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Only once we understand the long history of human efforts to draw sustenance from the land can we grasp the nature of the crisis that faces humankind today, as hundreds of millions of people are faced with famine or flight from the land.From Neolithic times through the earliest civilizations of the ancient Near East, in savannahs, river valleys and the terraces created by the Incas in the Andean mountains, an increasing range of agricultural techniques have developed in response to very different conditions. These developments are recounted in this book, with detailed attention to the ways in which plants, animals, soil, climate, and society have interacted.

Mazoyer and Roudart's A History of World Agriculture is a path-breaking and panoramic work, beginning with the emergence of agriculture after thousands of years in which human societies had depended on hunting and gathering, showing how agricultural techniques developed in the different regions of the world, and how this extraordinary wealth of knowledge, tradition and natural variety is endangered today by global capitialism, as it forces the unequal agrarian heritages of the world to conform to the norms of profit.

During the twentieth century, mechanization, motorization and specialization have brought to a halt the pattern of cultural and environmental responses that characterized the global history of agriculture until then.Today a small number of corporations have the capacity to impose the farming methods on the planet that they find most profitable.Mazoyer and Roudart propose an alternative global strategy that can safegaurd the economies of the poor countries, reinvigorate the global economy, and create a livable future for mankind.

Customer Reviews (2)

Systematic Review of Agricultural Systems
I must say in brief that I disagree with the comment that denigrates the book because it does not cover the history of world agriculture in a complete matter.Though I am only a student of the subject, I would say this book is a systematic overview of the development of agriculture.To quote from the book (p. 21) "...one is not able to analyze a given agricultural system, formulate a diagnostic, and propose projects and policies of development without being grounded in a systematic knowledge of the organization, functioning, and dynamics of different sorts of agricultural systems.
This book attempts to build this type of knowledge, under the synthesized form of a theory of historical transformations and geographical differentiations of agrarian systems. ..."

The book covers agriculture as agricultural systems and not necessarily as specific manifestations.The chapters are roughly (and not completely) described as follows (p. 25):the second chapter recounts the origins of agriculture in the Neolithic epoch , third systems of slash and burn, fourth hydraulic agrarian systems in arid regions, fifth Inca (terraced) agrarian system, sixth animal drawn systems based on the ard, fallowing & accompanying animal herding in temperate regions of Europe, seventh animal drawn cultivation based on plow, fallowing, and accompanying animal herding in the cold temperate regions, eighth animal drawn cultivation using plow and without fallowing, ninth mechanization of animal traction and transport and ten being the motorized, mechanized specialized systems using mineral fertilizers.
Not being an expert in the subject, there may be other systems of agriculture not included that I don't know about.But it is a well-written book and is systematic.If one likes that approach, it is well worth to at least look it through if you can get access to it.

Also of note, there is a recommendation on the back of the book by Samir Amin, and, if you are appreciative of Amin's writings, then I think that you would like this book.

misleading title
This book is not a history of "world" agriculture.It is rather an idiosyncratic history of agriculture in Western Europe, with a few peripheral discussions of some odd non-European topics.

It has a chapter on Inca agriculture and political structure, but extremely minimal discussion of any other precolumbian American systems (Aztecs, North American, etc.)It has a chapter on Egypt - which strictly speaking in antiquity is part of the West - but this chapter goes all the way up to the late 20th century!Yet he does not have any discussion of the Arab agricultural revolution, which has been well documented by American and other scholars.

Most problematic is that the book does not have any significant discussion of the history of the main agrarian societies in world history -- China and India.China at least needed a chapter, all it gets is a few passages or mentions, and India even less.

In general, the few sources he cites are almost all French.While there are certainly good scholars in France, this author's source base is clearly too narrow to allow him to be aware of recent developments in scholarship outside his own country and language and the new directions and priorities in research.

The way the book was written is also problematic.The author issues judgments about particular periods as though his evaluations of them are final and obvious, when in fact scholarly views about the conditions and social relations he describes are by no means definite and remain matters of dispute.In such a large book he should have been able to find some space to acknowledge uncertainties and alternative viewpoints.

The book is long and does have some valuable information on many points.But it is definitely not the book that its title claims it to be. ... Read more

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In the tradition of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, this gives the very early history of how human ingenuity overcame the risk of famine through productive agriculture.Starting with a layman's guide to the chemistry of nitrogen fixation, the book goes on to show how humans emerged from nomadic lifestyles and began developing towns and settlements.When they for the first time began planting the same fields year after year, they noticed quickly the need to ensure soil fertility.But how?The method they came up with is stillin use to this day. ... Read more

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An important subject
This is an iconoclastic telling of the story of what we knew about nitrogen and when we knew it. The author tells the story of the development of the undrestanding of plant nutrition in farming, starting as far back as possible and traveling up to the modern industry of making fertilizer and explosives.
The information is entertainingly presented, but the authors quirks of presentation sometime overcome the information. Important for anyone who wants to understand the development of agriculture in history. ... Read more

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Anyone who travels California's byways sees the many faces of agriculture. A huge entwined business, farming and ranching are the state's dominant land use. Yet few Californians understand what animals and crops are raised or how agriculture reflects our relationship with nature. This fascinating and gorgeously illustrated field guide gathers essential information about agriculture and its environmental context, and answers the perennial question posed by California travelers: "What is that, and why is it growing here?" Paul F. Starrs's lively text explores the full range of the state's agriculture, deftly balancing agribusiness triumphalism with the pride of boutique producers, sketching meanwhile the darker shadows that can envelop California farming. Documented with diverse maps and Peter Goin's insightful photographs, A Field Guide to California Agriculture captures the industry's energy and ingenuity and its wildly diverse iconography, from the mysteries of forbidden crops (like marijuana) to the majesties of scale in food production. ... Read more

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A marriage of brains and beauty that cannot be missed.
It should be noted that I am not necessarily a marriage advocate, but in the case of academic writing I have found that the ability to inculcate said texts with a pleasing aesthetic and inspiring rhetoric seems a lost art, somewhat akin to the romantic and private notion of the marriages of yore. Overwhelmed these days with quickie marriages (and divorces and remarriages) we have lost the sense of a purposeful and intentional union of the best that two (or more, I lay no moral boundaries) parties have to offer, most obviously in the area of the academic press. And so, thank goodness for academics like Paul Starr and Peter Goin who are able to produce a perfect combination of the quantitative and the qualitative in a field guide that will satisfy the most technical of the nature lovers to the most romantic.

The Field Guide to California Agriculture serves the purpose of its title in more ways than I can (or need to) enumerate here, especially as I am not in the general category of 'field guide' aficionados. However, I am a geographer and as such I am innately interested in (possibly more accurately described as fascinated by) the relationship between our landscapes and their inhabitants. This text, through elegant - and even cheeky suggestiveness on occasion - is uniquely informative about the nature of California's agricultural tradition(s) and the state of the State, as it were. As a native (and likely overly proud) Californian, the Guide's historical overview is fascinating, if you can get past the color coded index of which even Edward Tufte might feel pangs of envy. The dynamic nature of California's agricultural legacy and the contemporary issues surrounding the industry in both macro- and micro- terms are presented through brilliant writing and complemented by Peter Goin's stunning photography. And let me not neglect to mention the maps - oh cartography, you make me weak in the knees... The maps in the Guide offer myriad ways to contextualize and apply the information within as well as allow for the curious among us to plan any number of road trips to appreciate the diversity that these authors have managed to bring to life in beautiful form.

As an encyclopedic reference, the book is comprehensive and user-friendly. For anyone who eats, cooks, appreciates or even considers the beauty of food, this book will sate even the most ravenous appetite. I have found myself looking through this book again and again as I sit surrounded by the (beautiful) urban milieu of San Francisco, reminding me of the inherently interconnected nature of the land we occupy and the shape of things to come for us as human consumers, protectors and observers of this amazing geographical space that is California.

Geographical Masterpiece
In their Field Guide to California Agriculture, geographer Paul F. Starrs and photographer Peter Goin have devised a new genre of writing. The book's title hardly does it justice, as the "field guide" that it encompasses is embedded in a comprehensive, erudite, and eloquent disquisition on the history, economics, sociology and - above all - geography of agricultural production in what is arguably the world's top farming location. It is, in a word, a masterpiece - one that should appeal equally to a broad public audience and to academic experts. The authors have an uncanny ability to hone in on topics of interest and significance, conveying their importance with precision and wit. Their book is both immensely informative and unfailingly entertaining.

Thanks in good part to the University of California Press, field guides have been evolving in recent years. Starrs and Goin, however, have taken the genre to a new completely new level, in both a scholarly and literary sense. To be sure, the book fulfills all of the necessary functions of the traditional field guide, aiding readers in crop and animal identification. Distinguishing features are listed for each entry, and an eight-page "agricultural product identification" guide provides a useful overview. If one is wondering, for example, whether an orchard contains walnut trees, guidelines are provided. As the walnut entry on page 216 puts it: "The utterly distinctive graft line where the English walnut slip was grafted onto a native black walnut rootstock ... shows 6 to 24 inches above the ground: an instantaneous sign that this is a walnut..." But as is typical for the book, the key to walnut identification does not conclude so prosaically. Instead, the paragraph ends with an evocative tag: "The cicatrice is signature." One does not generally turn to field guides for stylistic grace, but Starrs' writing is at once eloquent and playful. One gets the impression that he had a great deal of fun writing the book, and his enthusiasm can be infectious.

The Field Guide to California Agriculture covers a staggering array of crops and livestock, from bok choi to oysters to cannabis. Each entry covers economic significance, spatial distribution, historical background, and issues of labor demand and farm management. The photos are plentiful and the maps are sharp. California's share of the national harvest is duly noted for each entry, as is the market value. Obtaining the relevant numbers required considerable sleuthing for some crops. The marijuana entry is one of the most detailed in the book, as befits a crop that may well be worth more than all other California agricultural products combined. It is to Starrs and Goin's credit that they tackle the issue head-on, writing about it with knowledge and verve.

The Field Guide to California Agriculture is divided into four main sections. The largest is an encyclopedia of crops and livestock, forming the field guide proper. The volume begins with a 70-page historical overview, and concludes with a similarly comprehensive essay on agricultural regions. These book-ends could together form a book on their own. The second section is a luscious photographical gallery aptly titled, "The Paradox and Poetics of Agriculture." With enlargements and additions, it too could stand alone. Packaged together with the individual crop entries, they add up to a tour de force. ... Read more

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Essential Part of American History
Best one volume history of American agriculture by dean of American agricultural historians; much superior to Danbom, Born in the County, which attempts a similar brief summary.Good bibliographies of additional readings.Although America was primarily an agricultual county for 250 years, most conventional histories ignore this fact.This book supply an essential missing dimentsion, although the reader still has to do a good deal of work to relate it to political,cultural, and economic history that was going on at the same time. ... Read more

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Born in the Country was the first -- and is still the only -- general history of rural America published. Ranging from pre-Columbian times to the enormous changes of the twentieth century, Born in the Country masterfully integrates agricultural, technological, and economic themes with new questions social historians have raised about the American experience -- including the different experiences of whites and blacks, men and women, natives and new immigrants.

In this second edition, David B. Danbom expands and deepens his coverage of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, focusing on the changes in agriculture and rural life since 1945. He discusses the alarming decline of agriculture as a productive enterprise and the parallel disintegration of farm families into demographic insignificance. In a new and provocative afterword, Danbom reflects on whether a distinctive style of rural life exists any longer.

Combining mastery of existing scholarship with a fresh approach to new material, Born in the Country continues to define the field of American rural history.

Customer Reviews (2)

Any college-level holding strong in American or rural history must have this.
The second updated edition of BORN IN THE COUNTRY: A HISTORY OF RURAL AMERICA remains the only general history of rural America in print, covering changes from pre-Columbian to modern times and blending both agricultural, technological and economic themes with ethnic, cultural and social analysis. This second edition expands the coverage on the late 20th and early 21st centuries and traces changes in country living: any college-level holding strong in American or rural history must have this.

Excellent overview of a sparsely treated subject
Few books exist on the social history of rural america.Danbom's work is by far the best on the subject that I have seen, and should be read by anyone interested in close relationship between agriculture and ruralsociety throughout much of our nation's history.Danbom covers thecolonial period through the latest farm crisis of the '80s with consistentskill and erudition.He concentrates on the way economics, government, andsocial movements affected the people who were actually working the land. In this area his work offers a unique perspective in contrast to otheragricultural histories that focus exclusively on economics andpolitics.

My main criticism is that Danbom is somewhat niggardly in hisdocumentation.A work of this complexity needs footnotes, and there areonly sparse notes at the end of the book and a brief bibliography.Much ofDanbom's interesting evidence is not cited, which is a great nuisance ifone is using the book for research purposes.

A general reader will notfind this failing to be a problem, however; and it does not challenge thisbook's standing as the best introduction to the history of rural America. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: History / General; Technology ... Read more

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The Art of Agriculture is the first English edition of Obra de Agricultura by Gabriel Alonso de Herrera, an agriculture instruction manual originally written in Granada, Spain, in 1513 and published there in 1539. Herrera, widely considered the Father of Modern Spanish Agriculture, wrote this treatise nearly five centuries ago, thoughtfully recounting traditional farming techniques of the Moors before their expulsion from Spain, the Spanish colonizers in the early 1600s, and the rural Indo-Hispano bioregion spanning northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

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Insights into traditional farming techniques of the Moors
It'd be tempting to place this survey under 'Home and Garden' for this review - but really, ANCIENT AGRICULTURE: ROOTS AND APPLICATION OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING deserves so much more. It'll reach an audience of farmers, gardeners, and history buffs with the first English translation of Obra de Agricultura, offering an early agricultural instruction manual originally written in Spain in 1513 - and holding importance for modern times. Here are insights into traditional farming techniques of the Moors before their expulsion from Spain: techniques which hold surprising relevance to modern farmers facing global warming and water shortages.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

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At a time when food is becoming increasingly scarce in many parts of the world and food prices are skyrocketing, no industry is more important than agriculture. Humans have been farming for thousands of years, and yet agriculture has undergone more fundamental changes in the past 80 years than in the previous several centuries. In 1900, 30 million American farmers tilled the soil or tended livestock; today there are fewer than 4.5 million farmers who feed a population four times larger than it was at the beginning of the century. Fifty years ago, the planet could not have sustained a population of 6.5 billion; now, commercial and industrial agriculture ensure that millions will not die from starvation. Farmers are able to feed an exponentially growing planet because the greatest industrial revolution in history has occurred in agriculture since 1929, with U.S. farmers leading the way. Productivity on American farms has increased tenfold, even as most small farmers and tenants have been forced to find other work. Today, only 300,000 farms produce approximately ninety percent of the total output, and overproduction, largely subsidized by government programs and policies, has become the hallmark of modern agriculture. A Revolution Down on the Farm: The Transformation of American Agriculture since 1929 charts the profound changes in farming that have occurred during author Paul K. Conkin's lifetime. His personal experiences growing up on a small Tennessee farm complement compelling statistical data as he explores America's vast agricultural transformation and considers its social, political, and economic consequences. He examines the history of American agriculture, showing how New Deal innovations evolved into convoluted commodity programs following World War II. Conkin assesses the skills, new technologies, and government policies that helped transform farming in America and suggests how new legislation might affect farming in decades to come. Although the increased production and mechanization of farming has been an economic success story for Americans, the costs are becoming increasingly apparent. Small farmers are put out of business when they cannot compete with giant, non-diversified corporate farms. Caged chickens and hogs in factory-like facilities or confined dairy cattle require massive amounts of chemicals and hormones ultimately ingested by consumers. Fertilizers, new organic chemicals, manure disposal, and genetically modified seeds have introduced environmental problems that are still being discovered. A Revolution Down on the Farm concludes with an evaluation of farming in the twenty-first century and a distinctive meditation on alternatives to our present large scale, mechanized, subsidized, and fossil fuel and chemically dependent system.

Customer Reviews (5)

Wonderful
A deep and inviting look into why the American agriculture system looks the way it does. While much more prosaic in approach and not as revolutionary as the writings of Wendell Berry, by looking at the facts Conkin draws the same conclusions, problems, and solutions that we as Americans face in both our Agriculture and Culture.

Well organized and very interesting
I found this book to be a complete view of farming and offered information on the history of farming and the laws which affect it, as well as the current application of federal regulations. Highly recommended for anyone in agriculture or farming.

Critical of American agriculture?This is how we got here. . .
As Americans grow more concerned about where their food comes from, it is important to understand how our current agricultural system developed.Paul Conkin's "A Revolution Down on the Farm," a history of American agriculture since the Great Depression, provides an excellent account.

According to Conkin, new technologies allowed American agriculture to experience tremendous productivity increases after World War II.While population has grown since World War II, agricultural productivity has grown even more.The upshot of this is less hunger in the world; on the other hand, the supply of agricultural products usually far exceeds demand, as farmers (for some reason) are exceedingly bad at responding to price signals.

Conkin then explores policymakers' efforts to address this supply-demand imbalance and assure farmers a decent income.Remarkably, he provides a readily comprehensible account of America's various farm bills and the measures they have employed to reduce crop acreage and keep farm incomes up.Ultimately, however, technological advances outweighed the acreage reductions, pushing profit margins down and requiring many farmers to "get big" to stay in business.

Conkin's clear history is augmented by personal recollections of his childhood on a small farm in eastern Tennessee.He also provides his own assessment of American agriculture at the end of the book.While Conkin clearly admires the productivity of modern agriculture, he also laments its human and environmental effects.

"A Revolution Down on the Farm" is a compelling read; I highly recommend it.

Interesting
Very interesting to read how the farm and rural areas have changed throughout the years.

A comparison with today's financial crisis.
The book is clearly written.Readers should compare the crises in agriculture and the actions of government in the 1930's with today's financial crisis and especially how today's government is trying to deal with the financial crisis. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1916.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Slavery
Great book!Scary when you receive it as it's large & heavy; but, much is in notes, abbreviations, & the index (from page 629 to page 904).Heavy reading so don't plan to ingest this overnight for a report due the next week.A great narrative, well done & tons of info. ... Read more

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Depending on who is telling it, the history of Euro-American farmers on the Great Plains has been a story of either agricultural triumph or ecological failure—an optimistic tale of taming nature for human purposes or a dire account of disrupting nature and suffering the environmental consequences.

In On the Great Plains, author Geoff Cunfer poses an alternative scenario: that people were not the masters of nature on the Great Plains. Land use in America's vast interior prairies has stayed remarkably stable throughout the twentieth century, changing little as droughts came and went, as farmers shifted from horses to tractors, and as federal subsidies and fluctuating crop prices transformed the economics of farming. An equilibrium between natural and human forces emerged as farmers plowed and planted the same amount of cropland during most of this period, maintaining two-thirds of the Great Plains in unplowed, native vegetation.

To support his theory, Cunfer looks at the entire Great Plains (450 counties in ten states), tapping historical agricultural census data paired with GIS mapping to illuminate land use on the Great Plains over 130 years. Coupled with several community and family case studies, this database allows Cunfer to reassess the interaction between farmers and nature in the Great Plains agricultural landscape. ... Read more

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Essays in Natural History and Agriculture is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Thomas Garnett is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Thomas Garnett then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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A New South Hunt Club tells the story of a time, a place, and a way of life that should not be forgotten. Author Richard Rankin conducted personal interviews and sought out papers and photographs from private and company archives to compile this entertaining and eye-catching account of the Hilton Head Agricultural Society. ... Read more

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Cooper examines the critical decades of transition from a slave-based plantation system in East Africa to a colonial economy based on wage labor. ... Read more

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Discusses agricultural technology in various cultures from the Stone Age to 476 A.D., including China, Egypt, Mesoamerica, and Greece. ... Read more