Cucumbers are members of the Cucurbitaceae family, also known as the cucurbits or gourd family (see Figure 1). The group includes crops such as winter and summer squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins and gourds. It is believed that cucumbers originated in India over 3,000 years ago and then spread to China, Greece, Italy and North Africa (see Figure 2). By the 9th century, cucumbers were gro…
The first comprehensive handbook on the seeds of trees and shrubs produced by the USDA Forest Service was USDA Misc. Pub. 654, Woody-Plant Seed Manual. The manuscript was ready for publication in 1941, but World War II delayed publication until 1948. The boom in tree planting in the 1950s and 1960s created a large demand for seeds and exposed the gaps in our knowledge concerning production and …
Agriculture is underperforming in many developing countries for a number of reasons. Among these is the fact that women lack the resources and opportunities they need to make the most productive use of their time. Women are farmers, workers and entrepreneurs, but almost everywhere they face more severe constraints than men in accessing productive resources, markets and services. This “gender …
This study is the latest forward assessment by FAO of possible future developments in world food, nutrition and agriculture, including the crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors. It is the product of a multidisciplinary exercise, involving most of the technical units and disciplines present in FAO, as well as specialists from outside FAO. It continues the tradition of FAO’s periodic…
The main objective of research in soil science is the understanding of the nature, properties, dynamics and functions of the soil as part of landscapes and ecosystems. A basic requirement for attaining that objective is the availability of reliable information on soil morphology and other characteristics obtained through examination and description of the soil in the field. It is important that…
Soils vary signifi cantly in their properties. They may be deep in some places, shallow in others, black or gray in colour, sandy or clayey in texture. Although the soil mantle covering Manitoba is far from uniform, all soils have some common factors. For example, all soil is a mixture of organic and mineral material plus water and air. While the major components remain the same, the proportion…
The meal patterns at 7 CFR 225.16(d) outline the required food components and their minimum serving sizes in order for the meal to be eligible for reimbursement. A food component is one of the food groups that comprise a reimbursable meal. For example, a fruit or vegetable and a meat or meat alternate would be a food component. A food item is a specific food offered within the food component. F…
Composition of processed vanilla beans is fairly variable and complex due to a number of variables such as species, growth conditions, soil composition, fruit maturity and mainly, the type of processing. All these variables define the relative content of the chemical constituents in the processed beans, which makes it difficult to define their typical composition. Ranadive (1994) reported a com…
The pawpaw (Carica papaya L.) is the most economically important fruit in the Caricaceae Family. In some parts of the world, specially Australia and some islands of the West Indies, it is known as papaw, or pawpaw, names which are better limited to the very different, mainly wild Asimina triloba Dunal, belonging to the Annonaceae. While the name pawpaw is widely recognized, it has been corrupte…
The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. (LamK) seemed to have originated in Tropical America, but, the exact location is not known. This crop is now grown throughout the tropics for its edible tubers, which are an important food source in many countries. Guyana is one of the tropical countries in which sweet potato is cultivated. The Regions of highest production in Guyana, are Regions 3, 4, and 9…
Fruit juices are made from pure filtered fruit juice with nothing added. Sodium benzoate can be added as a preservative to extend the shelf life, but this is not essential. Properly pasteurised juice has a shelf life of several months. Most fruits can be used to make juice. The most popular ones are pineapple, orange, mango, grapefruit and passion fruit.
As requests for advice on how to start cricket farms, or overcome problems that were being experienced arose, the idea of collecting existing experiences and formulating guidance on cricket farming emerged. This section seeks to address this demand for more and clearer guidance and information. It systematically describes basic management techniques needed to ensure best practices in rais…
Complete absence or existence of limited quantified recipes has negatively impacted on optimal gains from dietary activities being promoted by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MoALF) towards alleviating food and nutrition insecurity, and ultimately malnutrition. The lack of reliable quantified recipes in the country may have therefore led to inc…
Information required in Section 7 of this Standard and Sections 4.1 to 4.8 of the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (CODEX STAN 1-1985), and, if necessary, storage instructions, shall be given either on the container or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the product, lot identifi cation, and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on…
As well as protecting water resources, forests also conserve biodiversity. National commitments to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity are being fulfilled through measures to safeguard water and establish “protected” and “protective” forests, as well as many kinds of forests certified for sustainability. Forests also provide carbon fixation and several other environmen…
The need to feed a growing global population and respond to increased demand for fish puts pressure on natural resources and challenges the sustainability of marine and inland fisheries and of aquaculture development. There is growing evidence of increases in resource conflicts (e.g. arising from competing demands for water resources in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) and ecological impacts (e…
This brief provides a rigorous and standardized approach for value chain analysis and design (VCA/D).1 It assumes that a specific value chain (VC) has already been selected and describes how to complete the first two steps for its sustainable evelopment, namely analysing the VC and designing an upgrading strategy and development plan for it.2 The next step, beyond this brief, is the implementat…
Only with knowledge can we free the world from hunger, malnutrition and poverty. According to the Basic Texts of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Organization’s first function is to “collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture”. FAO’s strategic focus on “the four betters” – better product…
Disasters are resulting in unprecedented levels of destruction across the world. These shocks and disruptions affect the functioning and sustainability of agricultural production and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people reliant on agrifood systems. Reducing the impact of disasters in agriculture requires a better understanding of the extent to which these events produce negative im…
Few building materials possess the environmental benefits of wood. It is not only our most widely used building material but also one with characteristics that make it suitable for a wide range of applications. As described in the many chapters of this handbook, efficient, durable, and useful wood products produced from trees can range from a minimally processed log at a log-home building site …
The USDA Forest Service recognizes that the threat of invasive plant species to public and private forests is serious and thatsuccessful progress in prevention, control, research, and restoration from the negative impacts of such invasions is only possible using a concerted and organized effort. Thus, the Forest Service-Eastern Region (Region 9), the Northeastern Area (NA) State and Private For…