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Pesticides and agriculture

Pesticides and agriculture

Dr Dave Watson

(2018)

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Book Details

Abstract

Pesticides have played a critical but sometimes controversial role in the development of agriculture. This book provides an authoritative account of the development of the modern pesticides industry. It discusses the emergence of major pesticide companies such as Bayer, Monsanto, Rhone Poulenc, Dow, DuPont, Ciba-Geigy, Syngenta, BASF and ICI. It covers their competitive strategies such as product development, mergers/acquisitions and diversification.
Individual company strategies are placed in the context of broader developments in agriculture which have driven the evolution of the industry, from the Pre-Productionist period to the contemporary world of Post-Productivism and the Sustainability Paradigm. It also reviews how companies have responded to changing national and international policy towards the role of pesticides in agriculture and efforts to regulate their use.
This book will be a standard reference on understanding the growth structure, dynamics and major players in a hugely-important and influential sector in global agriculture. It will appeal to a wide range of readers, from policy makers and researchers in crop protection to financial and investment analysts focussed on agriculture, and to all those interested in the development and future of modern agriculture.
‘…a fascinating and absorbing read…this book will find a readership that extends well beyond those specifically in agriculture. Pesticides and agriculture will be of immediate interest to anyone involved in production agriculture, agricultural education or agricultural research…Beyond this readership, the book should also be of interest to those who work in sectors allied to or associated with agriculture, such as horticulture, agricultural engineering and environmental sciences, as well as educated lay readers and policy makers…As a window into the history and development of the agricultural pesticides industry, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It has been a joy to review.’
Food Science and Technology – the journal of the Institute of Food Science and Technology; review by Emeritus Professor Ralph Early, Harper Adams University, UK

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"The book will be of particular interest to many whether in marketing or research throughout the pesticide industry and those involved in financial and investment in agriculture, as it provides an interesting insight to the way the industry has grown and adapted to the changes in legislation and regulatory requirements on a global scale."
Outlooks on Pest Management – review by Emeritus Prof. Graham Matthews, Imperial College London, UK
"The book will be of particular interest to many whether in marketing or research throughout the pesticide industry and those involved in financial and investment in agriculture, as it provides an interesting insight to the way the industry has grown and adapted to the changes in legislation and regulatory requirements on a global scale."
Outlooks on Pest Management – review by Emeritus Prof. Graham Matthews, Imperial College London, UK
"…a fascinating and absorbing read…this book will find a readership that extends well beyond those specifically in agriculture. Pesticides and agriculture will be of immediate interest to anyone involved in production agriculture, agricultural education or agricultural research…Beyond this readership, the book should also be of interest to those who work in sectors allied to or associated with agriculture, such as horticulture, agricultural engineering and environmental sciences, as well as educated lay readers and policy makers…As a window into the history and development of the agricultural pesticides industry, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It has been a joy to review."
Food Science and Technology – the journal of the Institute of Food Science and Technology; review by Emeritus Professor Ralph Early, Harper Adams University, UK

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Pesticides and agriculture i
Contents iv
Series list vi
Introduction xii
Chapter 1 The evolution of the pesticide industry in the Pre-Productivist Period (2500 BC–1929 AD) 1
1.1 Introduction xiv
1.2 Traditional Phase (2500 BC–1749 AD) 1
1.3 Revolutionary Phase (1750–1846) 5
1.4 International Phase (1847–1929) 10
1.5 Summary 21
Chapter 2 The evolution of the pesticide industry in the Productivist Period (1930–1973) 23
2.1 Key characteristics of farming systems and broader economic, social and political contexts 22
2.2 Key external drivers of pesticide evolution 24
2.3 Key characteristics of pesticide development processes and manufacturers 39
2.4 Key outcomes of pesticide development and application 47
2.5 Summary 72
Chapter 3 The evolution of the pesticide industry in the Divergent Period (1974–2017) 75
3.1 Key characteristics of farming systems and broader economic, social and political contexts 74
3.2 Summary 82
Chapter 4 The evolution of the pesticide industry under Residual Productivism (1974–2017) 89
4.1 Introduction 88
4.2 Key characteristics of urban-centred industrial agro-food systems and broader economic, social and political contexts 90
4.3 Key external drivers of pesticide evolution 90
4.4 Key characteristics of pesticide development processes and manufacturers 101
4.5 Key outcomes of pesticides and biotechnologies development and application in Western Europe, Japan and the USA 125
4.6 Summary 138
Chapter 5 The evolution of the pesticide industry under Neo-Productivism (1974–2017) 141
5.1 Key characteristics of urban-centred industrial agro-food systems and broader economic, social and political contexts 140
5.2 Key external drivers of pesticide evolution 145
5.3 Key characteristics of pesticide development processes and manufacturers 157
5.4 Key outcomes of pesticides and biotechnologies 197
5.5 Summary 206
Chapter 6 The evolution of the pesticide industry under Post-Productivism (1974–2017) 209
6.1 Key characteristics of urban-centred industrial agro-food systems and broader economic, social and political contexts 208
6.2 Key external drivers of pesticide evolution 214
6.3 Key characteristics of pesticide development processes and manufacturers 237
6.4 Key outcomes of pesticides and biotechnologies 283
6.5 Summary 303
Chapter 7 The evolution of the pesticide industry under the ‘Sustainability Paradigm’ (1974–2017) 305
7.1 Key characteristics of urban-centred industrial agro-food systems and broader economic, social and political contexts 304
7.2 Key external drivers of pesticide evolution 306
7.3 Key characteristics of pesticide development processes and manufacturers 322
7.4 Key outcomes of pesticide and biotechnology development and application 346
7.5 Summary 351
Chapter 8 The future of pesticides and biotechnologies 355
8.1 Key characteristics of agricultural development 354
8.2 Key drivers of pesticide industry evolution 357
8.3 Key characteristics of life science corporation development 361
References 365
Index 396