Source: Delleré, Robert. 1989. Land and food: the challenge of sustainable agriculture in the tropics. CTA, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, Wageningen.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) disseminates information to help maintain a balance between food production and the environmental protection in tropical countries. This book is about Caribbean, African, and Pacific countries and illustrates development of self-sufficiency in food without damaging tropical resources. The unique combinations of images and text support a sensitivity towards the challenge of sustainable agriculture in the tropics. They clearly depict the earth's environment as one of extreme beauty and uniqueness. The CTA identifies seven areas of focus: people, land, wildlife, water, land degradation, sustainable development, and pollution. All these resources are inter-linked and form a balance. The mind of the reader is drawn to one problem: How can we better manage our land? Delleré feels these natural reserves, if managed correctly, can provide for everyone without sacrificing the delicate balance of resources which nature offers us. The needs of people with regards to land, water, and wildlife must be resourcefully provided while maintaining a balance. At the same time, environmental resource management plans must be created to ensure that the balance among environmental resources is preserved. The author believes methods can be created that undo the destructive forces of erosion, land degradation, and desertification. Innovative techniques, such as terrace and contour farming, are some of the sustainable agricultural practices mentioned as efficient and non-destructive to the environment. Pollution and waste can also be curtailed and resources used more efficiently and effectively to ensure self-sufficiency with sustainable farming practices. Delleré considers increased agricultural output as the key to future prosperity of the developing world. He stresses the importance of management of soils, vegetation, and forests to maintain their fertility. The CTA supports the creation of erosion control methods, agroforestry techniques, and traditional agricultural methods in trying to attain a sustainable form of life for all of mankind. The CTA also supports maintenance of the extraordinary biodiversity found in the tropics where many species are still not classified. The destruction of tropical ecosystems is a great catastrophe that compounds many environmental effects on the world population. The CTA believes that it is vital to alert public opinion to the need for immediate action before conditions become worse.

Abstract author: Luis A. Mariscal, 16 October 1996.

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