Brill | Wageningen Academic – serie

Do you want to support dairy farmers in adjusting their management regarding the transition period of dairy cows? The book Pathways to health and disease for dairy cows provides veterinarians and farm advisors background information and practical tools. This unique book combines theoretical information with practical tools, and draws crosslinks between six aspects of transition cow biology. The book comprises two parts: an introduction chapter and six study chapters.The first chapter outlines new ideas about the role of management in dairy farming:- External conditions, comprising environment and farm management, continuously influence the internal body management of the cow.- External conditions either support physiology or induce pathophysiology and pathology, for which new definitions are introduced.- Advisory work on dairy farms must be based on the management of external conditions and not on herd performance data.The six study chapters focus on the transition period and provide the reader with updated contemporary knowledge on (patho)physiology and pathology, and how they connect with risk factors, preventive measures, and monitoring tools.Veterinarians and farm advisors must make a professional U-turn to support dairy farmers in solving and preventing disturbances in health and production. This book must be regarded as a start for resetting our traditional view and approach to cow health and disease.

This book introduces law in the context of international business. The basics of law are explored using a clear comparative methodology. International and regional economic institutions are discussed, next to the fundaments of private law. These include contract law, liability law, labour law, company law, privacy law, intellectual property law and international private law. The book goes beyond the usual focus on Western legal systems and uses examples from all over the world to provide students with comprehensive knowledge of business law. It is set up rather broadly, so that it can be used by teachers throughout their entire curriculum. Each chapter ends with a clear summary. With its colourful cases, this book is accessible and fun to read.

This book covers all aspects of legumes in the nutrition of farmed animals, including fish and shrimps. It is an important source for anyone involved in animal nutrition, whether as a scientist, consultant, in the feed industry or in farming. Ingredients and antinutritive factors of grain and green legumes are described in detail. However, the most important part for nutritionists, consultants and anyone involved in animal husbandry is the feeding advice. Based on the latest research, you will find comprehensive information on the use of peas and other legumes in ruminant, pig, poultry, equine and aquaculture diets.

This book analyses processes of desertification from a social science perspective and unravels the policy related to drivers of desertification. Desertification is addressed both as a concept surrounded by a multitude of different discourses and as a tangible unsustainable process that is connected to a complex set of policies and changing land management practices. The focus is on Southern Europe, where desertification has been a long-standing problem in many areas, and where in some places the loss of productive capacity has worsened considerably over the last few decades. By focusing on four specific case study areas in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece, the scope of the book will cover the ‘human dimension’ of desertification, exploring in particular how the framework of existing policies has affected land management decisions and desertification processes. The emphasis will be on how policies may have contributed to desertification alleviation and mitigation, as well as to a worsening of desertification processes. By using an actor-network approach, the book specifically investigates the importance of networks of actors that shape the nature and direction of policies that affect desertification processes. In this sense, this book aims at providing a first glance into the complex policy, economic and socio-cultural networks that operate at the local, regional and national levels in areas of Southern Europe affected by desertification, and to analyse how these networks hinder, or promote, the implementation of policies aimed at alleviating the threat of desertification. With its broad remit, this exciting book will appeal to many different audiences, not only including academics and students of various disciplines, but also practitioners at the local, regional (Mediterranean) and international (e.g. EU) spatial levels in a variety of fields such as environmental and agricultural policy-making, agricultural extension services, farming organisations, environmental NGOs, media representatives and many other environmental stakeholder groups.

"This book is a synthesis of contributions drawn from the 12th Nitrogen Workshop held at the University of Exeter, UK. It provides a valuable compilation of current research, aimed at reconciling the environmental and economic components of N cycling within the context of a productive agricultural industry. The book is divided into seven main sections, which examine systematically, the nature of the problems associated with losses of N and a range of possible solutions. Section 1, ‘Drivers towards sustainability-why change?’ identifies the need to adopt new strategies to avoid losses to the environment. Section 2 considers the options for ‘Matching supply with demand’, followed by the reasons for, and means of ‘Controlling losses to air’ and to ‘water’ in section 3 and 4. Section 5 describes the challenges of ‘Reconciling productivity with environmental considerations’.The remaining sections describe some mathematical models to assist the researcher, with the final section devoted to reports from the ‘Themed Working Groups’ which debated the following topical questions:Organic matter: does it matter, or can technology overcome most problems related to soil fertility? Optimising N additions: can we integrate fertilizer use and manure use? Controlling gaseous N emissions: what is achievable? Missing N: is the solution in dissolved N? Pollution problems: mitigation, or are we swapping one form of pollution for another? System studies: do we need them, or can they be replaced by desktop studies? Model answers: can we improve their level of confidence and applicability? This book will be of value to researchers, policy makers and all those wishing to promote more efficient use of N."

The rapid and reliable detection of biological and chemical contaminants is extremely important in managing the safety of food and feed. "Rapid Methods" is a comprehensive reference resource for anyone interested in this subject. Developments in analytical techniques have led to the emergence of a wide range of rapid methods to complement the traditional methods. At the same time, the importance of method validation, proficiency testing, quality management, sampling and legislation have all become more widely recognised. "Rapid Methods" presents a firm base and structured framework for considering rapid analysis of biological and chemical contaminants in food and feed. The various chapters concentrate on the state of the art in rapid methods in regards to: legislation, sampling, method validation, microbial pathogens, biological materials like GMOs and allergens, toxins like bacterial food poisoning toxins, marine toxins and biogenic amines, chemicals like veterinary drugs, pesticides and dioxins. The editors firmly believe that the very nature of the theme, the excellence of the peer-reviewed papers and the holistic approach chosen in this book will draw an audience from both the food and feed industry as well as from the scientific community.

This book contains key contributions to the Xth International Symposium on Ruminant Physiology. Proceedings from past ISRP symposia have had a major influence on research and teaching in animal science over the years. Without a doubt the peer-reviewed chapters in this book, written by some of the best scientists in the field, will live up to this fine tradition. The chapters cover a wide range of topics spanning from digestion and absorption to metabolism, reproduction and lactation. Advancement of knowledge within important issues related to rumen fermentation, absorption mechanisms and splanchnic metabolism is treated in nine chapters. A number of chapters address the relationship between nutrition and gene expression illustrating important progress in scientific knowledge that can be obtained by applying the molecular biology methods to the field. Several chapters address the effects of nutrition on immunology and cover topics related to the health and welfare of production animals. In keeping with the increased attention on the relationship between food and human health, the book contains two important chapters on this topic.

Grassland covers 26% of the world’s total land area. It produces feed for livestock; maintains soil fertility; protects and conserves soil and water resources; creates a habitat for wildlife; provides recreational space for sport and leisure and contributes to the general landscape. This book provides an up-to-date account of progress and potential in the genetic improvement of grassland to meet all needs. It encompasses work on a wide range of temperate and tropical grassland species (including grasses, clovers and other forage legumes) and will interest all those concerned with grassland use in livestock-based agriculture, recreation, environmental protection, bio-industry etc. Specifically, it demonstrates how recent advances in molecular techniques are being used to develop breeding objectives and strategies with key-note papers on: Objectives and benefits of molecular breeding, Linkage/physical mapping and map-based cloning, QTL analysis and trait dissection, Genomics, model species, gene discovery and functional analysis, Use of molecular markers and bioinformatics for breeding, Molecular genetics and breeding of endosymbiont and grass/legume associations, Transgenics, Genetic diversity, breeding systems and resources Future directions for research and breeding. State-of-the-art molecular techniques and resources are described that encompass a unique range of expertise in genetic mapping, trait dissection, comparative genomics, bioinformatics, gene discovery and risk assessment. Examples of work in progress or recently completed are provided from across the world. The book has broad educational value and will interest plant geneticists and breeders as well as grassland users and policy makers.

Pastoral systems are some of the most fragile human ecosystems that exist and are under threat from the expansion of cultivation, changes in social patterns and climate change. These ecosystems are of major importance since they contain a rich biological and cultural diversity. The aim of the book is to take a holistic view of pastoral systems by bringing together papers written by specialists in plant and animal ecology with an interest in the application of their research with papers taking an economic and social perspective. The focus is on marginal environments where the issues are in greatest relief with the papers tackling key issues in semi-arid and disadvantaged temperate areas. The key issues relate to identifying the biological constraints of these pastoral systems, understanding soil/plant/animal relationships, exploring biodiversity, landscape and social issues in multi-functional systems and providing solutions to constraints through a number of case studies. By comparing and contrasting these two environments, the book will be taking a completely new approach to understanding how pastoral systems function and how they will evolve in the future. The book is of value to all those with an interest in pastoral systems by providing an up-to-date account of current understanding of these multi-functional systems and new insights into how they function and how they will develop in the future.

"This book is essential reading for all those involved in forage conservation and provides a fascinating insight into current practices and the science underpinning forage conservation. Key subject areas include opportunities to enhance the fermentation process through crop manipulation prior to ensiling and the use of bacterial additives applied during ensiling. Latest developments in techniques for chemical and biological characterisation of silages are reviewed, including grass silage, alternative forages (whole crop wheat and maize silage) and tropical forages. The book also focuses on current developments in feeding of beef and dairy cattle with conserved forage with particular emphasis on factors influencing intake, digestion and animal performance.Overall this is an important reference book, which provides an excellent overview of current developments in forage conservation and utilization of conserved forage in animal production systems."

Leading authorities from wide geographical regions of the globe will review the most up-to-date information in relation to temperate grasslands. Topics covered are: nutritive value of pasture; plant characteristics conducive to high animal intake and performance; modelling of both grass growth and animal production and intake in grazing systems; optimising financial returns from grazing; decision support systems; optimal animal breeds and traits for grazing systems; challenges and opportunities for animal production in the immediate future .In addition, short papers will present the most recent research on the above mentioned topics. One paper will present a comprehensive overview of animal production from pasture in Ireland This book will be of interest to grassland and ruminant production scientists, mathematical modellers working on grazing systems, extension workers, students of agriculture and animal production and progressive livestock farmers.

"The content of this book gives scientifically validated practical hints or state of the art knowledge to veterinarians, breeders, riders and members of the feed industry on:- the nutrition of endurance horses;- the nutrition of growing horses to reduce prevalence of developmental orthopedic disease;- strategies to cope with exertional rhabdomyolysis; - and on the importance of nutrition for the maintenance and rehabilitation of health of teeth, hooves and the gastrointestinal tract without which a horse is no horse."

"It is widely acknowledged that the inclusion of antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) in the diet of livestock increases growth rate. However, many questions arise on whether the benefits outweigh the risks, or vice versa. Recent legislative developments in the European Union and USA, recommendations by the World Health Organization, initiatives taken by the food chain, and consumer concerns all point to a widespread (voluntary) removal of antibiotic feed additives for animal growth promotion. In particular, Regulation (EC) 1831/2003 lays down provisions phasing out the authorisations of AGPs in the European Union as from 1 January 2006.This book discusses how this will affect the use/non-use practice of AGPs. Attention is given to the current status and rational design of developments and strategies for animal feeding without the inclusion of AGPs. Topics covered include benefits and risks of AGPs, risk assessment, consumer concerns and demands, regulatory aspects and international developments, mode of action and innovative alternatives, and recent advances in the analysis of AGPs and related products.This book contains peer-reviewed papers presented at the international conference ""Antimicrobial Growth Promoters: Worldwide Ban on the Horizon?"". The book is filled with valuable information on the pros and cons of use of AGPs as well as on alternative nutritional solutions. It is aimed at professionals and researchers in the feed and food industry."

"Continued genetic development of pigs and poultry has been the foundation of profitable production within a competitive market. However, the challenges of these production increases have undoubtedly taken their toll on reproductive function in all breeding livestock, with the incidence of infertility increasing at an alarming rate. For example, it has recently been estimated that over 40% of sows are culled due to fertility problems, compared to just 12% with feet and leg issues.This edited collection of papers is taken from a series of seminars, devoted to bringing together some of the world’s leading authorities in the field of pig and poultry reproduction. The fundamental aim being to re-examine the current trends in productivity in the pig and poultry industries, and to identify nutritional means to improve fertility. It considers the effects of essential nutrients in optimising productivity, and discusses innovative applications of nutrition that will help to enhance fertility. The success of such innovations within entrepreneurial integrated systems is also covered, together with the importance of producing a quality chick and piglet at birth/hatching. Finally, the role of management and the need for least cost production is discussed. Nutritional Approaches to Arresting the decline in Fertility of Pigs and Poultry is aimed at nutritionists and animal producers as well as students and researchers studying animal and applied biological sciences."

"South American Camelids are receiving increased interest not only in South America but also on a worldwide scale. They possess some unique features such as their fine fibre and their high adaptivity to many climatic regions across the world. Apart from the important productiveaspects, their physical attractiveness also makes them popular as pet animals. However there are still many gaps in the scientific literature with regard to South American Camelids.This collection of papers brings experience of both South American and European experts together. It considers current trends in reproduction, nutrition, health, fibre morphology and genetics and discusses as new topic aspects of the potential of meat production and commercialization in South America. The particular advantages of South American Camelids for the sustainable use of fragile ecosystems with native pastures are outlined. Round tables discussions focus on the interaction between wild and domestic species, the management of alpaca populations outside of South America and health aspects under European conditions.South American Research is aimed at scientists and animal breeders as well as students studying veterinary, animal and applied biological sciences."

Changes in market organisation, climatic conditions and societal demands on food quality, animal welfare and environmental quality have created new conditions for farming families as well as for researchers and policy makers. New social, technical and economic solutions are needed for farming and rural areas. This book presents new perspectives for farms, farm products and rural areas, many of which were collectively developed by coalitions of farmers, farmer representatives, researchers, civilians and/or policy makers. Contributions are made from those involved in crop and animal production worldwide offering sections on natural resources management, development of sustainable rural systems, future perspectives for farming families, knowledge systems in transition and learning processes in multi-stakeholder processes. This unique collection of contributions, presenting insights from bio-physical as well as social sciences, shows where practice meets analysis and reflection and offers new perspectives for rural areas throughout the world.

"Voedsel en voeding staan voortdurend in de belangstelling. Iedereen heeft er een mening over en er wordt veel zinnigs maar ook veel onzinnigs over gezegd en geschreven. De auteurs zetten in dit boek de feiten op een rij, beschrijven de complexiteit van de huidige voedselproductie, maar ontrafelen deze ook en scheiden aldus de zin van de onzin. Demeest relevante zaken op het gebied van voedsel en voeding worden met elkaar in verband gebracht. Het boek is geschreven voor de leek geïnteresseerd in voedsel en voeding, studenten diëtetiek, voeding en levensmiddelentechnologie, beleidsmakers op hetgebied van voedsel en voeding, journalisten, kortom iedereen die beroepsmatig dan wel vanuit een brede interesse meer over voedsel en voeding wil weten.Over de auteurs:Prof. Pieter Walstra is emeritus hoogleraar en Prof. Martinus (Tiny) van Boekel is hoogleraar aan Wageningen Universiteit, allebei in het vakgebied levensmiddelentechnologie. Beiden zijn altijd geïnteresseerd geweest in de bredere context van het vakgebied en hebben dit actief uitgedragen in onderwijs, onderzoek en in contacten met de maatschappij. Dit boek is een weerslag daarvan, toegankelijk gemaakt voor een breed publiek."

"This book contains over 300 offered papers in addition to 4 papers from invited speakers presented at the 52nd International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, held in Dublin, Ireland, from 13-18 August 2006.Under the theme of harnessing and exploiting global opportunities, areas covered in the congress included meat quality encompassing genomics and biotechnology, animal production and production systems, muscle biology and biochemistry; meat safety, meat processing and packaging technology, consumer topics and meat and health. A new approach this year was to address specific hot topics important to the industry and meat scientists, in particular, electrical stimulation and new instrumental methods for evaluation of meat quality characteristics.These proceedings reflect the truly global nature of meat research and give an insight into the current research issues for the industry."

"This book discusses developments in the potato industry in a rapidly changing Europe. The European Union expanded recently with ten additional countries of which many are major potato producing countries. The papers in this book reflect societal and commercial changes such as consumer behaviour and marketing aspects in relation to fresh and processed potatoes in western, central and eastern Europe. Seed trade between western and central Europe is entering a new stage with altered inspection requirements, quarantine regulations and variety needs and acceptance. Resistance to diseases present in varieties in central and eastern Europe needs to be coupled to consumer and processor acceptance. Retailers and processors, Europe wide, lead the way at the global level to establish labels and certificates to assure food safety and sustainability. The technical part of the books treats improving the use of chemical fertilisers and crop protection agents increasingly aided by precision farming techniques. Modern molecular breeding techniques for improved resistance and quality are highlighted and their perspectives are shown for breeding programs Europe wide. The book concludes with developments in the potato supply chain, marketing and research and developments in a representative number of central European countries. It shows how each potato industry in transition deals with the socio-economic and environmental situation in varying degrees of development to adapt to a changing Europe."

"Throughout the last century, specialisation and intensification were buzz words for farmers in the Western world. However, this approach has not resulted in sustainable development as evidenced by the fact that scientists now need to create technologies to reduce negative impacts. In this book we demonstrate that an alternative exists. Case studies from Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam show that integration and diversification increase both farm productivity and farmers’ incomes. By adopting a participatory approach, farmers and scientists identified a range of technologies that strengthen the positive impacts of integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems for the environment.This book is a collection of refereed papers on a controversial subject in agricultural development. Arguing that sustainability of fish culture in ponds needs a new paradigm - feed the pond to grow fish - two chapters focus on nutrient cycling in such systems. Another chapter makes the case for breeding Nile tilapia for resource poor farmers and presents practical options to avoid the pitfalls that arise from natural tilapia mating in low-input ponds. The book contains chapters on livelihood and development aspects and ends with a general discussion completing the picture of the integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems. Overall it composes a review which addresses one of the key issues of the new century: how to sustainably produce food without compromising environmental integrity."

"Dietary fibre is of interest to both science and industry, and yet despite growing awareness of its benefits to health and nutrition, intakes remain below the recommended level. Industry has responded by developing new applications, products and processes to help consumers increase their fibre intake in a convenient way. While regulations on health claims are being developed for example in the EU, some countries have allowed the use of health claims to help promote consumer awareness of the benefits of a higher fibre intake, and to inform consumers of good sources of fibre.At the same time science is developing the concept of dietary fibre. The mechanisms and actual components behind the physiological effects are of particular interest, and so are the analytical tools to measure these. The fate of dietary fibre in the gut, where certain fibre components are fermented and converted by microbes gains a great deal of attention. The role of molecular weight and viscosity of dietary fibre components in determining the health benefits are also discussed.This book is essential reading for all researchers and those who concern themselves with bioprocesses and food technology.'Dietary fibre components and functions' covers the most up-to-date research available on dietary fibre and will be an indispensable tool for all scientists involved in research and development in this field."

South American camelids (Llamas, Alpacas, Vicuñas and Guanacos) are receiving increased interest not only in South America but also on a worldwide scale. They possess some unique features such as their fine fibre and healthy meat, and their high adaptivity to many climatic regions across the world. Apart from the important productive aspects, their physical attractiveness and friendly temperament also makes them popular as pet animals. There are still many gaps in the scientific literature with regard to South American camelids. In part, this gap can be diminished by this collection of papers which brings the experience of both European and South American researchers working together.The main themes considered in this book are the following: nutrition and feeding, meat production and the meat market, ecology, fibre production and the fibre market, animal breeding, animal health and pathology and socio-economical aspects. The particular advantages of South American camelids for the sustainable use of fragile ecosystems with native pastures are also outlined.'South American camelids research' is aimed at scientists and animal breeders as well as students studying veterinary, animal and applied biological sciences. It can be of further reference to farmers and traders of fibre and meat products. Please note that most articles are written in Spanish.

"The Farmer Field School (FFS) originated in the 1980s in the context of integrated pest management in Indonesian rice farming. With the hope that it is the remedy for agricultural extension system, FFS has been promoted as a tool for participatory learning and experimentation all over the world. This work results from a critical analysis of the introduction of the FFS concept into the agricultural innovation system in Uganda. Ideally, an FFS produces new technical knowledge in the context of application through the input of local human resources. The analysis, framed as a technography, shows that implementation and operation of an FFS is hugely complex. This detailed study of institutional factors, from the level of international donor organizations down to the level of local leadership and gender relations, and analysis of technical factors in different rural areas of Uganda makes clear that and FFS is more than a local tool for farmer participation in agricultural improvement. Implementation of a FFS requires adjustment of the agricultural innovation system at all levels and an integrated tackling of agricultural problems in order to meet its objectives.Isubikalu shows that it is imperative to 'demolish' existing organizational structures and create new ones, which align scientific with local structures to produce an appropriate people-centered system that is more responsive to agricultural and rural development. She provides stepping stones in redesigning FFS to fit the specific conditions in Uganda."

"Precision livestock farming ’07 contains the latest scientific results from worldwide research, field studies and practical applications. The peer-reviewed papers were presented at the 3rd European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming.The major topics in this book are:- Feed quality management- Sensor technology in animal husbandry- Environmental effects of precision livestock farming- Automation in livestock farming- Implementation, education and trainingThe wide range of research topics reported will be a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture long after the conference has finished. Peer-reviewed papers from the 6th European Conference on Precision Agriculture are presented in a companion publication, Precision agriculture ’07."

"In The Netherlands an intense growth in animal husbandry has taken place during the past decades. This growth induced major shifts in the national nitrogen and ammonia balance, with feedstuff being imported from abroad and animal waste being used in excess in Dutch agricultural areas.Growing environmental responsibility, which was triggered by scientific observations on field-scale early-on, resulted in putting animal waste and ammonia on the political agenda. Governmental regulations were put in effect and research programs were set-up to develop techniques to measure and reduce ammonia emissions based on a scientific approach. Meanwhile, an inventory was made of the size of the animal waste problem. Additionally, the impacts on the environment were studied, as well as technical solutions to minimize the animal waste production were developed.This book aims to provide a full overview of all ammonia emission related aspects of animal husbandry in the Netherlands. Besides the background information as described above, it includes a technical and practical inventory of emission sources from cattle, pig, and poultry housings, followed by a listing of government approved housing systems and manure application techniques that have been measured according to standard protocols to quantify the on-farm decrease of ammonia emissions. For both traditional and low emission systems a list of emission factors is included.By presenting common practices in the Netherlands, this book also informs other EU countries about our ongoing insights regarding Dutch regulations, measurement protocols, abatement techniques and interpretation of measured farm-scale data to national emission values. In this way it will contribute to directing the development of livestock production throughout the EU member states towards a healthy and more sustainable future."

"This comprehensive volume - containing 27 chapters and contributions from six continents - presents and discusses key principles, perspectives, and practices of social learning in the context of sustainability. Social learning is explored from a range of fields challenged by sustainability including: organizational learning, environmental management and corporate social responsibility; multi-stakeholder governance; education, learning and educational psychology; multiple land-use and integrated rural development; and consumerism and critical consumer education. An entire section of the book is devoted to a number of reflective case studies of people, organizations and communities using forms of social learning in moving towards sustainability. 'This book brings together a range of ideas, stories, and discussions about purposeful learning in communities aimed at creating a world that is more sustainable than the one currently in prospect. ...The book is designed to expand the network of conversations through which our society can confront various perspectives, discover emerging patterns, and apply learning to a variety of emotional and social contexts.' From the Foreword by Fritjof Capra, co-founder of the Center of Ecoliteracy.'Joining what is so clear and refreshing in this book with the larger movements toward a critically democratic and activist education that is worthy of its name, is but one step in the struggle for sustainability. But it is an essential step if we are to use the insights that are included in this book.' From the Afterword by Michael Apple, author of 'Educating the ""Right"" Way: Markets, Standards, God, and Inequality'."

"The genetic diversity comprised in farm animal species and breeds is an important resource in livestock systems. For several reasons, within the different species used for food production, only a few breeds are developed towards high-output breeds fitting in high-input systems. In this process many breeds are set aside from the food producing livestock systems. These breeds will be faced with extinction unless new functions for these breeds are found. This is a real threat for the genetic diversity within species.This book is intended to give insight into the issues of the utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources towards a broad group of readers interested in these subjects. The insight is presented as applications of population, molecular and quantitative genetics that can be used to take appropriate decisions in utilisation and conservation programmes. A previous edition of this book is a key resource in courses worldwide and cited in many scientific publications.The first two chapters discuss the decisions to be made in utilisation and conservation. Chapter 3 surveys the different ways in which the diversity we observe within a species can be characterised. Chapter 4 illustrates recent results using this theory for utilisation and conservation purposes. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 give theoretical backgrounds necessary to make decisions and chapters 8 and 9 present the operation and practical implications of selection and conservation schemes."

"Religion is high on the agenda of international politics today. Though there has been a retreat from religion in Europe, the international debate on the meaning and relevance of religion has intensified after the Iranian revolution and has gained new strength with the recent terror attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the proliferation of intrastate conflict, and the process of European integration.The issues of secularism and its relationship to democracy, globalization and foreign policy are explored in this book. It is most relevant for politicians, policymakers, academic researchers, non-governmental organisations, peace and development practitioners, as well as the media. The book deals with the practical and policy-related consequences of the debate for development organisations and their views on poverty, religion and conflict.The Society for International Development (SID) has brought together eminent international writers and leading authorities in the field of religion, coming from different backgrounds and regions. Among the contributors are Peter Berger, Leonardo Boff, Abdullahi An-Na’im, Riffat Hassan, Thomas Pogge, Scott M. Thomas and Jonathan Fox."

This publication explores how the international Nile perch fish chain should or can be organised to improve both welfare of local communities, sustainability of the fisheries and quality of the fish. Primary producers face a number of bottlenecks such as poor access to production facilities, ineffective enforcement of sustainable practices, lack of market (price) information, competition with international markets and degradation of the fisheries that lead to increasing food insecurity problems. In order to improve sustainability and quality, primary producers are open to contracts that enable them better access to production facilities and price information, and also to better integrate them into international channels. Sustainable practices can or should be part of these contracts. Although the downstream channel members and other stakeholders were not fully aware of the complexity and gravity of the upstream problems, they appeared to be willing to help to improve the situation at Lake Victoria. It is therefore a corporate social responsibility for the downstream channel members, as well as nature conservation organizations and the donor community, to empower the primary producers and local communities in developing countries to implement welfare, sustainability and quality-enhancing practices. This publication outlines several mechanisms to achieves these goals.