Publications related to Agriculture
Small Farmers Secure Food - Survival Food Security, the World’s Kitchen & the Crucial Role of Small Farmers (2010)
By IID Director Professor Lindsay Falvey
Published by: Thaksin University Press in association with the Institute for International Development Click here to download the publication.
Published by: Thaksin University Press in association with the Institute for International Development Click here to download the publication.
Religion and Agriculture: Sustainability in Christianity and Buddhism (2005)
by Professor Lindsay Falvey
Summary:
Religion is a powerful expression of culture that is most obviously expressed in our relationships with nature. As our major meeting point with nature is food, this provides a fertile field for cultivating the wisdom that Professor Falvey concludes is the essence of all sustainability. By bringing sustainability, agriculture, global issues, Buddhism, Christianity and a host of other factors into play, we see that our motivations belie our rhetoric - in environmental actions through to trade and aid. This open-spirited book contains a wealth of analysis and alternative logics that make it essential to serious readers about nature, the environment, spirituality and religion, Asia and ourselves. Beginning with science and spirituality, the discussion moves from immortality to theology to literal misinterpretations and unifies these themes around unacknowledged Western core values. Shifting to philosophy, ethics, and rights, an ecological argument about our selective 'liberation' of nature is proffered as an introduction to global issues, including traditional values of poor countries and lost traditions in the West. An engrossing hybrid Oriental-Western dialectic allows chapters to be read alone or as part of an accumulating thesis. Thus Buddhist and Christian teachings are applied to agriculture and sustainability - and they are found to be at one with each other. Whether it is biblical metaphor, karmic logic or enlightened self-interest, the continuous thread of a strong suture stitches a complex set of subjects into a coherent sutra that will vivify the current moribund dialogue between agriculture, science and religion.
Some Reviews:
"This work is unique and fills the gap that neither theologians nor scientists will readily attempt to fill; it has not been done before and is critically important", Will Johnston, late of University of Massachusetts, currently of Melbourne College of Divinity
"the sutra of sustainability in the final chapter will certainly become a classic", Gabriel Fragnière, Ancien Recteur du Collège d'Europe (editor Dieux, Hommes et Religions)
Publisher: Institute of International Development, 19 North Terrace, Hackney, SA 5069, Australia www.iid.org
Distributor: Silkworm Books / Mekong Press, 104/5 Chiang Mai-Hot Road, Suthep, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand www.SilkwormBooks.info
Click here to download the flyer(40KB).
Click here to download the book(1MB).
Summary:
Religion is a powerful expression of culture that is most obviously expressed in our relationships with nature. As our major meeting point with nature is food, this provides a fertile field for cultivating the wisdom that Professor Falvey concludes is the essence of all sustainability. By bringing sustainability, agriculture, global issues, Buddhism, Christianity and a host of other factors into play, we see that our motivations belie our rhetoric - in environmental actions through to trade and aid. This open-spirited book contains a wealth of analysis and alternative logics that make it essential to serious readers about nature, the environment, spirituality and religion, Asia and ourselves. Beginning with science and spirituality, the discussion moves from immortality to theology to literal misinterpretations and unifies these themes around unacknowledged Western core values. Shifting to philosophy, ethics, and rights, an ecological argument about our selective 'liberation' of nature is proffered as an introduction to global issues, including traditional values of poor countries and lost traditions in the West. An engrossing hybrid Oriental-Western dialectic allows chapters to be read alone or as part of an accumulating thesis. Thus Buddhist and Christian teachings are applied to agriculture and sustainability - and they are found to be at one with each other. Whether it is biblical metaphor, karmic logic or enlightened self-interest, the continuous thread of a strong suture stitches a complex set of subjects into a coherent sutra that will vivify the current moribund dialogue between agriculture, science and religion.
Some Reviews:
"This work is unique and fills the gap that neither theologians nor scientists will readily attempt to fill; it has not been done before and is critically important", Will Johnston, late of University of Massachusetts, currently of Melbourne College of Divinity
"the sutra of sustainability in the final chapter will certainly become a classic", Gabriel Fragnière, Ancien Recteur du Collège d'Europe (editor Dieux, Hommes et Religions)
Publisher: Institute of International Development, 19 North Terrace, Hackney, SA 5069, Australia www.iid.org
Distributor: Silkworm Books / Mekong Press, 104/5 Chiang Mai-Hot Road, Suthep, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand www.SilkwormBooks.info
Click here to download the flyer(40KB).
Click here to download the book(1MB).
Sustainability: Elusive or Illusion? Wise Environmental Intervention (2004)
By Professor Lindsay Falvey
Sustainability of the environment contains both wishful thinking and ignorance - ignorance of the reality that natural systems are complex and unfathomable by scientists, and that repetition of their outputs depend on repetition of initial and all subsequent conditions. Scientific insights provide knowledge, but it is partial in most cases, and when applied is often subject to conflicting objectives, which in turn produce conditions that affect outcomes thus our best efforts to predict natural outcomes are usually flawed. We further display our ignorance in seeking social sustainability while we behave inequitably towards groups other than 'us' and invoke spurious reasoning to justify further research. The effect of ignorant self-interest is played out daily in our largest intervention in the natural environment - agriculture, which is why agriculture provides perhaps the best model for consideration of the ideal of sustainability. The publication can be downloaded here.
Sustainability of the environment contains both wishful thinking and ignorance - ignorance of the reality that natural systems are complex and unfathomable by scientists, and that repetition of their outputs depend on repetition of initial and all subsequent conditions. Scientific insights provide knowledge, but it is partial in most cases, and when applied is often subject to conflicting objectives, which in turn produce conditions that affect outcomes thus our best efforts to predict natural outcomes are usually flawed. We further display our ignorance in seeking social sustainability while we behave inequitably towards groups other than 'us' and invoke spurious reasoning to justify further research. The effect of ignorant self-interest is played out daily in our largest intervention in the natural environment - agriculture, which is why agriculture provides perhaps the best model for consideration of the ideal of sustainability. The publication can be downloaded here.
Salt of the Earth (2002)
By John Leake
Summary
This talk, although delivered some 10 years ago, remains relevant; the current “issue” is human induced climate change rather than salinity. In the case of climate change the issue is caused by the additional energy forced into the weather system due to the ‘greenhouse’ effect and increased emissions of green house gases provided by our industrial growth, mostly since about 1870. We don’t know precisely how this will play out but it is IID’s view that humans have the capacity to react the damage they have caused and that it is in through Rural Development and education that this can be achieved, as discussed below for salt and water. The speech can be downloaded here.
Summary
This talk, although delivered some 10 years ago, remains relevant; the current “issue” is human induced climate change rather than salinity. In the case of climate change the issue is caused by the additional energy forced into the weather system due to the ‘greenhouse’ effect and increased emissions of green house gases provided by our industrial growth, mostly since about 1870. We don’t know precisely how this will play out but it is IID’s view that humans have the capacity to react the damage they have caused and that it is in through Rural Development and education that this can be achieved, as discussed below for salt and water. The speech can be downloaded here.
Fields of Grass - Portraits of the Pastoral Landscape and Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas
By IID member Mr Daniel Miller
IID member Mr Daniel Miller, in collaboration with ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) has published his third book, entitled Fields of Grass - Portraits of the Pastoral Landscape and Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas. The text and hundreds of his photographs explore the landscape, grazing lands, wild herds, nomadic society and changes to traditional pastoral life. Preservation of ecological functionality of these high Himalayan grasslands is a matter of international importance as they constitute the headwaters of about half the world's great rivers.
Copies can be obtained from ICIMOD at PO Box 3226 Kathmandu, Nepal.
Nomad woman, Phala, Tibet, China 1997 from Fields of Grass -
Portraits of the Pastoral Landscape and Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas.
IID member Mr Daniel Miller, in collaboration with ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) has published his third book, entitled Fields of Grass - Portraits of the Pastoral Landscape and Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas. The text and hundreds of his photographs explore the landscape, grazing lands, wild herds, nomadic society and changes to traditional pastoral life. Preservation of ecological functionality of these high Himalayan grasslands is a matter of international importance as they constitute the headwaters of about half the world's great rivers.
Copies can be obtained from ICIMOD at PO Box 3226 Kathmandu, Nepal.
Nomad woman, Phala, Tibet, China 1997 from Fields of Grass -
Portraits of the Pastoral Landscape and Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas.
AgriDhamma:
The Duty of Professional Agriculturists
Buddhadasa translated by Professor Lindsay Falvey (2002)
A Lecture by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu to Agricultural Teachers and Officials on 25 March 1991 at Suan Mokkhapharam, Chaiya, Surat Thani Province, Thailand.
The publication can be downlaoded here.
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
A Lecture by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu to Agricultural Teachers and Officials on 25 March 1991 at Suan Mokkhapharam, Chaiya, Surat Thani Province, Thailand.
The publication can be downlaoded here.
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
Thai
Agriculture: Golden Cradle of Millennia (2000)
By Professor Lindsay Falvey
This publication is available in both Thai and English. The Thai version is available for FREE. The Thai translation was made possible by a generous donation - please see the acknowledgements section.
Summary
Thai agriculture is traced through prehistory, agro-cities, and religious empires with immigrant Tai, to a sustainable wet glutinous rice culture which shaped institutions for an exporting society. Agriculture's provision of security and wealth increased with population and Chinese and European agribusiness, until accessible land was expended. Employment, crisis resilience, self-sufficiency, rural social support, and culture were maintained through agriculture, although hampered by institutional orientations to taxation more than research and education. By the 1960s, agribusiness contrasted with small-holders. Thailand is one of the world's few major agricultural exporters, leading in rice, rubber, canned pineapple, black tiger prawn, and regional chicken meat production and export, and feeding four times its population from less intensive agriculture than its neighbours. Issues remain in poverty, education, research, governance, national debt, and sensitive alternatives for small-holders. Past specialties in irrigation, administration, export, multinational agribusiness, negotiation, retained potential, and acceptance of new ideas, suggest that Thailand should remain a major agricultural country as environmental and religious concerns contribute to its unique agriculture.
The Publication can be downloaded here (merge the chapter into one file)
To Purchase this book from Amazon, please click here.
This publication is available in both Thai and English. The Thai version is available for FREE. The Thai translation was made possible by a generous donation - please see the acknowledgements section.
Summary
Thai agriculture is traced through prehistory, agro-cities, and religious empires with immigrant Tai, to a sustainable wet glutinous rice culture which shaped institutions for an exporting society. Agriculture's provision of security and wealth increased with population and Chinese and European agribusiness, until accessible land was expended. Employment, crisis resilience, self-sufficiency, rural social support, and culture were maintained through agriculture, although hampered by institutional orientations to taxation more than research and education. By the 1960s, agribusiness contrasted with small-holders. Thailand is one of the world's few major agricultural exporters, leading in rice, rubber, canned pineapple, black tiger prawn, and regional chicken meat production and export, and feeding four times its population from less intensive agriculture than its neighbours. Issues remain in poverty, education, research, governance, national debt, and sensitive alternatives for small-holders. Past specialties in irrigation, administration, export, multinational agribusiness, negotiation, retained potential, and acceptance of new ideas, suggest that Thailand should remain a major agricultural country as environmental and religious concerns contribute to its unique agriculture.
The Publication can be downloaded here (merge the chapter into one file)
To Purchase this book from Amazon, please click here.
Publications of Spiritual Nature
Reaching the Top? All Paths are True on the Right Mountain (2007)
By Professor Lindsay Falvey
Summary
This is the story of Lazuli, an average man with ordinary problems which, in his case, were enough to open his mind to something wonderful. Something that was already right in front of this nose - a mountain in the middle of his city that was virtually ignored. Improbable? Possibly, but then the events that follow somehow seem as natural and important as anything could be. And the story is simple, based on climbing a mountain and coming down again. But while access to the mountain is easy, it seems very few are interested in it. Lazuli and his colleagues resolve to explore the forgotten mount, their paths reflecting their individual characters, and the most common outcome is boredom leading them to return to the more interesting diversions of everyday life. But for Lazuli and his friend, and a few others they meet on the way, a new discovery awakens in them and they are never the same again - they are content. A short and postive tale, a parable.
Summary
This is the story of Lazuli, an average man with ordinary problems which, in his case, were enough to open his mind to something wonderful. Something that was already right in front of this nose - a mountain in the middle of his city that was virtually ignored. Improbable? Possibly, but then the events that follow somehow seem as natural and important as anything could be. And the story is simple, based on climbing a mountain and coming down again. But while access to the mountain is easy, it seems very few are interested in it. Lazuli and his colleagues resolve to explore the forgotten mount, their paths reflecting their individual characters, and the most common outcome is boredom leading them to return to the more interesting diversions of everyday life. But for Lazuli and his friend, and a few others they meet on the way, a new discovery awakens in them and they are never the same again - they are content. A short and postive tale, a parable.
Folk Sayings
Professor Dr Charan Chantalakhana and Ms. Pakapun Skulman
Published by: Sukhothai Thammatirach University
Click here to download publication
Professor Dr Charan Chantalakhana and Ms. Pakapun Skulman
Published by: Sukhothai Thammatirach University
Click here to download publication
The
Buddha’s Gospel: A Buddhist Interpretation of Jesus’ Words (2002)
By Professor Lindsay Falvey
Summary
Described as 'unique and a great service to understanding', this book is intended for three groups; Western Buddhists, that bulk of the West that have no religious affiliation yet know there is something more to life, and Buddhists in Asia who follow the encounter of the dharma with the West. It highlights the pervasive similarities in the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha as they were probably originally presented. In its six chapters and appendix, it compares the two great teachers, the Buddha and Jesus, briefly charts the process by which experts have produced words readily attributed to Jesus and presents a Buddhist 'imitation' of these words based on the hypothetical 'Sayings of Jesus'. It then considers congruence between the Buddha's and Jesus' teachings before offering both Buddhist and Christian interpretations. An appendix re-presents the Buddhist imitation of Jesus' words as a continuous text. Dr. Falvey introduces his work ... 'Jesus speaking the Buddha's words' exudes audacity and ignorance, yet this work essentially wrote itself as a product of my socialization, a modicum of Christian theological study and its explication through three decades of casual association with Thai Buddhism. Differences between the two traditions - such as Christianity relying on a God while Buddhism denies the existence of a God proved themselves facile upon consideration of the metaphorical intent of teachings of both traditions. The publication can be downloaded here.
Summary
Described as 'unique and a great service to understanding', this book is intended for three groups; Western Buddhists, that bulk of the West that have no religious affiliation yet know there is something more to life, and Buddhists in Asia who follow the encounter of the dharma with the West. It highlights the pervasive similarities in the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha as they were probably originally presented. In its six chapters and appendix, it compares the two great teachers, the Buddha and Jesus, briefly charts the process by which experts have produced words readily attributed to Jesus and presents a Buddhist 'imitation' of these words based on the hypothetical 'Sayings of Jesus'. It then considers congruence between the Buddha's and Jesus' teachings before offering both Buddhist and Christian interpretations. An appendix re-presents the Buddhist imitation of Jesus' words as a continuous text. Dr. Falvey introduces his work ... 'Jesus speaking the Buddha's words' exudes audacity and ignorance, yet this work essentially wrote itself as a product of my socialization, a modicum of Christian theological study and its explication through three decades of casual association with Thai Buddhism. Differences between the two traditions - such as Christianity relying on a God while Buddhism denies the existence of a God proved themselves facile upon consideration of the metaphorical intent of teachings of both traditions. The publication can be downloaded here.
Buddhist and Christian Parallels - Compiled from the Earliest Scriptures (2004)
By René Salm
rjs@epud.net
Click
here to download publication
