%0 Book %A National Research Council %T Lost Crops of Africa: Volume I: Grains %@ 978-0-309-04990-0 %D 1996 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2305/lost-crops-of-africa-volume-i-grains %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2305/lost-crops-of-africa-volume-i-grains %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 408 %X Scenes of starvation have drawn the world's attention to Africa's agricultural and environmental crisis. Some observers question whether this continent can ever hope to feed its growing population. Yet there is an overlooked food resource in sub-Saharan Africa that has vast potential: native food plants. When experts were asked to nominate African food plants for inclusion in a new book, a list of 30 species grew quickly to hundreds. All in all, Africa has more than 2,000 native grains and fruits—"lost" species due for rediscovery and exploitation. This volume focuses on native cereals, including: African rice, reserved until recently as a luxury food for religious rituals. Finger millet, neglected internationally although it is a staple for millions. Fonio (acha), probably the oldest African cereal and sometimes called "hungry rice." Pearl millet, a widely used grain that still holds great untapped potential. Sorghum, with prospects for making the twenty-first century the "century of sorghum." Tef, in many ways ideal but only now enjoying budding commercial production. Other cultivated and wild grains. This readable and engaging book dispels myths, often based on Western bias, about the nutritional value, flavor, and yield of these African grains. Designed as a tool for economic development, the volume is organized with increasing levels of detail to meet the needs of both lay and professional readers. The authors present the available information on where and how each grain is grown, harvested, and processed, and they list its benefits and limitations as a food source. The authors describe "next steps" for increasing the use of each grain, outline research needs, and address issues in building commercial production. Sidebars cover such interesting points as the potential use of gene mapping and other "high-tech" agricultural techniques on these grains. This fact-filled volume will be of great interest to agricultural experts, entrepreneurs, researchers, and individuals concerned about restoring food production, environmental health, and economic opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa. Selection, Newbridge Garden Book Club %0 Book %A National Academy of Sciences %T Biographical Memoirs: Volume 91 %@ 978-0-309-14560-2 %D 2009 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12776/biographical-memoirs-volume-91 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12776/biographical-memoirs-volume-91 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biography and Autobiography %P 388 %X Biographic Memoirs Volume 91 contains the biographies of deceased members of the National Academy of Sciences and bibliographies of their published works. Each biographical essay was written by a member of the Academy familiar with the professional career of the deceased. For historical and bibliographical purposes, these volumes are worth returning to time and again. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia %@ 978-0-309-12494-2 %D 2009 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12455/emerging-technologies-to-benefit-farmers-in-sub-saharan-africa-and-south-asia %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12455/emerging-technologies-to-benefit-farmers-in-sub-saharan-africa-and-south-asia %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %P 292 %X Increased agricultural productivity is a major stepping stone on the path out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, but farmers there face tremendous challenges improving production. Poor soil, inefficient water use, and a lack of access to plant breeding resources, nutritious animal feed, high quality seed, and fuel and electricity-combined with some of the most extreme environmental conditions on Earth-have made yields in crop and animal production far lower in these regions than world averages. Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia identifies sixty emerging technologies with the potential to significantly improve agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Eighteen technologies are recommended for immediate development or further exploration. Scientists from all backgrounds have an opportunity to become involved in bringing these and other technologies to fruition. The opportunities suggested in this book offer new approaches that can synergize with each other and with many other activities to transform agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education in the Field: A Proceedings %@ 978-0-309-04578-0 %D 1991 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1854/sustainable-agriculture-research-and-education-in-the-field-a-proceedings %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1854/sustainable-agriculture-research-and-education-in-the-field-a-proceedings %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %P 448 %X Interest is growing in sustainable agriculture, which involves the use of productive and profitable farming practices that take advantage of natural biological processes to conserve resources, reduce inputs, protect the environment, and enhance public health. Continuing research is helping to demonstrate the ways that many factors—economics, biology, policy, and tradition—interact in sustainable agriculture systems. This book contains the proceedings of a workshop on the findings of a broad range of research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The areas of study, such as integrated pest management, alternative cropping and tillage systems, and comparisons with more conventional approaches, are essential to developing and adopting profitable and sustainable farming systems. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits %@ 978-0-309-10596-5 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11879/lost-crops-of-africa-volume-iii-fruits %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11879/lost-crops-of-africa-volume-iii-fruits %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 380 %X This book is the third in a series evaluating underexploited African plant resources that could help broaden and secure Africa's food supply. The volume describes 24 little-known indigenous African cultivated and wild fruits that have potential as food- and cash-crops but are typically overlooked by scientists, policymakers, and the world at large. The book assesses the potential of each fruit to help overcome malnutrition, boost food security, foster rural development, and create sustainable landcare in Africa. Each fruit is also described in a separate chapter, based on information provided and assessed by experts throughout the world. Volume I describes African grains and Volume II African vegetables. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Neem: A Tree for Solving Global Problems %@ 978-0-309-04686-2 %D 1992 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1924/neem-a-tree-for-solving-global-problems %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1924/neem-a-tree-for-solving-global-problems %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 152 %X The neem tree, one of the most promising of all plants, may eventually benefit every person on the planet. Probably no other plant yields as many varied products or has as many exploitable by-products. Indeed, as foreseen by some scientists, this tree may usher in a new era in pest control; provide millions with inexpensive medicines; cut the rate of population growth; and perhaps even reduce erosion, deforestation, and the excessive temperature of an overheated globe. On the other hand, although the enthusiasm may be justified, it is largely founded on exploratory investigations and empirical and anecdotal evidence. The purpose of this book is to marshal the various facts about this little-known species, to help illuminate its future promise, and to speed realization of its potential. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Saline Agriculture: Salt-Tolerant Plants for Developing Countries %@ 978-0-309-04189-8 %D 1990 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1489/saline-agriculture-salt-tolerant-plants-for-developing-countries %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1489/saline-agriculture-salt-tolerant-plants-for-developing-countries %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %P 152 %X %0 Book %T (NAS Colloquium) Genetics and the Origin of Species: From Darwin to Molecular Biology 60 Years After Dobzhansky %D 1997 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5923/nas-colloquium-genetics-and-the-origin-of-species-from-darwin %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5923/nas-colloquium-genetics-and-the-origin-of-species-from-darwin %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 121 %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Applications of Biotechnology in Traditional Fermented Foods %@ 978-0-309-04685-5 %D 1992 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1939/applications-of-biotechnology-in-traditional-fermented-foods %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1939/applications-of-biotechnology-in-traditional-fermented-foods %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Food and Nutrition %P 208 %X In developing countries, traditional fermentation serves many purposes. It can improve the taste of an otherwise bland food, enhance the digestibility of a food that is difficult to assimilate, preserve food from degradation by noxious organisms, and increase nutritional value through the synthesis of essential amino acids and vitamins. Although "fermented food" has a vaguely distasteful ring, bread, wine, cheese, and yogurt are all familiar fermented foods. Less familiar are gari, ogi, idli, ugba, and other relatively unstudied but important foods in some African and Asian countries. This book reports on current research to improve the safety and nutrition of these foods through an elucidation of the microorganisms and mechanisms involved in their production. Also included are recommendations for needed research. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Toward Sustainability: A Plan for Collaborative Research on Agriculture and Natural Resource Management %@ 978-0-309-04540-7 %D 1991 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1822/toward-sustainability-a-plan-for-collaborative-research-on-agriculture-and %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1822/toward-sustainability-a-plan-for-collaborative-research-on-agriculture-and %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 164 %X Toward Sustainability recommends a design for a new Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) for the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID). Currently, eight CRSPs operate under legislation that supports long-term agricultural research of benefit to developing countries and the United States. This book defines a process by which knowledge from all relevant AID-supported programs could be integrated and applied to advance profitable farming systems that improve local conditions and contribute to environmental goals. It makes recommendations on the types of competitive grants that should be made available under a new program, institutional participation, content of research proposals, and administrative procedures. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Achievements of the National Plant Genome Initiative and New Horizons in Plant Biology %@ 978-0-309-11418-9 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12054/achievements-of-the-national-plant-genome-initiative-and-new-horizons-in-plant-biology %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12054/achievements-of-the-national-plant-genome-initiative-and-new-horizons-in-plant-biology %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Agriculture %P 182 %X Life on Earth would be impossible without plants. Humans rely on plants for most clothing, furniture, food, as well as for many pharmaceuticals and other products. Plant genome sciences are essential to understanding how plants function and how to develop desirable plant characteristics. For example, plant genomic science can contribute to the development of plants that are drought-resistant, those that require less fertilizer, and those that are optimized for conversion to fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. The National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) is a unique, cross-agency funding enterprise that has been funding and coordinating plant genome research successfully for nine years. Research breakthroughs from NPGI and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Arabidopsis 2010 Project, such as how the plant immune system controls pathogen defense, demonstrate that the plant genome science community is vibrant and capable of driving technological advancement. This book from the National Research Council concludes that these programs should continue so that applied programs on agriculture, bioenergy, and others will always be built on a strong foundation of fundamental plant biology research. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System %@ 978-0-309-04390-8 %D 1991 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1583/the-us-national-plant-germplasm-system %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1583/the-us-national-plant-germplasm-system %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 196 %X In the United States, the critical task of preserving our plant genetic resources is the responsibility of the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). NPGS undergoes a thorough analysis in this book, which offers wide-ranging recommendations for equipping the agency to better meet U.S. needs—and lead international conservation efforts. The book outlines the importance and status of plant genetic conservation and evaluates NPGS's multifaceted operations. Two options for revamping NPGS within the U.S. Department of Agriculture are included. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Field Testing Genetically Modified Organisms: Framework for Decisions %@ 978-0-309-04076-1 %D 1989 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1431/field-testing-genetically-modified-organisms-framework-for-decisions %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1431/field-testing-genetically-modified-organisms-framework-for-decisions %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 184 %X Potential benefits from the use of genetically modified organisms—such as bacteria that biodegrade environmental pollutants—are enormous. To minimize the risks of releasing such organisms into the environment, regulators are working to develop rational safeguards. This volume provides a comprehensive examination of the issues surrounding testing these organisms in the laboratory or the field and a practical framework for making decisions about organism release. Beginning with a discussion of classical versus molecular techniques for genetic alteration, the volume is divided into major sections for plants and microorganisms and covers the characteristics of altered organisms, past experience with releases, and such specific issues as whether plant introductions could promote weediness. The executive summary presents major conclusions and outlines the recommended decision-making framework. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Vetiver Grass: A Thin Green Line Against Erosion %@ 978-0-309-04269-7 %D 1993 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2077/vetiver-grass-a-thin-green-line-against-erosion %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2077/vetiver-grass-a-thin-green-line-against-erosion %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %P 188 %X For developing nations, soil erosion is among the most chronic environmental and economic burdens. Vast amounts of topsoil are washed or blown away from arable land only to accumulate in rivers, reservoirs, harbors, and estuaries, thereby creating a double disaster: a vital resource disappears from where it is desperately needed and is deposited where it is equally unwanted. Despite much rhetoric and effort, little has been done to overcome this problem. Vetiver, a little-known tropical grass, offers one practical and inexpensive way to control erosion on a huge scale in both humid and semi-arid regions. Hedges of this deeply rooted species catch and hold back sediments while the stiff foliage acts as a filter that also slows runoff and keeps moisture on site. This book assesses vetiver's promise and limitations and identifies places where this grass can be deployed without undue environmental risk. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects %@ 978-0-309-43738-7 %D 2016 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23395/genetically-engineered-crops-experiences-and-prospects %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23395/genetically-engineered-crops-experiences-and-prospects %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Agriculture %P 606 %X Genetically engineered (GE) crops were first introduced commercially in the 1990s. After two decades of production, some groups and individuals remain critical of the technology based on their concerns about possible adverse effects on human health, the environment, and ethical considerations. At the same time, others are concerned that the technology is not reaching its potential to improve human health and the environment because of stringent regulations and reduced public funding to develop products offering more benefits to society. While the debate about these and other questions related to the genetic engineering techniques of the first 20 years goes on, emerging genetic-engineering technologies are adding new complexities to the conversation. Genetically Engineered Crops builds on previous related Academies reports published between 1987 and 2010 by undertaking a retrospective examination of the purported positive and adverse effects of GE crops and to anticipate what emerging genetic-engineering technologies hold for the future. This report indicates where there are uncertainties about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other impacts of GE crops and food, and makes recommendations to fill gaps in safety assessments, increase regulatory clarity, and improve innovations in and access to GE technology. %0 Book %A National Academy of Sciences %E Strassmann, Joan E. %E Queller, David C. %E Avise, John C. %E Ayala, Francisco J. %T In the Light of Evolution: Volume V: Cooperation and Conflict %@ 978-0-309-21836-8 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13223/in-the-light-of-evolution-volume-v-cooperation-and-conflict %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13223/in-the-light-of-evolution-volume-v-cooperation-and-conflict %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 466 %X Biodiversity--the genetic variety of life--is an exuberant product of the evolutionary past, a vast human-supportive resource (aesthetic, intellectual, and material) of the present, and a rich legacy to cherish and preserve for the future. Two urgent challenges, and opportunities, for 21st-century science are to gain deeper insights into the evolutionary processes that foster biotic diversity, and to translate that understanding into workable solutions for the regional and global crises that biodiversity currently faces. A grasp of evolutionary principles and processes is important in other societal arenas as well, such as education, medicine, sociology, and other applied fields including agriculture, pharmacology, and biotechnology. The ramifications of evolutionary thought also extend into learned realms traditionally reserved for philosophy and religion. The central goal of the In the Light of Evolution (ILE) series is to promote the evolutionary sciences through state-of-the-art colloquia--in the series of Arthur M. Sackler colloquia sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences--and their published proceedings. Each installment explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. This book is the outgrowth of the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium "Cooperation and Conflict," which was sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences on January 7-8, 2011, at the Academy's Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California. It is the fifth in a series of colloquia under the general title "In the Light of Evolution." The current volume explores recent developments in the study of cooperation and conflict, ranging from the level of the gene to societies and symbioses. Humans can be vicious, but paradoxically we are also among nature's great cooperators. Even our great conflicts-wars-are extremely cooperative endeavors on each side. Some of this cooperation is best understood culturally, but we are also products of evolution, with bodies, brains, and behaviors molded by natural selection. How cooperation evolves has been one of the big questions in evolutionary biology, and how it pays or does not pay is a great intellectual puzzle. The puzzle of cooperation was the dominant theme of research in the early years of Darwin's research, whereas recent work has emphasized its importance and ubiquity. Far from being a rare trait shown by social insects and a few others, cooperation is both widespread taxonomically and essential to life. The depth of research on cooperation and conflict has increased greatly, most notably in the direction of small organisms. Although most of In the Light of Evolution V: Cooperation and Conflict is about the new topics that are being treated as part of social evolution, such as genes, microbes, and medicine, the old fundamental subjects still matter and remain the object of vigorous research. The first four chapters revisit some of these standard arenas, including social insects, cooperatively breeding birds, mutualisms, and how to model social evolution. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Alternative Agriculture %@ 978-0-309-03985-7 %D 1989 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1208/alternative-agriculture %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1208/alternative-agriculture %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %P 464 %X More and more farmers are adopting a diverse range of alternative practices designed to reduce dependence on synthetic chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and antibiotics; cut costs; increase profits; and reduce the adverse environmental consequences of agricultural production. Alternative Agriculture describes the increased use of these new practices and other changes in agriculture since World War II, and examines the role of federal policy in encouraging this evolution, as well as factors that are causing farmers to look for profitable, environmentally safe alternatives. Eleven case studies explore how alternative farming methods have been adopted—and with what economic results—on farms of various sizes from California to Pennsylvania. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Biological Confinement of Genetically Engineered Organisms %@ 978-0-309-09085-8 %D 2004 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10880/biological-confinement-of-genetically-engineered-organisms %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10880/biological-confinement-of-genetically-engineered-organisms %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Agriculture %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 276 %X Genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) have been under development for more than 20 years while GE crops have been grown commercially during the last decade. During this time, a number of questions have cropped up concerning the potential consequences that certain GEOs might have on natural or managed ecosystems and human health. Interest in developing methods to confine some GEOs and their transgenes to specifically designated release settings has increased and the success of these efforts could facilitate the continued growth and development of this technology. Biological Confinement of Genetically Engineered Organisms examines biological methods that may be used with genetically engineered plants, animals, microbes, and fungi. Bioconfinement methods have been applied successfully to a few non-engineered organisms, but many promising techniques remain in the conceptual and experimental stages of development. This book reviews and evaluates these methods, discusses when and why to consider their use, and assesses how effectively they offer a significant reduction of the risks engineered organisms can present to the environment. Interdisciplinary research to develop new confinement methods could find ways to minimize the potential for unintended effects on human health and the environment. Need for this type of research is clear and successful methods could prove helpful in promoting regulatory approval for commercialization of future genetically engineered organisms. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Fat Content and Composition of Animal Products: Proceedings of a Symposium %@ 978-0-309-02440-2 %D 1976 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/22/fat-content-and-composition-of-animal-products-proceedings-of-a %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/22/fat-content-and-composition-of-animal-products-proceedings-of-a %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %P 245 %0 Book %T Investigation of the Scientific and Economic Relations of the Sorghum Sugar Industry: Being a Report Made in Response to a Request From the Hon. George B. Loring %D 1883 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18454/investigation-of-the-scientific-and-economic-relations-of-the-sorghum-sugar-industry %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18454/investigation-of-the-scientific-and-economic-relations-of-the-sorghum-sugar-industry %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %P 157 %X Sorghum is a plant that for many years has been used in the United States in an attempt to produce sugar. For over 25 years sorghum had been used to create syrup and it was believed that it sorghum would become a vital source of cane-sugar. Despite attempts, sorghum did not produce enough sugar to be of worth commercially. On January 30, 1882 the United States Commissioner of Agriculture of the Department of Agriculture, Hon. George B. Loring, requested that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) review "the sorghum question"; that is the sugar-producing value of sorghum. Investigation of the Scientific and Economic Relations of the Sorghum Sugar Industry presents the NAS sorghum Committee's results following its investigation into the matter. The report includes the findings of the committee, the failures and success of producing sugar from sorghum, letters of transmittal, and more.