential effects climate change, particularly green house gases, will have on agroecosystems. It also reviews the effects such systems have on climate change itself.

Examines global environmental constraints on sustained agricultural growth, emphasizing empirical applications to illustrate how to assess the critical linkages between environmental quality, agricultural development, and overall economic performance. Addresses a wide range of environmental problems in computable general equilibrium models, social accounting matrix analysis, national income accounting, risk measurement, and models of public finance. Suggests how agriculture can be restructured to have less impact, particularly on climate change, but also on the loss of genetic diversity, water pollution, groundwater depletion, and soil erosion. The result of several cooperative research projects; earlier versions of the papers were presented at a conference for which no date or location are revealed. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"The assessment builds on the work of the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative"--Pref.