Charles A. Francis, Raymond P. Poincelot, George W. Bird (Editors)
Haworth Food & Agricultural Products Press, Binghampton, NY
2006; 368pgs
ISBN: 1-56022-331-6
$73.95 (soft)

Despite the increasing trends in chemical applications that afflict agricultural production systems throughout the world, pests continue to thrive.  The recent increase in acreage devoted to low-input, sustainable, and organic production systems often enhance biodiversity, and concomitant with this increase is a reduction in pesticide applications.  This concept provides the central basis of Developing and Extending Sustainable Agriculture: A New Social Contract, an edited volume that encompasses the necessary framework to develop a program of sustainable agriculture that is not only viable from a scientific standpoint, but also from a practical and economic point of view.  Therefore, given the drive towards reducing chemical inputs and increasing the sustainability of agricultural production systems throughout the world, this timely publication provides unique insight and fills a major gap in the development of such programs.

Charles Francis, Raymond Poincelot, and George Bird (editors) have formulated a framework that draws on sustainable agricultural practices that, while being regionally specific (the book focuses on the United States, and almost exclusively on the North Central Region), provide the conceptual basis for the development of crop, soil, and livestock production systems elsewhere. Indeed, because sustainable agriculture has received so much attention in recent years, and research opportunities continue to be promoted within these areas, it seems likely that the directional focus of the book (i.e., agricultural sustainability) will set the foundation for future integration of research and extension. However, the book goes much further by incorporating chapters pertaining to the complex issues surrounding economic reliance (and productivity) on sustainable agricultural production systems, educational opportunities for the promotion of these approaches, and recommendations for future directions of agriculture. The book benefits from being replete with practical examples, making the material readily accessible to a broad audience, and will provide sufficient information for educational, as well as practical, endeavors in sustainable agriculture.

The book is divided into sixteen chapters that address highly diverse topics, but it successfully integrates these in a way to synthesize a series of focal concepts and ideas. Understandably, the identification and discussion of approaches that promote sustainability take a prominent role; there is in-depth coverage of integrated pest management, soil management and practices associated with promoting soil quality, the ecological context of grazing in relation to sustainability, and the recognition of the importance of whole-farm planning to the successful implementation of integrative approaches in agriculture. These chapters, drawing on examples from the North Central Region of the United States, provide the background to the remaining focus of the book.

What is most apparent is that as we develop “a new social contract” in farming and identify areas in need of improvement, there is an underlying need for a conceptual synthesis of information across disciplines. This book further develops an integrative approach to sustainable agriculture and provides extensive coverage of topics as diverse as agricultural economics (with obvious focus on sustainable agriculture) and the role of universities in promoting sustainable aspects of agricultural production. Furthermore, outreach opportunities and workshops, both of which educate a wider audience as to the role of sustainability in agriculture, and the understanding of the importance of research funding, are discussed in detail. The wealth of information presented here is synthesized in a coherent manner that will provide essential reading for a broad spectrum of students, educators, researchers and extension agents, all interested in the future of farming and providing a sustainable future for our agricultural community.

In conclusion, this is a very readable book that covers an aspect of agricultural production of ongoing (and likely increasing) importance. Only time will tell whether future funding will continue promoting sustainable agriculture, as was the case in the 1990 Farm Bill that established the Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education Program (SARE). However, the cases made by authors of chapters throughout this book are strong. Ultimately, it is this integration of research, extension, economics, and outreach that provides the strongest case for sustainable agriculture – ideas that resonate throughout Developing and Extending Sustainable Agriculture.

James D. Harwood
Department of Entomology
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
e-mail: James.Harwood@uky.edu
  

American Entomologist
Vol. 55, No. 2, Summer 2009