In the past the environmental consequences of arable agriculture were often accepted without question. However, there is now increasing debate and public concern regarding the short and long term environmental impacts that might occur as a result of farming practices. Concern, within arable agriculture, is especially focused towards the over-ambitious use of fertilisers and the consequence of n...

Events of the 1990s seem to have given the small farm a new lease on life. Organic agriculture offers a means of producing considerable profitability on very small areas even if many small farmers are of necessity only part-time farmers. Opportunities off the farm, however, have enabled owners of small parcels to farm them profitably, or at least sustainably. Urban agriculture is now a respecte...

The future of sustainable agriculture will increasingly rely on the integration of biotechnology with traditional agricultural practices. Most sustainable and environmentally acceptable control may be achieved using biocontrol agents due to the effort to reduce the use of agrochemicals and their residues in the environment and in food. Identifying, understanding and utilizing microorganisms or ...

Continuous cultivation of rice–wheat cropping system (RWCS) in Indo-Gangetic Plains India is showing declining factor productivity coupled with many environmental problems. Diversifying the RWCS one friendly options for sustaining food production. Four crop rotations involving maize and sorghum summer, wheat/potato/mustard winter followed by short duration mung bean late spring were studied to ...

Building-Integrated Agriculture (BIA) in urban areas is claimed to be environmentally sustainable vis-à-vis conventional commercial agriculture practices by reducing food miles, minimizing land and water use and improving yields. However, as it is operated in controlled indoor environments, BIA can be highly energyintensive. In order to better understand the influence of local foodshed characte...