Plants And People In The African Past

Author : Anna Maria Mercuri
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319898396
Total Pages : 576 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Plants and People in the African Past written by Anna Maria Mercuri and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-31 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is an essential connection between humans and plants, cultures and environments, and this is especially evident looking at the long history of the African continent. This book, comprising current research in archaeobotany on Africa, elucidates human adaptation and innovation with respect to the exploitation of plant resources. In the long-term perspective climatic changes of the environment as well as human impact have posed constant challenges to the interaction between peoples and the plants growing in different countries and latitudes. This book provides an insight into/overview of the manifold routes people have taken in various parts Africa in order to make a decent living from the provisions of their environment by bringing together the analyses of macroscopic and microscopic plant remains with ethnographic, botanical, geographical and linguistic research. The numerous chapters cover almost all the continent countries, and were prepared by most of the scholars who study African archaeobotany, i.e. the complex and composite history of plant uses and environmental transformations during the Holocene.

Author : Ben-Erik Van Wyk
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781920217716
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.11/5 ( download)

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Download or read book People's Plants written by Ben-Erik Van Wyk and published by . This book was released on 2018-11-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 4e de couv.: People's Plants is a scientific review of all of the most important useful plants of southern Africa. It remains the first and only fully illustrated ethnobotanical reference source for southern Africa. In this expanded and updated second edition, traditional and contemporary uses of more than 700 plants are described and illustrated in 20 chapters, each dealing with a specific category of plant use. This fascinating book is a must for anyone interested in useful plants, new crop plants, medicinal plants, new product development, ecotourism, rural development, traditional crafts, African culture, ethnobotany and botany in general--Publisher's website.

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309164540
Total Pages : 378 pages
Book Rating : 4.42/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Lost Crops of Africa written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-10-27 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report is the second in a series of three evaluating underexploited African plant resources that could help broaden and secure Africa's food supply. The volume describes the characteristics of 18 little-known indigenous African vegetables (including tubers and legumes) that have potential as food- and cash-crops but are typically overlooked by scientists and policymakers and in the world at large. The book assesses the potential of each vegetable to help overcome malnutrition, boost food security, foster rural development, and create sustainable landcare in Africa. Each species is described in a separate chapter, based on information gathered from and verified by a pool of experts throughout the world. Volume I describes African grains and Volume III African fruits.

Author : Savino di Lernia
Publisher : All’Insegna del Giglio
ISBN 13 : 8878149454
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.58/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Archaeology in Africa. Potentials and perspectives on laboratory & fieldwork research written by Savino di Lernia and published by All’Insegna del Giglio. This book was released on 2019-09-24 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Africa encompasses a multitude of environments and biomes that require specific scientific strategies – from desktop studies to field research to laboratory analysis – to tackle research questions that may range from the emergence of early humans to the ethnoarchaeological investigation. In several areas, turmoil, social instability and security constraints hamper or limit field activities and long-term funded programs. The kidnapping of German colleagues and the tragic death of two local collaborators in Nigeria urge to rethink our agenda and challenge our view of current research practice. This 1st Workshop on “Archaeology in Africa”, organized by Sapienza University of Rome, convened several researches from Italy or Italy-based researchers. The aim was to present and discuss theoretical, methodological and financial problems for Africanist researchers today. In a global perspective, the synergy between research groups is crucial. The need to intensify the national and international cooperation is also an essential step. This book collects a selection of the different perspectives presented to the workshop, mostly focussing from North Africa and East Africa.

Author : Ben-Erik Van Wyk
Publisher : Spotlight Poets
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 462 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

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Download or read book People's Plants written by Ben-Erik Van Wyk and published by Spotlight Poets. This book was released on 2000 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People's Plants is a photographic guide to the useful plants of Southern Africa. Traditional and contemporary uses of more than 650 plants are described and illustrated in 20 chapters, each dealing with a specific category of plant use. More than 530 photographs.

Author : Marco Madella
Publisher : University of Arizona Press
ISBN 13 : 0816598681
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.87/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ancient Plants and People written by Marco Madella and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2014-12-11 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mangroves and rice, six-row brittle barley and einkorn wheat. Ancient crops for prehistoric people. What do they have in common? All tell us about the lives and cultures of long ago, as humans cultivated or collected these plants for food. Exploring these and other important plants used for millennia by humans, Ancient Plants and People presents a wide-angle view of the current state of archaeobotanical research, methods, and theories. Food has both a public and a private role, and it permeates the life of all people in a society. Food choice, production, and distribution probably represent the most complex indicators of social life, and thus a study of foods consumed by ancient peoples reveals many clues about their lifestyles. But in addition to yielding information about food production, distribution, preparation, and consumption, plant remains recovered from archaeological sites offer precious insights on past landscapes, human adaptation to climate change, and the relationship between human groups and their environment. Revealing important aspects of past human societies, these plant-driven insights widen the spectrum of information available to archaeologists as we seek to understand our history as a biological and cultural species. Often answers raise more questions. As a result, archaeobotanists are constantly pushed to reflect on the methodological and theoretical aspects of their discipline. The contributors discuss timely methodological issues and engage in debates on a wide range of topics from plant utilization by hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists, to uses of ancient DNA. Ancient Plants and People provides a global perspective on archaeobotanical research, particularly on the sophisticated interplay between the use of plants and their social or environmental context.

Author : Bill Laws
Publisher : Firefly Books
ISBN 13 : 9781770855885
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.82/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History written by Bill Laws and published by Firefly Books. This book was released on 2015-08-18 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fascinating stories of the plants that changed civilizations.

Author : Victor Kuete
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0128004754
Total Pages : 742 pages
Book Rating : 4.53/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Toxicological Survey of African Medicinal Plants written by Victor Kuete and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2014-05-30 with total page 742 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Toxicological Survey of African Medicinal Plants provides a detailed overview of toxicological studies relating to traditionally used medicinal plants in Africa, with special emphasis on the methodologies and tools used for data collection and interpretation. The book considers the physical parameters of these plants and their effect upon various areas of the body and human health, including chapters dedicated to genotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and specific organs and systems.Following this discussion of the effects of medicinal plants is a critical review of the guidelines and methods in use for toxicological research as well as the state of toxicology studies in Africa. With up-to-date research provided by a team of experts, Toxicological Survey of African Medicinal Plants is an invaluable resource for researchers and students involved in pharmacology, toxicology, phytochemistry, medicine, pharmacognosy, and pharmaceutical biology. Offers a critical review of the methods used in toxicological survey of medicinal plants Provides up-to-date toxicological data on African medicinal plants and families Serves as a resource tool for students and scientists in the various areas of toxicology

Author : Maurice M. Iwu
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1466571985
Total Pages : 446 pages
Book Rating : 4.83/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Handbook of African Medicinal Plants written by Maurice M. Iwu and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-02-04 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With over 50,000 distinct species in sub-Saharan Africa alone, the African continent is endowed with an enormous wealth of plant resources. While more than 25 percent of known species have been used for several centuries in traditional African medicine for the prevention and treatment of diseases, Africa remains a minor player in the global natural

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309176891
Total Pages : 405 pages
Book Rating : 4.97/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Lost Crops of Africa written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1996-02-14 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scenes of starvation have drawn the world's attention to Africa's agricultural and environmental crisis. Some observers question whether this continent can ever hope to feed its growing population. Yet there is an overlooked food resource in sub-Saharan Africa that has vast potential: native food plants. When experts were asked to nominate African food plants for inclusion in a new book, a list of 30 species grew quickly to hundreds. All in all, Africa has more than 2,000 native grains and fruitsâ€""lost" species due for rediscovery and exploitation. This volume focuses on native cereals, including: African rice, reserved until recently as a luxury food for religious rituals. Finger millet, neglected internationally although it is a staple for millions. Fonio (acha), probably the oldest African cereal and sometimes called "hungry rice." Pearl millet, a widely used grain that still holds great untapped potential. Sorghum, with prospects for making the twenty-first century the "century of sorghum." Tef, in many ways ideal but only now enjoying budding commercial production. Other cultivated and wild grains. This readable and engaging book dispels myths, often based on Western bias, about the nutritional value, flavor, and yield of these African grains. Designed as a tool for economic development, the volume is organized with increasing levels of detail to meet the needs of both lay and professional readers. The authors present the available information on where and how each grain is grown, harvested, and processed, and they list its benefits and limitations as a food source. The authors describe "next steps" for increasing the use of each grain, outline research needs, and address issues in building commercial production. Sidebars cover such interesting points as the potential use of gene mapping and other "high-tech" agricultural techniques on these grains. This fact-filled volume will be of great interest to agricultural experts, entrepreneurs, researchers, and individuals concerned about restoring food production, environmental health, and economic opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa. Selection, Newbridge Garden Book Club