Agri-Culture : ""Reconnecting People, Land and Nature""

280 Pages·2013·6.714 MB·English

by  Pretty, Jules

Agri-Culture
Reconnecting People,
nd Nature
Jules Pretty

This is for Gill, Freya and Theo
and for Mum and Dad for the pictures and advice
and time too for a mention for Chris, Dawn, Fern, Joss,
Tom and William; Annabel, Mike, Jasper and Felix;
Pat and John
Agri-Culture
Reconnecting People; Land and Nature
Jules Pretty
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Earthscan Publications Limited
London • Sterling, VA
First published in the UK and USA in 2002
by Earthscan Publications Ltd
Copyright © Jules Pretty, 2002
All rights reserved
ISBN: I 85383 925 6 paperback
I 85383 920 5 hardback
Typesetting by JS Typesetting Ltd, Wellingborough, Northants
Printed and bound in the UK by Creative Print and Design (Wales), Ebbw Vale
Cover design by Adrian Senior
Cover illustration by John R Pretty
For a full list of publications please contact:
Earthscan Publications Ltd
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Earthscan is an editorially independent subsidiary of Kogan Page Ltd and
publishes in association with WWF-UK and the International Institute for
Environment and Development
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pretty, Jules N.
Agri-culture : reconnecting people, land and nature / by Jules Pretty,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN 1-85383-925-6 (pbk.) - ISBN 1-85383-920-5 (hardback)
I. Sustainable agriculture. 2. Agriculture—Social aspects.
3. Agricultural productivity. I. Title.
S494.5.S86 P73 2002
333.76T6—dc21
2002009735
This book is printed on elemental chlorine free paper
Contents
Acknowledgements vi
Glossary of Specialist Terms viii
Preface to a Revolution xi
1 Landscapes Lost and Found I
2 Monoscapes 27
3 Reality Cheques 52
4 Food for All 78
5 Only Reconnect 102
6 The Genetics Controversy 126
7 Ecological Literacy 146
8 Crossing the Internal Frontiers 170
Notes 18 9
References 221
Index 254
A ck nowledgem ents
I am very grateful to the many people who provided invaluable critical
comment on earlier drafts of this book and advice on related material. I
would like to make special mention of Ted Benton, James Morison and
Norman Uphoff, who went well beyond the call of duty, together with
Curtis Absher, Jacqui Ashby, Richard Aylard, Neil Baker, Andy Ball, David
Beckingsale, Phil Bradley, Lynda Brown, Susanne and Simon Campbell-
Jones, Robert Chambers, Nigel Cooper, Ed Cross, Jan Deane, John
Devavaram, Amadou Diop, Tom Dobbs, David Favis-Mortlock, Bruce
Frank, Phil and Susie Grice, Julia Guivant, Jilly Hall, John Hall, Brian
Halweil, Hal Hamilton, Justin Hardy, Sue Heisswolf, Rachel Hine, Ian
Hutchcroft, J K Kiara, John Landers,Tim Lang, Howard Lee, David Lort-
Phillips, Simon Lyster, Joe Morris, Phil Mullineaux, Eri Nakajima,
Hiltrud Nieberg, Kevin Niemever, David Orr, Roberto Peiretti, Michel
Pimbert.Tim O’Riordan, Mark Ritchie, Colin Samson, Pedro Sanchez,
Sara Scherr, Dorothy and Walter Schwarz, Mardie Townsend, Hugh Ward,
Drennan Watson, Jane Weissman, MarkWinne, andVo-Tong Xuan.The
views represented here are, of course, all my own responsibility, as are the
mistakes.
As ever, I am grateful to Jonathan Sinclair Wilson, and to Akan Leander
and all at Earthscan, for valuable support and advice, and to Marie Chan
for administrative support.
The illustrations in this book, including the cover painting from northern
Nigeria, are all painted by John R Pretty who is a professional painter
specializing in marine and landscape watercolours of East Anglia and
France. He is a member of the East Anglian Group of Marine Artists with
whom he exhibits at the Mall Gallery in London, and he has been guest
of honour at various Salons in France, being the recipient of ten medals
for watercolour. He has exhibited at the Royal Society of Marine Artists
and the National Society of Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers, and, in
France, at the Gallerie du Musee, Les Baux-de-Provence, and the Salon
of the Societe International des Beaux Arts Paris and in Salons at Parfav
Acknowledgements vjj
Mosley, Le Poingonnet,Tinchebray, Argenton-sur-Creuse and Mongermont.
Annually, he exhibits at the Salon du Val d’Or of the Association Inter­
nationale Plastica Latina, with the Merite Artistique Europeen France,
at the Salon in St Florent-sur-Cher, where he is a member, and at the Salon
des Amis de Montemartre, Issoudun. His work is also in collections in
Europe, America, New Zealand and South Africa, and can be seen at
www.johnrpretty.co.uk.
Glossary of Specialist Terms
Terms that appear in the glossary are italicized on their first mention in each
chapter of the text.
Adat Indigenous cultural knowledge and rules system of
Indonesia and Malaysia
Agroecology Ecological relationships in agricultural systems
Antimicrobial Substance toxic to microbes and administered to
(also antibiotic) humans and livestock
Apomixis The production of exact clones of the mother plant
through asexual reproduction
Autopoiesis Self-organizing and self-made character of living
systems
Bioregionalism Integration of human activities within ecological
limits
Biotechnology Molecular changes to living or non-living things,
involving the transfer of DNA from one organism
to another, allowing the recipient to express new
characteristics
Carbon Capturing or locking up of carbon dioxide from
sequestration the atmosphere in sinks (eg soils, trees)
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity
Cloning The production of individuals with an exact copy
of the DNA of another organism
Common property Resources used in common by a defined group of
resource people, usually with locally developed rules for their
use
Cryptosporidium Pathogenic organism arising from domestic livestock
and wild animals, and pollutant of water
Glossary of Specialist Terms jx
CSA Community-supported agriculture farm
DFID Department for International Development (UK)
Diverscape An ecologically and/or socially diverse landscape
Enclosure The changing of large commonly managed open
(also inclosure) fields in Europe to produce smaller individually
owned fields enclosed by hedges or other
boundaries
ESA Environmentally sensitive area
Eutrophication Nutrient enrichment of water that leads to excessive
algal growth, disruption of whole food webs and, in
the worst cases, complete eradication of all life
through deoxygenation
Extensionist Agricultural professional in regular contact with
both farmers and researchers
Externality Any action that affects the welfare of, or
opportunities available to, an individual or group
without direct payment or compensation, and may
be positive or negative
I;AO Food and Agriculture Organization (UN)
Fen Grassland by river, occasionally flooded
Food security Access to sufficient food of appropriate diversity
for a healthy diet
Foodshed Self-reliant, locally or regionally based food systems
comprised of diversified farms using sustainable
practices to which consumers are linked by the
bonds of community as well as economy
GM Genetically modified
Hectare Measure of area equivalent to 2.47 acres
HFS Hartford Food System (US)
ICIPE International Centre for Insect Physiology and
Ecology
IFPRI International Food Policy Research Institute
Integrated pest The use of a variety of methods and approaches
management to manage pests and diseases, usually minimizing or
even eliminating pesticide use