About the Book

Natural resources of plants, animals, water, air and land containing varied types of minerals, along with Sun that comes from source outside the earth, cater to essential needs of human and other living beings, with each resource having a well-defined role individually and when these work in unison. Critical Natural Resource Management is required in view of deterioration and degradation of these resources due to exertion of various pressures in the post-industrial period. Integration of Natural Resources through involvement of communities and community based organisations has been found to be one of the best solution. Such a system of Integrated Natural Resource Management, ensures conservation practices matched with productive functions, for achieving sustainable management of natural resources, bringing concurrently required socio-economic growth that leads to environmental stability. This model of Integrated Natural Resource Management is not aimed at exclusively benefiting people, rather an approach to set agreeable and sustainable long term relationship between man and nature. Attainment of sustainable development and management of natural resources would aid in meeting needs of present generations but by keeping potential of these resources for future generations. It would following clean, green and resilient path bring much needed resilience from pollution, climate change and natural disasters. This will ensure all round satisfaction, wellbeing and happiness to people that every country's government contemplates and tries and United Nations is striving around the world. The book is based on illustrations from India and many other countries, hence principles, approaches and strategies for natural resource management so outlined and elaborated can be used globally.

Management of natural resources such as land, water, soil and biodiversity with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations. Natural resource management (NRM) is congruent with the concept of sustainable development, a scientific principle that forms a basis for sustainable global land management and environmental governance to conserve and preserve natural resources. It specifically focuses on a scientific and technical understanding of resources and ecology and the life-supporting capacity of those resources. NRM issues are inherently complex as they involve the ecological cycles, hydrological cycles, climate, animals, plants and geography etc. All these are dynamic and inter-related. A change in one of them may have far reaching and/or long-term impacts which may even be irreversible. In addition to the natural systems, NRM also must manage various stakeholders and their interests, policies, politics, geographical boundaries, economic implications and the list goes on. With the changing climate and degradation of natural resource base, natural resource management in horticulture has emerged as one of the important aspects of sustainable farming. This book entitled “Natural Resource Management in Horticultural Crops” throws light on various facets of natural resource management in horticultural crops in a holistic manner and is expected to be an informative and valuable resource for the researchers, academicians, students, extension functionaries, policy makers and progressive farmers across the country.