Resource Pointer #340 (Traditional Models for Sustainable Agriculture)
October 10, 2003

For copies of the following resources, please contact the appropriate publishers or organizations directly.

*Past Roots, Future of Foods: Ecological Farming Experiences and Innovations in Four Asian Countries, 2003* Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific. Recounts the long history of sustainable organic agricultural practices in Asia and the traditional knowledge and culture supporting it. Discusses the introduction of industrial agricultural practices within Asia and it’s subsequent effects — loss in biodiversity, increased demand for inputs with decreased yields, and the de-stabilization of agricultural communities and sustainable farming systems. 39 pages. US$8. Contact PAN Asia-Pacific, P.O. Box 11170, 10850 Penang, Malaysia; phone (604) 657-0271; fax (604) 657-7445; email panap@panap.net; Web site http://www.panap.net/.

*Rotational Agriculture of Indigenous Peoples in Asia, 2002* International Alliance of Indigenous — Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forest. Discusses the environmental, agricultural, and cultural benefits of shifting cultivation, a farming method often implemented in hilly regions that relies on moving crop production to new land in order to maintain soil fertility. Addresses the resistance to rotational agriculture, especially by loggers who assert that such a farming method is wasteful, their supporters in government, and lowland large-scale farmers who blame rotational farmers for water shortages. Includes three case studies to illustrate these issues. 130 pages. Contact International Alliance of Indigenous — Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forest, 14 Rudolf Place, Miles Street, London SW8 1RP, UK; phone (44 20 7) 587-3737; fax (44 20 7) 793-8686; email secretariat@international-alliance.org; Web site http://iaip.gn.apc.org/.

*Organic Cotton Production in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2002* Pesticide Action Network United Kingdom. Recounts the history of organic cotton farming in Benin, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Examines the current state of organic cotton production and the international market for organic cotton to gain a better understand of the constraints and opportunities for increasing organic cotton production in these countries. Also discusses the benefits of an organic model for production of cotton and the problems associated with genetically modified cotton and high reliance on dangerous pesticides dictated by the conventional model. 67 pages. UK £16. Contact PAN UK, Eurolink Centre, 49 Effra Road, London SW2 1BZ, UK; phone (44 20 7) 274-8895; fax (44 20 7) 274-9084; email admin@pan-uk.org; Web site http://www.pan-uk.org/.

*Dynamics and Diversity: Soil Fertility and Farming Livelihoods in Africa, 2001* Ian Scoones. Examines the food production and poverty problems facing sub-Saharan African nations and current agricultural development programs. Notes a focus on soil management in international development policies that fails to integrate local-level understanding of soil fertility and management. Employs case studies from Ethiopia, Mali and Zimbabwe to investigate community approaches to soil fertility and argues for development policies to incorporate such knowledge. 244 pages. UK £16.95. Contact Earthscan Publications Ltd., 120 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JN, UK; phone (44 01 90) 382-8800; fax (44 02 07) 278-1142; email earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk; Web site http://www.earthscan.co.uk/.

*Natural Crop Protection in the Tropics, 2000* Gabrielle Stoll. Various case studies demonstrate different methodologies used to implement local, traditional, and scientific techniques in natural crop protection. Pest control, disease prevention, and food storage are among the topics investigated. 376 pages. US 64.94. Contact Margraf Verlag Publishers, P.O. Box 1205, 97985 Weikersheim, Germany; phone (07) 934-3071; fax (07) 934-8156; email info@margraf-verlag.de; Web site http://www.margraf-verlag.de/.

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