Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and Green (
1994
). In this Trilogy chapters by:- Wainwright et al. (
2014
); Lillywhite
(
2014
); Desjardins (
2014
); Curtin and Fox (
2014
), and Lohr and Relf (
2014
) pro-
vide important information and analysis of the issues involved.
Considerable added value is generated in the supply chain as goods move along
from the producer country to the retail consumer. The ultimate return to the grower
is less than 10 % of the ultimate price paid by the retail consumer. Income, profits
and employment are generated throughout the distribution chain as illustrated in
Table
1.2
. This ably demonstrates how horticulture creates wealth well beyond the
basic processes of crop production.
Horticulture and Knowledge Generation
Horticulture has a long established capacity for absorbing novel scientific
discoveries and turning these very quickly into new technological processes (Dixon
2000
,
2004
). Previously this aspect was analysed in detail by Sansaveni et al.
(
1999
), where these researchers recognised that there had in the past 50 years been
a “green revolution” in horticultural crop production. The levels of output indicated
in Tables
1.1
and
1.2
would not have been possible without enormous scientific
advances in plant breeding, crop nutrition and protection, cropping systems and
engineering. In the succeeding 15 years since 1989 the pace of this “horticultural
green revolution” has accelerated. Additionally the emphasis has evolved into a
much closer alignment between the facets of horticulture and the need for envi-
ronmental care and conservation. Horticulture has accepted worldwide the need
for sustainable forms of husbandry which rise to the challenge of producing crops
with minimal impact on the environment. In particular the dangers inherent in the
excessive use of pesticides (Carson
1963
) have been well accepted in horticulture.
The recognition of the interaction between horticulture and the environment could
be interpreted as a return to values previously accepted by horticulturists and used
for example in the earlier manipulation of crop fertility (Whyte
1960
).
Most crops are now grown using stringent quality assurance standards with
minimal pesticide residues frequently at concentrations well below those legally
specified. This approach which links crop production in a partnership with the en-
vironment was highlighted in the International Horticultural Congresses of 2002
(Rom and Dixon
2004
; Janick
2007
; Janick et al.
2011
) and the Symposium on
Horticulture in Europe (Dixon
2009
). These events amply demonstrated that horti-
cultural husbandry is applying sound scientific principles which enable increasing
volumes of output of high quality produce while harmonising with the natural world
and particularly making considerable strides towards partnership with aerial and
edaphic microbial flora as suggested by Dixon and Tilston (
2010
).
Horticulture has yet to make full use of the power of genetic modification. While
it has long been recognised that biotechnology could provide substantial benefits
for intensive production of fresh fruit and vegetables (Busch et al.
1991
) there has
been considerable reluctance driven by “anti-scientific phobias” in the general
