In Nebraska, as in many states across the nation, factory farms housing tens of thousands of hogs have altered the physical, cultural, and economic landscape, and have generated complex and deeply divisive conflicts among family farmers, environmentalists, agribusinesses, and elected officials. A reporter long familiar with the controversy, Carolyn Johnsen draws on a wealth of interviews, archival material, and her own extensive experience as a journalist to present a timely, informative, and balanced account of this complicated and troubling agricultural practice--and to put a...
In Nebraska, as in many states across the nation, factory farms housing tens of thousands of hogs have altered the physical, cultural, and...
Among the vast corporate and smaller family-sized farms and agribusinesses of Nebraska, the old pioneering spirit of entrepreneurship is rising again, this time in the form of sustainable and organic growers, cooperatives, artisans, and visionaries those who seek to enhance the quality of life and ensure its future on the farm, in the community, and throughout the world.Mary Ridder profiles these enterprises in Roots of Change, a project that took her down Nebraska s highways and byways for more than two years as she sought out, interviewed, and photographed producers of meats and...
Among the vast corporate and smaller family-sized farms and agribusinesses of Nebraska, the old pioneering spirit of entrepreneurship is rising again,...
With the decline of family farms and rural communities and the rise of corporate farming and the resulting environmental degradation, American agriculture is in crisis. But this crisis offers the opportunity to rethink agriculture in sustainable terms. Here one of the most eloquent and influential proponents of sustainable agriculture explains what this means. These engaging essays describe what sustainable agriculture is, why it began, and how it can succeed. Together they constitute a clear and compelling vision for rebalancing the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of agriculture...
With the decline of family farms and rural communities and the rise of corporate farming and the resulting environmental degradation, American agricul...
-Green plans- are the most effective strategies yet developed for moving from industrial environmental deterioration to postindustrial sustainability. In this definitive overview of green plans today, Huey D. Johnson provides a detailed and accessible examination of their theory, implementation, and performance across the globe, highlighting the challenges and successes of green plans in the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany, the rest of the European Community, and Singapore. Green plans will serve future generations as models of creative...
-Green plans- are the most effective strategies yet developed for moving from industrial environmental deterioration to postindustrial sustainability....
Food and agriculture are in the news daily. Stories in the media highlight issues of abundance, deprivation, pleasure, risk, health, community, and identity. Remaking the North American Food System examines the resurgence of interest in rebuilding the links between agricultural production and food consumption as a way to overcome some of the negative implications of industrial and globalizing trends in the food and agricultural system. Written by a diverse group of scholars and practitioners, the chapters in this volume describe the many efforts throughout North America to craft and sustain...
Food and agriculture are in the news daily. Stories in the media highlight issues of abundance, deprivation, pleasure, risk, health, community, and id...
The Great Plains were once characterized by vast expanses of grass, complex interdependence among species, and dynamic annual changes due to weather, waterways, and fire. It is now generally accepted that less than one percent of the original tallgrass prairie remains. Habitat fragmentation, the loss of natural predator-prey associations, changes in species composition, and various commercial practices continue to threaten grassland biodiversity. Recently scholars and conservationists have discussed opportunities for large-scale restoration projects in the Great Plains, but they have provided...
The Great Plains were once characterized by vast expanses of grass, complex interdependence among species, and dynamic annual changes due to weather, ...
We don t have an energy crisis. We have a consumption crisis. And this book, which takes aim at cherished assumptions regarding energy, offers refreshingly straight talk about what s wrong with the way we think and talk about the problem. Though we generally believe we can solve environmental problems with more energy more solar cells, wind turbines, and biofuels alternative technologies come with their own side effects and limitations. How, for instance, do solar cells cause harm? Why can t engineers solve wind power s biggest obstacle? Why won t contraception solve the problem of...
We don t have an energy crisis. We have a consumption crisis. And this book, which takes aim at cherished assumptions regarding energy, offers refresh...
Living simply isn't always simple. When Alan Boye first lived in sustainable housing, he was young, idealistic, and not much susceptible to compromise--until rattlesnakes, black widow spiders, and loneliness drove him out of the utilities-free yurt he'd built in New Mexico. Thirty-five years later, he decided to try again. This time, with an idealism tempered by experience and practical considerations, Boye and his wife constructed an off-the-grid, energy-efficient, straw bale house in Vermont.
Sustainable Compromises chronicles these two remarkable attempts to live...
Living simply isn't always simple. When Alan Boye first lived in sustainable housing, he was young, idealistic, and not much susceptible to comprom...
In an increasingly commercialized world, the demand for better quality, healthier food has given rise to one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. food system: locally grown food. Many believe that "relocalization" of the food system will provide a range of public benefits, including lower carbon emissions, increased local economic activity, and closer connections between consumers, farmers, and communities. The structure of local food supply chains, however, may not always be capable of generating these perceived benefits.
Growing Local reports the findings from a...
In an increasingly commercialized world, the demand for better quality, healthier food has given rise to one of the fastest growing segments of the...
Provides an environmental history and historical geography that tells the story of human defiance and human commitment within the Ogallala region. It describes the Great Plains' natural resources, the history of settlement and dryland farming, and the remarkable irrigation technologies that have industrialized farming in the region.
Provides an environmental history and historical geography that tells the story of human defiance and human commitment within the Ogallala region. It ...
