From jdaliparthy@pssci.umass.eduThu Oct 19 22:19:33 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 13:37:32 -0400
From: jay Daliparthy <jdaliparthy@pssci.umass.edu>
To: manderso@emerald.tufts.edu, sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Cc: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Subject: re:agroecology text books

 Dear Anderson:

I would like to add a few books more to couple of reply's
you have already received.

Soil Ecology (related book) by ken Killham, Cambridge Univ. Press Publication.

Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture by
Miguel A. Altieri.  Westview Publications.

Sustainable Agricultural Systems (related interesting book),
(Eds.)C.A.Edwards, Lal,Madden, Miller and House, Soil & Water Conservation
Society.

Good luck with your course.

Jay Daliparthy, Ph.D.
Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences
Bowditch Hall
Univ. of Massachusetts
Amherst MA 01003

Ph: (413) 545 1843
Fax: (413) 545 0260

From manderso@emerald.tufts.eduThu Oct 19 22:19:59 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 09:06:04 -0400 (EDT)
From: Molly Anderson <manderso@emerald.tufts.edu>
To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Cc: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Agroecology text ideas?

I'll be teaching a course in "Ecology of Agriculture" next semester, and 
I'm still looking for a good textbook.  It is a graduate-level course, 
designed for students who may have little background in ecology or 
agricultural sciences.  Here's a short description of what I plan to cover:

This course will deal with the biological and physical attributes of 
agricultural systems in temperate and tropical regions, and basic 
ecological principles affecting agricultural processes.  We will address 
the ecological consequences of indigenous food production systems, 
industrialized agricultural systems, and "alternative" systems 
incorporating biological and cultural nutrient management and pest 
control.  Students will work with several decision cases through the 
semester that integrate their understanding of concepts.

Does anyone have ideas of a good text?  Thanks for suggestions!

Molly D. Anderson
Director, Degree Program in Agriculture, Food and Environment
Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Medford, MA  02155
Ph:  617/627-3223
Fax:  617/627-3887

From ACLARK@crop.uoguelph.caThu Oct 19 22:20:44 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 10:12:10 EDT
From: "E. Ann Clark, Associate Professor" <ACLARK@crop.uoguelph.ca>
To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Subject: Re: Agroecology text ideas?

Molly A.;  I teach a similar course, although at a lower level (2nd 
and 3rd year undergrads).  I don't use a formal textbook, because I 
find that the material I WANT to cover is not usually contained, or 
even significantly contained within a single textbook.  But I make 
good use of having the students read one or more chapters in several 
books, such as:

Joy Tivy - Agricultural Ecology 
Loomis and Connor - Crop Ecology (most advanced of this lot)
Briggs and Courtney - Agriculture and Evironment

I also use books offering detailed coverage of more limited topic 
areas, such as:

Vallentine - Grazing Management
Frame - Improved Grassland Management
BGS publications (various)
Leck et al. Soil Seed Banks
Whittaker - Communities and Ecosystems
Luken - Directing Ecological Succession
Francis -  Multiple Cropping Systems
Madden et al. -  Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Pimentel and Lehman - The Pesticide Question

Hope this gives you a start.  Good luck, and keep us appraised of 
your progress.  Ann


ACLARK@crop.uoguelph.ca
Dr. E. Ann Clark
Associate Professor
Crop Science
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON  N1G 2W1
Phone:  519-824-4120 Ext. 2508
FAX:  519 763-8933

From wcakey@UWYO.EDUThu Oct 19 22:21:13 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 10:27:36 -0700
From: William Akey <wcakey@UWYO.EDU>
Reply to: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
To: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Re: Agroecology text ideas?

Molly,

Back in July I got a letter from Steve Gliessman out at UC Santa Cruz.  He
sent me a table of contents for his new book that he has been working on
now for some time.  The book is to be entitled "Agroecology: ecological
processes in sustainable agriculture."  I haven't contacted Steve lately to
check on his progress with the book, but I know he was pretty keen to get
it finished.  Perhaps you could check with him.  His email address is
gliess@zzyx.ucsc.edu.  Then maybe you could post your finding to the
listserve or to me directly so I am informed of his progress as well.  In
any case I would be willing to fax you a copy of the table of contents of
the upcoming book if you send me your fax number.  Steve also sent me a
copy of the syllabus he uses for his introductory agroecology course, which
you may also be interested in perusing.

To answer your question more explicitly, I have not found a completely
suitable text for use in teaching my introductory agroecology course.  I
have used the following books as resources for the course, but not as
texts:  "Agricultural Ecology" by Tivy; "Agroecology: researching the
ecological basis for sustainable agriculture" edited by Gliessman
--Ecological Studies Series #78 out of Springer-Verlag; "Agricultural
Ecology: an analysis of world food production systems" by Cox and Atkins
(now out of print and somewhat out of date , but still a good book) and
finally, "Agroecology" by Carroll, Vandermeer and Rosset -- an expensive
book.  It is still my impression that we dearly need an affordable, current
introductory text to Agroecology!!

Hope this is of some use to you.  Please keep us posted on what you find out.

Cordially yours,
William Akey
University of Wyoming


>I'll be teaching a course in "Ecology of Agriculture" next semester, and
>I'm still looking for a good textbook.  It is a graduate-level course,
>designed for students who may have little background in ecology or
>agricultural sciences.  Here's a short description of what I plan to cover:
>
>This course will deal with the biological and physical attributes of
>agricultural systems in temperate and tropical regions, and basic
>ecological principles affecting agricultural processes.  We will address
>the ecological consequences of indigenous food production systems,
>industrialized agricultural systems, and "alternative" systems
>incorporating biological and cultural nutrient management and pest
>control.  Students will work with several decision cases through the
>semester that integrate their understanding of concepts.
>
>Does anyone have ideas of a good text?  Thanks for suggestions!
>
>Molly D. Anderson
>Director, Degree Program in Agriculture, Food and Environment
>Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy
>Medford, MA  02155
>Ph:  617/627-3223
>Fax:  617/627-3887


From gebernhardt@ucdavis.eduThu Oct 19 22:21:54 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 09:03:28 -0700
From: "G.E. Bernhardt" <gebernhardt@ucdavis.edu>
Reply to: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
To: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Re: Agroecology text ideas?

>I'll be teaching a course in "Ecology of Agriculture" next semester, and 
>I'm still looking for a good textbook.  It is a graduate-level course, 
>designed for students who may have little background in ecology or 
>agricultural sciences.  Here's a short description of what I plan to cover:
>
>This course will deal with the biological and physical attributes of 
>agricultural systems in temperate and tropical regions, and basic 
>ecological principles affecting agricultural processes.  We will address 
>the ecological consequences of indigenous food production systems, 
>industrialized agricultural systems, and "alternative" systems 
>incorporating biological and cultural nutrient management and pest 
>control.  Students will work with several decision cases through the 
>semester that integrate their understanding of concepts.
>
>Does anyone have ideas of a good text?  Thanks for suggestions!
>
>Molly D. Anderson
>Director, Degree Program in Agriculture, Food and Environment
>Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy
>Medford, MA  02155
>Ph:  617/627-3223
>Fax:  617/627-3887

>
Dear Molly,

I have taught a similar course at Humboldt State University, although we
also emphasised the students understanding of sustainable methods in soil
management, examining small scale french intensive methods, understanding
the nutrient cycle in slash/burn agriculture and examining field scale,
tractor tools and their implications on soil management.  Books that I have
found helpful include:

1. Agroecology, by Miguel Altieri  (a bit dry, but a good look at a variety
of ag systems)
2. How to Grow More Vegetables..., by John Jeavons  (more of a how-to book
about French Intensive methods, but this book is recognized world wide)
3. One Straw Revolution, by Masanoba Fukuoka ( this gets them thinking)
4. Meeting the Expectations of the Land, by a variety of authors including
Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson
5. Unsettling of America..., by Wendell Berry (he is always thought producing)
6. Soul of Soil, by Grace Gershuny (and another author I can't recall right
now) - this is a great little inexpensive soil biology and chemistry primer.>

Good Luck! If you find any other gem books, drop me a line.

Susan Toms
Agriculture and Natural Resource/Youth Development
U.C. Cooperative Extension

From AGCM009@UNLVM.UNL.EDUThu Oct 19 22:26:21 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 95 12:38:49 CDT
From: AGCM009@UNLVM.UNL.EDU
Reply to: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
To: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Re: Agroecology text ideas?

re: agroecology text....

Molly...I don't think there is any one book.

I suggest the development of a series of readings, which the
students are held very accountable for completing...

With the books mentioned, and articles from a variety of journal
and with  access to the World Wide Web, which they should be on,
I think there is more than enough material...it just isn't in one
place....

Good luck....

Jim King
Univ. Nebraska

From gruverj@css.orst.eduThu Oct 19 22:26:41 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 95 11:00:00 PDT
From: "Gruver, Joel" <gruverj@css.orst.edu>
To: 'sanet-mg' <sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Agroecology texts


Hello,

This is a response to the request for agroecology text info :
Already mentioned by A. Clarke, I have found "Crop Ecology" by Loomis and 
Connor to be an excellent reference text. This book does not promote 
low-input
agriculture... it does however contain the best sysnthesis of crop 
physiology, soil science, water relations, energy analysis, systems analysis 
that I have seen in any one book.

The institution where I was employed last year, Hampshire College, Amherst, 
MA, teaches several undergraduate agroecology classes. My recollection is 
that these classes use several texts as well as many handouts.

Miguel Alteri is the author of a text used at Hampshire that I believe is 
titled "Agroecology" which covers low-inout indigenous agriculture.

Farmer/author Jim Bender has written a book that I believe is titled Future 
Harvest which is the best presentation of an alternative midwest agriculture 
system that I have seen. This book is very applied. It details step by step 
Benders farming practices and how they integrate into a system. He also 
explains very rationally why he has chosen the practices that he uses over 
more conventional methods.

The new Planting the Future ? book comparing north west agricultural systems 
(Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Dakotas...) from a sustainability 
perspective is also good...

The Agroecology class at Hampshire that I was most closely connected with 
had an IPM emphasis because the prof was an entomologist. The class included 
tours of several local farms including the Hampshire farm. All students had 
to complete and present group projects.

I loaned an excellent book on low input sustainable tropical ag to a student 
in this class and never saw it again. I purchased this book from agAcess and 
it was published in  the Netherlands about 2-3 years ago.  Any ideas what 
the name of this book might have been  ?

Personally I feel the integration of animals and crops should be emphasized 
in any agroecology class.  I gave a lecture to the above mentioned class on 
this subject.
I think the ecology of sustainable animal ag. is perhaps the most 
misunderstood topic among today's "environmentally conscious" . I can share 
a paper I wrote on this subject with anyone interested as well as a list of 
good resources on sustainable animal agriculture. If you want this info send 
me a personal request at
gruverj@css.orst.edu.

Joel Gruver
Oregon State University

From PHRC031@unlvm.unl.eduThu Oct 19 22:27:04 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 95 15:02:22 CDT
From: Jane Sooby <PHRC031@unlvm.unl.edu>
To: manderso@emerald.tufts.edu, sanet-mg@AMANI.CES.NCSU.EDU,
    SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Agroecology text

Dear Molly,

Another book you may want to examine is *Farming in Nature's Image:
An Ecological Approach to Agriculture* by Judith D. Soule and Jon
K. Piper. 1992, Island Press. This book packs a lot of ecological
information in with a critical analysis of conventional ag and
discussion of sustainable alternatives. The Land Institute's idea
of a perennial prairie model for ag is thoroughly examined. Lots on
soils, too.

Good luck,
Jane Sooby
Ag Tech II (Sustainable Ag)
High Plains Ag Lab
3257 Rd. 109
Sidney, NE  69162-3129

From ng13@cornell.eduThu Oct 19 22:29:45 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 20:03:25 +0000
From: Nancy Grudens Schuck <ng13@cornell.edu>
Reply to: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
To: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Re: Agroecology text ideas?

Molly - re: Jim's thoughts below. I agree that there isn't any one good
text - but a text would have some advantages. For the sus ag course I am
taking now I have purchased six books and a massive $50 course packet - for
a total cost of about $220. Kind of steep. Is this why you want a 'text',
e.g. a single book, or are we misunderstanding what you mean by 'text'? But
these days, I am turned off by courses that offer texts - seems too simple.
Nancy Grudens Schuck

Thanks, Nancy Grudens Schuck

*********************
>re: agroecology text....
>
>Molly...I don't think there is any one book.

(REST CUT OFF) from:

Jim King
>

***************************
Nancy Grudens Schuck
Kennedy Hall
Dept. Education
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
ng13@cornell.edu
***************************


From ng13@cornell.eduFri Oct 20 16:07:01 1995
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 22:34:44 +0000
From: Nancy Grudens Schuck <ng13@cornell.edu>
Reply to: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
To: SAEd-Share-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Agroecology texts

Hi SAED-Share. A response to Mollie's post on SANET. Nancy Grudens Schuck

>From: "Gruver, Joel" <gruverj@css.orst.edu>
>To: "'sanet-mg'" <sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu>
>Subject: Agroecology texts
>Date: Thu, 19 Oct 95 11:00:00 PDT
>Encoding: 51 TEXT
>
>
>Hello,
>
>This is a response to the request for agroecology text info :
>Already mentioned by A. Clarke, I have found "Crop Ecology" by Loomis and
>Connor to be an excellent reference text. This book does not promote
>low-input
>agriculture... it does however contain the best sysnthesis of crop
>physiology, soil science, water relations, energy analysis, systems analysis
>that I have seen in any one book.
>
>The institution where I was employed last year, Hampshire College, Amherst,
>MA, teaches several undergraduate agroecology classes. My recollection is
>that these classes use several texts as well as many handouts.
>
>Miguel Alteri is the author of a text used at Hampshire that I believe is
>titled "Agroecology" which covers low-inout indigenous agriculture.
>
>Farmer/author Jim Bender has written a book that I believe is titled Future
>Harvest which is the best presentation of an alternative midwest agriculture
>system that I have seen. This book is very applied. It details step by step
>Benders farming practices and how they integrate into a system. He also
>explains very rationally why he has chosen the practices that he uses over
>more conventional methods.
>
>The new Planting the Future ? book comparing north west agricultural systems
>(Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Dakotas...) from a sustainability
>perspective is also good...
>
>The Agroecology class at Hampshire that I was most closely connected with
>had an IPM emphasis because the prof was an entomologist. The class included
>tours of several local farms including the Hampshire farm. All students had
>to complete and present group projects.
>
>I loaned an excellent book on low input sustainable tropical ag to a student
>in this class and never saw it again. I purchased this book from agAcess and
>it was published in  the Netherlands about 2-3 years ago.  Any ideas what
>the name of this book might have been  ?
>
>Personally I feel the integration of animals and crops should be emphasized
>in any agroecology class.  I gave a lecture to the above mentioned class on
>this subject.
>I think the ecology of sustainable animal ag. is perhaps the most
>misunderstood topic among today's "environmentally conscious" . I can share
>a paper I wrote on this subject with anyone interested as well as a list of
>good resources on sustainable animal agriculture. If you want this info send
>me a personal request at
>gruverj@css.orst.edu.
>
>Joel Gruver
>Oregon State University
>

***************************
Nancy Grudens Schuck
Kennedy Hall
Dept. Education
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
ng13@cornell.edu
***************************


From manderso@emerald.tufts.eduFri Oct 20 16:09:04 1995
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 08:29:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: Molly Anderson <manderso@emerald.tufts.edu>
Reply to: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
To: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Purpose of agroecology text

On Thu, 19 Oct 1995, Nancy Grudens Schuck wrote:

> Molly - re: Jim's thoughts below. I agree that there isn't any one good
> text - but a text would have some advantages. For the sus ag course I am
> taking now I have purchased six books and a massive $50 course packet - for
> a total cost of about $220. Kind of steep. Is this why you want a 'text',
> e.g. a single book, or are we misunderstanding what you mean by 'text'? But
> these days, I am turned off by courses that offer texts - seems too simple.
> Nancy Grudens Schuck
> 
I agree entirely on cost---I try to keep total costs for a course in the 
$40-$70 range.  For the agroecology course next spring, I'll probably end 
up with a packet of readings.  There are many, many good research 
projects and review articles on different aspects of agroecology.  
However, a course based on a packet of readings can suffer from lack of 
cohesion (and dealing with copyrights is a BIG headache).  Sometimes, 
especially for students who have little previous knowledge of the 
subject, a single text can help provide focus.  Much of the "focus" is 
the responsibility of the professor, of course;  but a text can help 
quite a bit.  As an example, for a course I teach on "Environment and Food 
Supply", I use the World Resources Institute's _World Resources 1994-95:  
A Guide to the Global Environment_ as a base text, supplemented with 
readings.

To be more specific, I'm looking for a text that provides an 
overview of ecological principles relevant to agricultural systems.  I've 
found a few books with titles like _Ecology for Environmental 
Professionals_, but nothing yet that seems appropriate for folks who will 
work with agricultural systems.  My doctorate was in ecology, and I am 
well aware that much of agricultural science is intrinsically ecology.  
However, introductions to agriculture seldom approach the field as an 
ecologist would.

The suggestions folks have posted so far have been helpful.  Most would 
be useful, in one way or another;  but none so far are sufficiently 
comprehensive and clearly written to serve as an introduction.  I'll post 
a compilation in a few days, because several people have asked for that.   

Molly Anderson
Director, Degree Program in Agriculture, Food and Environment
Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Medford, MA  02155-7028


From manderso@emerald.tufts.eduTue Oct 24 20:44:53 1995
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 10:09:20 -0400 (EDT)
From: Molly Anderson <manderso@emerald.tufts.edu>
To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Subject: Summary of agroecology text replies

Dear SANetters:

The following is a compilation of responses to my query about
a good text for an agroecology course, specifically one that
covers the basic ecological principles underlying
agricultural production with attention to different
agricultural systems and geographic regions.

First, THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to respond.
It is wonderful to see (and benefit from) the network in
action.  Second, the diversity of topics people include
within "agroecology" is remarkable.  The texts recommended
below range far and wide.  Third, many people said they would
like a text similar to the one I am seeking;  but they have
been unable to find something comprehensive at a suitable
price for students' wallets.  Most people teaching
agroecology courses are trying to cobble together readings
and selections from books.

The stars preceding references below indicate the number of
times a particular book was recommended, not necessarily a
quality ranking.  I'm sure we are leaving out some relevant
references:  if your favorite text is not here, please feel
free to notify the list.  I checked references in my personal
library and on the Library of Congress MARC file, but
couldn't get complete citations or a confirmation of the information
others had sent me on a few of these.

Recommended books (either main texts, or supplements dealing
with specific topics):

******** Altieri, Miguel.  1995.  Agroecology:  The Science
of Sustainable Agriculture.  2nd Edition.  Boulder:  Westview
Press.  (many people recommended the first edition, but the
2nd is now available)

**** Loomis, R.S. and Conner, D.J.  1992.  Crop Ecology:
Productivity and Management in Agricultural Systems.
Cambridge University Press.

*** Carroll, C. Ronald, John H. Vandermeer and Peter M.
Rosset (Eds.).  1990.  Agroecology.  New York:  McGraw-Hill.

** Edwards, C.A., R. Lal, P. Madden, R. Miller and G. House
(Eds.).  Sustainable Agricultural Systems.  Ankeny, Iowa:
Soil & Water Conservation Society.

** Gliessman, Stephen.  199_.  Agroecology: Ecological
Processes in Sustainable Agriculture. (forthcoming text)

** Reijntjes, Coen, Bertus Heverkort, and Ann Waters-Bayer.
19__.  Farming For The Future - An Introduction to Low-
External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture.  Information
Centre for Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture
(ILEIA), Netherlands.

** Tivy, Joy.  1990.  Agricultural Ecology.  Essex, England:
Longman Scientific and Technical.

* Beets, Willem. 19__.  Raising and Sustaining Productivity
of Smallholder Agriculture in the Tropics. AgBe Publishing.

* Bender, Jim.  1994.  Future Harvest.  Pesticide-Free
Farming.  Lincoln, Nebraska:  University of Nebraska Press.

* Berry, Wendell.  1977.  The Unsettling of America:  Culture
and Agriculture.  San Francisco:  Sierra Club Books.

* Bird, Elizabeth Ann R., Gordon L. Bultena and John C.
Gardner (Eds.).  1995.  Planting the Future:  Developing an
Agriculture that Sustains Land and Community.  Ames, Iowa:
Iowa State University Press.

* Briggs, David J. and Frank M. Courtney.  1985.  Agriculture
and Environment:  The Physical Geography of Temperate
Agricultural Systems.

* Carter, Vernon Gill and Tom Dale.  1974.  Topsoil and
Civilization.  Norman:  University of Oklahoma Press.

* Corson, Walter.  1990.  The Global Ecology Handbook:  What
You Can Do about the Environmental Crisis.  Washington, DC:
Global Tomorrow Coalition. (Phone: 202 628-4016)

* Cox, George W. and Michael D. Atkins.  Agricultural
Ecology: an Analysis of World Food Production Systems.  San
Francisco:  WH Freeman.

* Francis, Charles A (Ed.).  199 Multiple Cropping Systems.
New York:  Macmillan.

* Fukuoka, Masanobu.  1978.  The One Straw Revolution:  An
Introduction to Natural Farming.  Emmaus, Pennsylvania:
Rodale Press.

* Gershuny, Grace and Joseph Smillie.  1986.  The Soul of
Soil.  A Guide to Ecological Soil Management.  2nd Edition.
St. Johnsbury, Vermont:  Gaia Services.

* Gliessman, Stephen (Ed.).  1990.  Agroecology: Researching
the Ecological Basis for Sustainable Agriculture.  New York:
Springer-Verlag.

* Hyams, Edward.  1976.  Soil and Civilization.  New York:
Harper and Row.

* Jackson, Wes, Wendell Berry and Bruce Colman.  1984.
Meeting the Expectations of the Land.  Essays in Sustainable
Agriculture and Stewardship.  San Francisco:  North Point
Press.

* Jeavons, John.  1995.  How to Grow More Vegetables, Fruits,
Nuts, Berries, Grains and Other Crops on Less Land than You
Can Imagine.  Revised Edition.  Berkeley, California:  Ten
Speed Press.

* Killham, Ken.  1994.  Soil Ecology.  Cambridge University
Press.

* Leck et al. Soil Seed Banks (?)

* Logsdon, Gene.  1993.  The Contrary Farmer.  Post Mills,
Vermont:  Chelsea Green Publishing.

* Luken, James O.  1990.  Directing Ecological Succession.
London:  Chapman and Hill.

* Mollison, Bill C.  1988.  Permaculture:  A Designers'
Manual.  Tyalgum, Australia:  Tagari.

* Pimentel, David and Hugh Lehman.  1993.  The Pesticide
Question:  Environment, Economics and Ethics.  New York:
Chapman and Hall.

* Sanchez, P.A. 1976.  Properties and Management of Soils in
the Tropics.  New York:  Wiley.

* Soule, Judith D.  and Jon K. Piper. 1992  Farming in
Nature's Image: An Ecological Approach to Agriculture.
Washington, DC:  Island Press.

* Vallentine, John F.  1990.  Grazing Management.  San Diego:
Academic Press.

* Whittaker, Robert H.  1970.  Communities and Ecosystems.
New York:  Macmillan.


Other Resources:

King, James W. and Charles A. Francis (eds.).  1994.
Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable
Agriculture.  Volume I and II.  Lincoln, Nebraska:
University of Nebraska.  (For copies, send a check for $10.00
made to the University of Nebraska to:  Center for
Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Nebraska -
Lincoln, Lincoln, NE  68583-0940).

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.  1994.
Sustainable Agriculture in Print:  Current Books.  SRB 94-06.
Beltsville, MD:  National Agricultural Library.

Ecological Agriculture Projects, MacDonald College, McGill
University, St. Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada (for
information compiled by Stuart Hill for agroecology courses)

"Farmer to Farmer" magazine

BGS publications (I don't recognize this acronym, but the
publications were recommended by E. Ann Clark)


Responders:

E. Ann Clark <ACLARK@crop.uoguelph.ca>
Crop Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON  N1G 2W1

Chelsea C. Clark <cclark@moose.uvm.edu>
Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont

Jay Daliparthy <jdaliparthy@pssci.umass.edu>
Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences, Univ. of Massachusetts,
Amherst MA 01003

Andy Fisher <ASFisher@aol.com>

Steve Gliessman <gliess@zzyx.UCSC.EDU>
Agroecology Program, University of California at Santa Cruz

Joel Gruver <gruverj@css.orst.edu>

Dana Jackson <danaj@maroon.tc.umn.edu>
Land Stewardship Project, White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Nicholas Jordan <jorda020@gold.tc.umn.edu>
Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St.
Paul, MN 55108

Michael Kay <mdkay@ucdavis.edu>
Agroecology, International Ag. Development, UC-Davis
Patrick Madden <pmadden@igc.apc.org>

Jim King <AGCM009@UNLVM.UNL.EDU>
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

Margaret Merrill <mmerrill@leo.vsla.edu>
Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville, VA
22902-5287

Steven H. Muntz <75032.3011@compuserve.com>

Lori Pottinger <f2f@igc.apc.org>
Farmer to Farmer Magazine

Gina Nelson <gsnelson@cyberport.net>

Dennis A. Shannon <dshannon@ag.auburn.edu>
Department of Agronomy and Soils, Auburn University, Alabama
36849-5412

Jane Sooby <PHRC031@unlvm.unl.edu>
High Plains Ag Lab, Sidney, NE  69162-3129

Susan Toms <gebernhardt@ucdavis.edu>
Agriculture and Natural Resource/Youth Development
U.C. Cooperative Extension

Mark Van Horn <mxvanhorn@ucdavis.edu>

From manderso@emerald.tufts.eduThu Oct 26 22:35:03 1995
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 1995 09:36:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: Molly Anderson <manderso@emerald.tufts.edu>
Reply to: SAED-SHARE-L@cornell.edu
To: SAED-share-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Summary of agroecology text replies

Since I posted this summary on SANet, two more books have been submitted:

* Hillel, Daniel.  1991.  Out of the Earth:  Civilization and the Life of 
the Soil.  New York:  The Free Press.

* Magdoff, Fred.  1992.  Building Soils for Better Crops:  Organic Matter 
Management.  Lincoln, Nebraska:  University of Nebraska Press.

This doesn't pretend to be a complete list;  we could keep adding 
excellent references indefinitely.  However, it's a start for those who 
are teaching agroecology;  and it gives the rest of us an idea of what is 
being included in that field currently.

Molly D. Anderson
Director, Degree Program in Agriculture, Food and Environment
Tufts University School of Nutrition Science & Policy
Medford, MA  02155-7028

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 10:09:20 -0400 (EDT)

Dear SANetters:

The following is a compilation of responses to my query about
a good text for an agroecology course, specifically one that
covers the basic ecological principles underlying
agricultural production with attention to different
agricultural systems and geographic regions.

First, THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to respond.
It is wonderful to see (and benefit from) the network in
action.  Second, the diversity of topics people include
within "agroecology" is remarkable.  The texts recommended
below range far and wide.  Third, many people said they would
like a text similar to the one I am seeking;  but they have
been unable to find something comprehensive at a suitable
price for students' wallets.  Most people teaching
agroecology courses are trying to cobble together readings
and selections from books.

The stars preceding references below indicate the number of
times a particular book was recommended, not necessarily a
quality ranking.  I'm sure we are leaving out some relevant
references:  if your favorite text is not here, please feel
free to notify the list.  I checked references in my personal
library and on the Library of Congress MARC file, but
couldn't get complete citations or a confirmation of the information
others had sent me on a few of these.

Recommended books (either main texts, or supplements dealing
with specific topics):

******** Altieri, Miguel.  1995.  Agroecology:  The Science
of Sustainable Agriculture.  2nd Edition.  Boulder:  Westview
Press.  (many people recommended the first edition, but the
2nd is now available)

**** Loomis, R.S. and Conner, D.J.  1992.  Crop Ecology:
Productivity and Management in Agricultural Systems.
Cambridge University Press.

*** Carroll, C. Ronald, John H. Vandermeer and Peter M.
Rosset (Eds.).  1990.  Agroecology.  New York:  McGraw-Hill.

** Edwards, C.A., R. Lal, P. Madden, R. Miller and G. House
(Eds.).  Sustainable Agricultural Systems.  Ankeny, Iowa:
Soil & Water Conservation Society.

** Gliessman, Stephen.  199_.  Agroecology: Ecological
Processes in Sustainable Agriculture. (forthcoming text)

** Reijntjes, Coen, Bertus Heverkort, and Ann Waters-Bayer.
19__.  Farming For The Future - An Introduction to Low-
External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture.  Information
Centre for Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture
(ILEIA), Netherlands.

** Tivy, Joy.  1990.  Agricultural Ecology.  Essex, England:
Longman Scientific and Technical.

* Beets, Willem. 19__.  Raising and Sustaining Productivity
of Smallholder Agriculture in the Tropics. AgBe Publishing.

* Bender, Jim.  1994.  Future Harvest.  Pesticide-Free
Farming.  Lincoln, Nebraska:  University of Nebraska Press.

* Berry, Wendell.  1977.  The Unsettling of America:  Culture
and Agriculture.  San Francisco:  Sierra Club Books.

* Bird, Elizabeth Ann R., Gordon L. Bultena and John C.
Gardner (Eds.).  1995.  Planting the Future:  Developing an
Agriculture that Sustains Land and Community.  Ames, Iowa:
Iowa State University Press.

* Briggs, David J. and Frank M. Courtney.  1985.  Agriculture
and Environment:  The Physical Geography of Temperate
Agricultural Systems.

* Carter, Vernon Gill and Tom Dale.  1974.  Topsoil and
Civilization.  Norman:  University of Oklahoma Press.

* Corson, Walter.  1990.  The Global Ecology Handbook:  What
You Can Do about the Environmental Crisis.  Washington, DC:
Global Tomorrow Coalition. (Phone: 202 628-4016)

* Cox, George W. and Michael D. Atkins.  Agricultural
Ecology: an Analysis of World Food Production Systems.  San
Francisco:  WH Freeman.

* Francis, Charles A (Ed.).  199 Multiple Cropping Systems.
New York:  Macmillan.

* Fukuoka, Masanobu.  1978.  The One Straw Revolution:  An
Introduction to Natural Farming.  Emmaus, Pennsylvania:
Rodale Press.

* Gershuny, Grace and Joseph Smillie.  1986.  The Soul of
Soil.  A Guide to Ecological Soil Management.  2nd Edition.
St. Johnsbury, Vermont:  Gaia Services.

* Gliessman, Stephen (Ed.).  1990.  Agroecology: Researching
the Ecological Basis for Sustainable Agriculture.  New York:
Springer-Verlag.

* Hyams, Edward.  1976.  Soil and Civilization.  New York:
Harper and Row.

* Jackson, Wes, Wendell Berry and Bruce Colman.  1984.
Meeting the Expectations of the Land.  Essays in Sustainable
Agriculture and Stewardship.  San Francisco:  North Point
Press.

* Jeavons, John.  1995.  How to Grow More Vegetables, Fruits,
Nuts, Berries, Grains and Other Crops on Less Land than You
Can Imagine.  Revised Edition.  Berkeley, California:  Ten
Speed Press.

* Killham, Ken.  1994.  Soil Ecology.  Cambridge University
Press.

* Leck et al. Soil Seed Banks (?)

* Logsdon, Gene.  1993.  The Contrary Farmer.  Post Mills,
Vermont:  Chelsea Green Publishing.

* Luken, James O.  1990.  Directing Ecological Succession.
London:  Chapman and Hill.

* Mollison, Bill C.  1988.  Permaculture:  A Designers'
Manual.  Tyalgum, Australia:  Tagari.

* Pimentel, David and Hugh Lehman.  1993.  The Pesticide
Question:  Environment, Economics and Ethics.  New York:
Chapman and Hall.

* Sanchez, P.A. 1976.  Properties and Management of Soils in
the Tropics.  New York:  Wiley.

* Soule, Judith D.  and Jon K. Piper. 1992  Farming in
Nature's Image: An Ecological Approach to Agriculture.
Washington, DC:  Island Press.

* Vallentine, John F.  1990.  Grazing Management.  San Diego:
Academic Press.

* Whittaker, Robert H.  1970.  Communities and Ecosystems.
New York:  Macmillan.


Other Resources:

King, James W. and Charles A. Francis (eds.).  1994.
Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable
Agriculture.  Volume I and II.  Lincoln, Nebraska:
University of Nebraska.  (For copies, send a check for $10.00
made to the University of Nebraska to:  Center for
Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Nebraska -
Lincoln, Lincoln, NE  68583-0940).

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.  1994.
Sustainable Agriculture in Print:  Current Books.  SRB 94-06.
Beltsville, MD:  National Agricultural Library.

Ecological Agriculture Projects, MacDonald College, McGill
University, St. Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada (for
information compiled by Stuart Hill for agroecology courses)

"Farmer to Farmer" magazine

BGS publications (I don't recognize this acronym, but the
publications were recommended by E. Ann Clark)


Responders:

E. Ann Clark <ACLARK@crop.uoguelph.ca>
Crop Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON  N1G 2W1

Chelsea C. Clark <cclark@moose.uvm.edu>
Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont

Jay Daliparthy <jdaliparthy@pssci.umass.edu>
Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences, Univ. of Massachusetts,
Amherst MA 01003

Andy Fisher <ASFisher@aol.com>

Steve Gliessman <gliess@zzyx.UCSC.EDU>
Agroecology Program, University of California at Santa Cruz

Joel Gruver <gruverj@css.orst.edu>

Dana Jackson <danaj@maroon.tc.umn.edu>
Land Stewardship Project, White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Nicholas Jordan <jorda020@gold.tc.umn.edu>
Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St.
Paul, MN 55108

Michael Kay <mdkay@ucdavis.edu>
Agroecology, International Ag. Development, UC-Davis
Patrick Madden <pmadden@igc.apc.org>

Jim King <AGCM009@UNLVM.UNL.EDU>
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

Margaret Merrill <mmerrill@leo.vsla.edu>
Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville, VA
22902-5287

Steven H. Muntz <75032.3011@compuserve.com>

Lori Pottinger <f2f@igc.apc.org>
Farmer to Farmer Magazine

Gina Nelson <gsnelson@cyberport.net>

Dennis A. Shannon <dshannon@ag.auburn.edu>
Department of Agronomy and Soils, Auburn University, Alabama
36849-5412

Jane Sooby <PHRC031@unlvm.unl.edu>
High Plains Ag Lab, Sidney, NE  69162-3129

Susan Toms <gebernhardt@ucdavis.edu>
Agriculture and Natural Resource/Youth Development
U.C. Cooperative Extension

Mark Van Horn <mxvanhorn@ucdavis.edu>

From eherring@hawaii.eduSat Oct 28 19:09:16 1995
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 16:12:48 -1000
From: Eileen Herring <eherring@hawaii.edu>
To: Molly Anderson <manderso@emerald.tufts.edu>
Cc: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Subject: Re: Summary of agroecology text replies

Aloha, Molly....

Thank you for taking the time to collate the responses that you 
received!  I used the list to check our library's collection to make sure 
that we weren't missing anything significant and I think I can clarify 
one of the entries...

Leck et al. Soil Seed Banks

is probably

Ecology of soil seed banks edited by Mary A. Leck, V. Thomas Parker and 
Robert L. Simpson.  San Diego : Academic Press, 1989.

Aloha,

Eileen Herring
Science and Technology Reference
University of Hawaii at Manoa

eherring@hawaii.edu
