NEW PUBLICATIONS

FORSPA publishes Nepal forestry handbook

Compiled by Dr. S.M. Amatya and Mr. K.R. Shrestha

The Forestry Research Support Programme for Asia and the Pacific (FORSPA) has recently published the Nepal forestry handbook. Compiled by two eminent Nepal forestry researchers, it brings out in a comprehensive and handy package, substantial background information on the country’s natural history, information on its forests, management systems and related topics.

The book also introduces important techniques such as forest inventory, mensuration, growth and yield and related subjects. Of the 29 chapters, some chapters highlight issues that are of special importance to the country such as agroforestry, community forestry, nonwood forest products and fodder trees. A chapter on wildlife management is also included.

This handbook can double as an excellent introduction to forestry in Nepal. It can serve as an important reference book for forestry researchers, practitioners and students in Nepal. Other interested readers in the region may also benefit from this excellent compilation.

For a copy, please forward your request to Dr. S. Appanah, FORSPA, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand or E-mail [email protected].

CABI Publishing announces new books

CABI Publishing announces the following new books through its on-line bookshop:

· Organic agriculture: sustainability, markets and policies

Published in June 2003 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), this book was produced on the premise that organic agriculture has been recognized as "one of the most rapidly developing market segments in OECD countries," as supported also by policies that have been effected to encourage and promote organic farming. The book examines the contribution of organic agriculture to sustainable development, policy issues and the efforts being made by governments and their effectiveness. It compiles papers presented at the OECD workshop held in September 2002 in Washington DC. The papers showed that "organic agriculture is less stressful on the environment, but that its economic performance is mixed." Furthermore, the papers also concluded that "organic agriculture is disadvantaged by current support policies, and that proliferation of standards and labels may confuse consumers and inhibit trade."

· Food safety: contaminants and toxins

Released in April 2003, the book compiles diverse topics such as genetically modified (GM) foods, risk management, legislation and regulatory issues. It covers recent developments in chemistry, biochemistry and physiological effects of toxicants that may affect human health and welfare. This book was produced because of the increasing concern for food safety, the occurrences of food poisoning outbreaks and concerns over GM foods. The book is edited by JPF D’Mello, Scottish Agricultural College, Edinburgh, UK.

· Seeds of concern: the genetic manipulation of plants

Written by DA Murray, Australian scientist and conservationist, and released in January 2003, the book contributes significantly to the debate on the applications and implications of gene technology from the perspective of a plant biologist. Written for students and general readers in plant and crop sciences and biotechnology, the book addresses questions on the process of producing genetically modified plants, worthwhile breeding goals, control of escaped transferred genes, responsibility of monitoring unexpected effects of gene transfer and acceptability of GM plants to organic growers.

· Trees, crops and soil fertility: concepts and research methods

Advanced students and researchers in forestry, crop sciences and soil science can now avail themselves of this comprehensive review on the economic and biophysical aspects of soil use and research in agroforestry, with emphasis on nutrient-poor forest and savanna soils. It provides background theories and practical methods on topics such as economics of soil fertility management, cycling of water, nutrients and organic matter, soil structure and soil biological processes. Released in February 2003, the book is applicable to both temperate and tropical regions as it integrates information on soil science, agronomy and forestry. "The book is written with a particular context -soil fertility development under forestry," says Mr. Mike Swift in the book’s foreword. The book was edited by G. Schroth of the National Institute for Research in the Amazon, Manaus, Brazil and FL Sinclair of the School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, UK.

· Agriculture, hydrology and water quality

Released in October 2002, the book examines the role of agriculture in influencing the water quality of rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and oceans. It is a collection of state-of-the-art reviews on the global problems of diffusing water pollution from agriculture through chapters on eutrophication, phosphorus, nitrogen, manure, heavy metals, carbon/persistent organic pollutants and soil/siltation problems. The book is divided into three parts: (1) agriculture: potential sources of water pollution, (2) hydrology: the carrier and transport of water pollution and (3) water quality: impacts and case studies from around the world. The book was edited by P. Haygarth and S. Jarvis of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke, Devon, UK

· Soil use and management supplement: soil fertility in organically managed soils

Released in September 2002, the special issue addresses the environmental, human health, economic and production challenges of organic farming as the solution to problems associated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides through soil fertility management. The issue compares soil fertility in soils farmed organically and conventionally. It also examines whether the current concept of soil fertility covers both these types of farming. Topics include nature and practice of organic farming with emphasis on the management practices of organic growers in improving soil fertility, comprehensive review of recent researchers on key components of soil fertility, comparative study of nitrate leaching from organic and conventional farms and a review of findings on nutrient pools and nutrient transformations to answer the question of whether the current concept of soil fertility is still adequate.

For more information, visit their web site at http://www.cabi-publishing.org/Bookshop/

New publications compiled by Leah P. Arboleda unless specified.

ICRAF offers book on property rights and collective action for natural resources management

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) offers the Innovation in natural resources management: the role of property rights and collective action in developing countries to researchers, policy analysts and students. The book describes how "property rights and collective action in developing countries mediate the adoption of technologies by farmers and groups." Edited by Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Anna Knox, Frank Place and Brent Swallow, this book was produced to address the expansion of international agricultural research from the development of annual crop technologies for individual farms to that of long-term natural resource management techniques. It covers entire landscapes, property rights of farmers to resources to facilitate the adoption of technologies or practices with a "long lag time between investment and returns." It also tackles the role of collective action in the adoption of technologies that span multiple farms. Authors of the book focus on the reciprocal relationships between community institutions and technologies, role of property rights in conflicts between crop and livestock production systems, collective action across landscapes, and conceptual frameworks, method and "best bet" practices to guide future research. For more details, visit their web site at http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/