Our books are sold around the world, have been translated into over 50 languages, won many awards, and have been adapted for film and stage. We publish stories that feature strong female characters and explore themes of social justice, human rights, equality, and ability issues. Our list spans adult fiction and nonfiction; children’s fiction, nonfiction and picture books; and young adult fiction and nonfiction.
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This landmark volume presents the results of a comprehensive and coherent in-depth assessment of Ethiopian agriculture and draws lessons from it to generate actionable recommendations that will inform policy decisions and priority setting for agricultural transformation across Africa. Policy makers in Africa are faced with the challenges of ensuring food and nutrition security and the economic wellbeing of their rapidly growing populations while at the same time maintaining the integrity of their natural resource base. Between 2000 and 2021, 74% of the growth in overall crop production on the continent was derived from increases in land area expansion, while increases in yield contributed only 26% of the growth. This unchecked expansion of land use puts the sustainability of the natural resource base under severe pressure. Even though some countries have made substantial increases in their farm productivity over the last two decades, the overall performance for Africa is far behind other regions. For the most part, in Africa, agriculture is not fulfilling its expected functions of food and nutrition security, increased export earnings, import substitution, and raw material supply for local industries. Attempts have been made to transform African agriculture over the years, but few countries have succeeded in achieving sustainable change. Using examples from Ethiopia this book identifies the major factors for success and the root causes of underperformance, and offers evidence-based recommendations for future decision making, policy change and the creation of growth. This book: · Draws on a unique set of case studies from Ethiopia described and told from a truly African perspective. · Emphasises to policy makers in Africa that development cannot be outsourced and there are no shortcuts; it is only through consistent effort and sustained support for their agricultural research and development that positive change can be brought about. · States that past agricultural development efforts by the international community have not properly included a strong African voice, and that therefore, all future academic research, policies and strategies dealing with the continent's agriculture and food security should be formulated by Africa's own leading thinkers and experts. · Is not a polemic; its arguments are knowledge and evidence based, building a compelling picture of how agricultural development can be sustained for the future.
Cyberspace becomes a major threat to national security, while promoting the progress of human science and technology civilization. Guided by the overall national security concept, this book focuses on the hotspot events of world cyberspace security, analyzes the causes of cyberspace security threats, interprets world power’s cyberspace security strategy, explores national cyberspace security rules, and provides systematic and in-depth theoretic decision references.
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China-Africa Economics and Trade Cooperation: Case Studies and Plans comes in 3 languages: Chinese(2 volumes), English(2 volumes), and French(2 volumes). This book series include 101 excellent case studies , which related to 21 Chinese provinces and cities and 31 countries in Africa, containing agriculture, manufacturing, commerce and trade, infrastructure, industrial parks, energy and mining, financing and other fields in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. This set of books is practical and useful for all readers. In addition, the book gives the vivid interpretation on the concept of common prosperity, win-win cooperation, mutual negotiation and construction, shared innovation and progression of Belt and Road Initiative.
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The unknown and classified KGB history of the largest country in Europe - Ukraine is the history of people, events, documents and files. The files have answers to many questions. The most important of which - why did a war begin again in Europe? Why is it so important for Russia to conquer Ukraine? Why are Ukrainians putting up such a powerful resistance? Historian Volodymyr Viatrovych, who declassified the secret archives of the Soviet special services from the Cheka to the KGB, talks about the history of Ukraine, the USSR and Eastern Europe from 1918 to 1991. The reader, is offered, along with various heroes and traitors, those who thought they were in control of events, and those who thought they had no power over them, to recreate the nearly century-old chess game between the Ukrainian liberation movement and the creators of the "prison of nations." Described in reports and recreated by a historian, this work looks at the cunning “special operations”, deadly moves, information wars and complex games among several players that are all an attempt to find an answer to the question: what creates our destiny - human will or circumstances?
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Zhangjiajie• is a book organized and edited by the Propaganda Department of the Zhangjiajie Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. At the beginning of 2019, the Propaganda Department of the Zhangjiajie Municipal Party Committee learned about the news of Zhangjiajie, the birthplace of "My Motherland and Me", and then began a long period of time. Argumentation and planning, the book is composed of 4 chapters: "Birth", "Anthem", "Story" and "The Square". The work uses a large number of little-known song creation details, interesting stories and praises to the landscape and humanities of Zhangjiajie. It restores the creation process of the song "Me and My Motherland" for readers. At the same time, through a large number of incisive essays, multi-dimensional and multi-perspective presented Zhangjiajie people's praise of the motherland in all aspects.
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Organic cattle farming is on the increase, with consumer demand for organic milk and meat growing yearly. Beginning with an overview of the aims and principles behind organic cattle production, this book presents extensive information about how to feed cattle so that the milk and meat produced meet organic standards, and provides a comprehensive summary of ruminant digestive processes and nutrition. Since the publication of the first edition, global consumers have increasingly become concerned with the sustainability of meat production. Here, Robert Blair considers the interrelationships of sustainable practices and profitability of organic herds, reviewing how to improve forage production and quality, and minimizing the need for supplementary feeding using off-farm ingredients. This new edition also covers: - Managing a recurrent shortage of organic feed ingredients, due to increased GM feed crop cultivation worldwide - Current findings on appropriate breeds and grazing systems for forage-based organic production - Diet-related health issues in organic herds and the effects of organic production on meat and milk quality. Required reading for animal science researchers, advisory personnel that service the organic milk and beef industries and students interested in organic milk and meat production, this book is also a useful resource for organic farming associations, veterinarians, and feed and food industry personnel.
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Gateway communities that neighbour parks and protected areas are impacted by tourism, while facing unique circumstances related to protected area management. Economic dependency remains a serious challenge for these communities, especially in a climate of neoliberalism, top-down policy environments, and park closures related to environmental degradation or government budgets. The collection of works in this edited book provide bottom-up, informed, and nuanced approaches to tourism management using local experiences from gateway communities and protected areas management emerging from a decade of guidelines, rulemaking, and exclusive decision-making. Global perspectives are presented and contextualized at the local level of gateway communities in an attempt to balance nature, community, and commerce, while supporting the triple bottom line of sustainable tourism. While anticipating a post-COVID 19 global shift, readers are encouraged to think through transformation and resiliency in regard to how the flux of supply vs demand alters gateway community perspectives on tourism. Specific features of this book include: · Focus on transformations, which provides insight into the complex and dynamic nature of gateway communities. · Multidisciplinary, multi-cultural insights into protected area management. · Applied and conceptual chapters from global perspectives.
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This book presents over 40 cases of bamboo development across 22 major bamboo-industry countries and explores the knowledge gained from their successes and failures. It synthesises experiences and exchanges with country experts from international training courses and consultations, study tours, and seminars. Each case includes observations and summaries of discussions related to the development of bamboo-based industries in a healthy, sustainable way, and the facilitation of strategic and balanced development of bamboo in different global regions. Industrial and artisanal bamboo growing and processing is expanding worldwide and this book brings together key experiences to help inform future developments. This book provides an analysis of bamboo plant features, including strong renewability, fast-growing, and high biomass production. It also reviews important ecological functions of bamboos, such as water and soil conservation, carbon sink and storage, and adaptation to climate change, as well as addressing the diversified culture of bamboo and key issues affecting the sector. Sustainable Bamboo Development: - Is authored by an internationally recognised leading expert in the growth and use of bamboo - Takes a holistic view, covering technical, socio-economic, policy, cultural and business development - Provides practical knowledge to guide the development of bamboo sectors - Gives a clear idea and rich examples of what has been attempted in many countries - Acts as a roadmap for using bamboo as a poverty reduction and environmental security tool Highly illustrated and in full colour throughout, this book is an essential resource for all those interested in bamboo, from private sector investors to governmental and development agencies, academic researchers and students.
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This thought-provoking book explores the link between animals, people and their social and physical environments in relation to livestock farming, food safety, food security and sustainability. Providing an overview of livestock farming and animal related food production systems in a one welfare context, One Welfare: Animal Health and Welfare, Food Security and Sustainability begins by considering the interconnections of animals, humans and their environment. It then expands into the food production system, and considers the integration of positive welfare, stress, use of welfare indicators and the economic perspective. Written by a team of international experts, it connects theory with best practice examples and case studies from both organizations and individuals that have successfully implemented a one welfare approach. Essential reading for academics and practitioners who work within farming, food systems and international development, this ground-breaking text is also an important read for veterinary and animal welfare professionals.
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This book, now available in paperback, explores the development of youth policy and youth work in Ireland from the mid-nineeenth century to the present day. Based on original research, funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS), it looks at the social construction of youth, the emergence of the early youth movements and the nature and scope of contemporary youth work. Key issues include: the shift from mainstream to targeted provision, the professionalisation of the sector and the increased partnership between the state and voluntary sector. A second major theme is the treatment of young people in industrial and reformatory schools, with particular reference to the findings of the Ryan Report on child abuse (2009). This is the only book which combines an exploration of the history and current scope of youth work and youth policy, and which is based on comprehensive original research. It will be essential reading for lecturers and students in youth work, social sciences, social history and related fields.
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The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta has newly emerged 'char' islands, resulting from the deposition of sediment, which are very vulnerable, socially, institutionally and environmentally. This book explains how the governments of Bangladesh and the Netherlands and the International Fund for Agricultural Development cooperated on a land-based rural development project to give settlers security and purpose. It details how they engaged communities and civil societies, and implemented an infrastructure aimed at reducing flooding, improving drainage, and providing adequate drinking water and sanitation. The book describes the project's application to crop and animal agriculture, and the development of value chains and encouragement of female participation. It considers the financial underpinning and infrastructure, as well as how to ensure the impacts of the scheme are enduring. The scheme serves as a model for support projects to vulnerable groups faced with climate change and other environmental challenges. This book is suitable for students, researchers, specialists and practitioners in rural development, water resources, land management and soil science.
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The degradation of land and water resources resulting primarily from agricultural activities has had enormous impact on human society. In order to alleviate this problem an advanced understanding of the state of our resources and the process of degradation is needed. Conserving Land, Protecting Water includes an overview of existing literature focusing on global patterns of land and water degradation and discussions of new insights drawn from successful case studies on reversing soil and water degradation and their impact on food and environmental security. ; Conserving Land, Protecting Water includes an overview of existing literature focusing on global patterns of land and water degradation and discussions of new insights drawn from successful case studies on reversing soil and water degradation and their impact on food and environmental security. ; Part 1: Land and Water Degradation: Assessment and Issues1.1: Learning from bright spots to enhance food security and to combat degradation of water and land resources.1.2: Land degradation and water productivity in agricultural landscapes.1.3: Land Degradation, ecosystem services and resilience of smallholder farmers in Makanya catachment, Tanzania.1.4: Political ecologies of bright spots1.5: Large scale fluxes of crop nutrients in food cause environmental problems at the sources and at sinks1.6: Carbon sequestration, land degradation and waterPart 2: Towards Better Land and Water Management2.1: Local Innovation in ‘Green Water’ Management2.2: Sustainability and Resilience of the Urban Agricultural Phenomenon in Africa2.3: Safeguarding water resources by making the land greener: knowledge management through WOCAT2.4: Bright basins - do many bright spots make a basin shine?2.5: The influence of plant cover structures on water fluxes in agricultural landscapes2.6: Investments in collective capacity and social capitalPart 3: ‘ Bright Spots’3.1: ‘Bright spots’: Pathways to ensuring food security and environmental integrity3.2: Ecosystem benefits of ‘Bright Spots’
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Poet and civil rights activist Vasyl Stus (1938-1985) could not attend any of his book presentations. He published his literary works only abroad. Participation in the movement of protesters to the Russification and anti-Ukrainian politics and an active people’s rights protection stance led Stus to the court bench to times and both for the anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda. This book contains documents from a six-volume criminal case, which is stored on the shelves of the former Committee for State Security archive of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in Kyiv. The book contains archival documents of the case of Vasyl Stus (records of searches, interrogations, letters, articles, etc.), photographs, articles wrote by Vakhtang Kipiani. The last lifetime notes of Stus are also added - "From the camp notebook", secretly passed to his friends from the soviet camp. Preface to the book is written by Vakhtang Kipiani.
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Robust health care systems are paramount for the health, security, and prosperity of people and countries as a whole. This book provides for the first time a chronicle of the struggle for, and eventual success of, universal health coverage (UHC) in Tanzania. Beginning with an introduction to primary health care in the country, from its historical foundations to the major milestones of implementation, this book then considers stewardship of this important aspect of health systems over time. Written in a way to allow the application of lessons learned to other countries' contexts, this book covers: - Policy and governance issues such as leadership, human resources, and financing of health systems; - Practical aspects of health system delivery, including supply chains, community care, new technologies, and the integration of services for particular population groups; - The impact and mitigation of global events on health systems, such as resilience and preparedness in the light of disease outbreaks or climate change, and social, commercial, and political influences. Concluding with a look to the future, forecasting the changes and new solutions needed to adapt to a changing world, this book is a valuable reference for policy makers, global health practitioners, health system managers, researchers, students, and all those with an interest in primary health care and reforms - both in Tanzania and beyond.
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On the afternoon of September 11 2001 the Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach), Bertie Ahern ordered the 'heads of the security services of key government departments' to undertake a complete re-evaluation of measures to protect the state from attack. Hence, underway within hours of the 9/11 outrage in the United States was potentially the most far-reaching review of Irish national security in decades. This book, the first major academic investigation of Irish national security policy as it has operated since 9/11, provides a theoretically informed analysis of that re-evaluation and the decisions which have been taken as a consequence of it up until September 2008. In so doing it draws on unprecedented access to Ireland's police, security and intelligence agencies; over twenty senior personnel agreed to be interviewed. Theoretically the author demonstrates the utility to the analysis of national security policy of three conceptual models of historical institutionalism, governmental politics and threat evaluation. The text is of interest to scholars of Security Studies, International Relations and Politics, as well as state and NGO personnel, journalists and general readers. ;
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This book brings together recent findings from quantitative and qualitative research from across Africa to illuminate how young men and women engage with the rural economy, imagine their futures and how development policies and interventions find traction (or not) with these realities. Through framing, overview and evidence-based chapters, it provides a critical perspective on current discourse, research and development interventions around youth and rural development. It is organised around commonly-made foundational claims: that large numbers of young people are leaving rural areas; have no interest in agriculture; cannot access land; are stuck in permanent waithood; that the rural economy provides (or can provide) a wealth of opportunity; and that they can be the engine of rural transformation. It draws from existing literature and new analysis arising from several multi-country and multi-disciplinary studies, focusing on gender and other aspects of social difference. It is a major contribution to current debates and development policy about youth, agriculture and employment in rural Africa.
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A new children's picture book by author Emily House (of Earth Takes a Break) brings us the heartwarming tale of Bonbon and Blanket and the lengths we'll go to hold onto those we love. A great pick for a kids' bedtime storybook! Bonbon and Blanket’s friendship is full of fun and adventure, but the pair very soon discover that not every adventure is of their own choosing!
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This book explores structural changes in India's agrifood systems during the next ten to twenty years. The dynamics in the agrifood sector is explored in the context of the overall economy, taking into account agricultural and trade policies and their impacts on national and global markets. The contributors draw on qualitative and quantitative approaches, using both a national model - to focus on urban-rural relations and income distribution - and an international model to focus on patterns of economic growth and international trade.
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Zhangjiajie·"The Country Is So Beautiful" is a work organized and compiled by the Propaganda Department of the Zhangjiajie Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. "Extension" consists of 4 chapters. With a lot of little-known details, interesting stories and grand perspectives, the work restores the filming process and the national hit effect of "The Country Is So Beautiful" for readers. At the same time, through a large number of incisive reviews, multi-dimensional and multi-perspective Presents all aspects of this film and television drama.
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This book: - comprises reflective essays written by internationally-ranked scholars and tourism consultants with extensive experience, particularly in the developing world countries - considers extant themes, issues and challenges related to tourism and development - offers a critical and contemporary perspective on tourism's significance and role in development.
