Water and peace in the Middle East: J. Isaac and H. Shuval (Editors), Proceedings of the First Israeli-Palestinian International Academic Conference on Water, 10–13 December 1992, Zurich, Switzerland, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, New York, 552 pp., US$ 222.75/Dfl. 390.00, ISBN 0-444-81464-7

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture is one of the fundamental segments to achieve zero hunger and contributes to the development of economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Sustainable development in agriculture practices started with focusing on farmers and the information they need to make the land suitable for growing crop varieties, bring their harvest, and get them into the market. To achieve sustainable agriculture, research attention was given to microbes as they are the engineers in the soil and contribute to plant growth, soil fertility, and disease control. Microbes also play a vital role in regulating climate change via the production and consumption of greenhouse gases, removal of pollutants from the environment, and recycle them. They are the sole drivers of the economy to the bioprocess industries and related sectors. Realizing these potentials, microbial biotechnology has made its contribution to sustainable agriculture through producing biofertilizers and improved strains of rhizosphere microbes which assist in other physiological processes such as biological nitrogen fixation, pest control, mineral solubilization, and lignocellulose degradation. Microbial biotechnology is now used to increase the profitability and productivity of the farm, and also in disease prevention and therapy, thereby directly contributing to diverse sustainable development goals. Modern agriculture technologies and management practices have already doubled the production of food over the past half-century. It is believed that a combined operation of an enhanced farming system along with a functional market could contribute to an improved economy, food security, income for farmers, and better land management.