Globalization and the Rural Environment (Series on Latin American Studies)

As the world transitions from an industrial society to an information society, agriculture has undergone a dramatic transformation. Food production in the 20th century was transformed by three revolutions: first mechanical, then genetic, and finally chemical. Now, in the 21st century, agriculture is going through at least two more revolutions: an information technology revolution leading to precision farming, and a biotechnology revolution leading to genetically engineered crops. Organized by Harvard University's David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies with the collaboration of the Scientific Committee for Problems of the Environment, this interdisciplinary volume examines the impact of a variety of new technological, social, and economic trends on the rural environment. A Europe Without Peasants / Guy Sorman -- The Impact Of Globalization And The Information Society On The Rural Space: Conceptual Analysis And Some Policy Suggestions / Otto T. Solbrig -- Cycles Of Globalization, Economic Growth, And Human Welfare In Latin America / John H. Coatsworth -- Are Famine And Malnutrition Questions Of Supply Or Demand? Implications For Environmental Rural Sustainability / Rocío Fernández Alés And Otto T. Solbrig -- Impacts Of Agronomic Technologies On Rural Environments -- Introduction / Otto T. Solbrig -- Production Systems In The Argentine Pampas And Their Ecological Impact / Emilio H. Satorre -- The Impact Of Global Changes On The Rural Environment In Ecoregions Of The Southern Cone Of South America / Ernesto T. Viglizzo -- Ecological Impacts Of Modern Agriculture In The United States And Latin America / Miguel A. Altieri And Clara Ines Nicholls. Sustainable Agriculture In The Lowlands Subtropics And Neotropics? Trends And Bioeconomic Opportunities And Constraints / Raúl R. Vera -- Environmental Impacts Of Globalization And Agriculture On The Environment / Pierre Corsson -- Direct Seed Cropping In Argentina: Economic, Agronomic And Sustainability Benefits / Roberto A. Peiretti -- The Environmentally Positive Aspects Of The Agrochemical Industry In Argentina / Carlos Salvador -- The Impact Of Biotechnology In South America / Rolando Meninato -- Technology, Gene Research, And National Competitiveness / Juan Enriquez -- Environmental Impacts Of Modern Agriculture: The Role Of Policy And Trade Liberalization / Sandra S. Batie -- The Impact Of Environmental Policies, Consumer Behavior And Information Technology On Agricultural Trade, With Special Reference To Europe / Jan C. Blom. The Impact Of Modern Agricultural Technologies: Economics' Usefulness In The Debate About Future Directions For Agriculture / Otto Doering -- Environmental Impacts Of Globalization Through Trade Liberalization In Agriculture; Analyzing The Empirical Evidence From Latin America / Eugenio Figueroa B. -- Globalization And Agriculture: Some Facts, Interpretations, And Policy Issues / Eugenio Díaz-bonilla -- Different Eu And Us Perspectives On Biotechnology And Their Implications For Trade Relations / Wyn Grant -- Forging New Connections Between Agriculture And The City / Max J. Pfeffer, J. Mayone Stycos, Leland Glenna, And Joyce Altobelli -- Urban Sprawl And Landscape Perturbation In High Quality Farmland Ecosystems: The Case Of The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region / Jorge Morello, Silvia D. Matteucci, And Gustavo Buzai -- Rural Values And The European View Of Agriculture / Francesco Di Castri. Where To Turn For Remedies?/ Robert Paarlberg. Edited By Otto T. Solbrig, Robert Paarlberg And Francesco Di Castri. Based On A Conference-workshop The Impact Of Globalization And The Information Society On The Rural Environment, Cambridge, Mass., January 19-21 2000.