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Instant Insights: Good agricultural practices

Code: 9781835450161
Publication Date: 22/07/2025

Contributions by: Louise Manning, University of Lincoln, UK; and John G. Keogh, McGill University, Canada; Thomas P. Saunders and Elizabeth A. Bihn, Produce Safety Alliance – Cornell University, USA; Louise Manning, University of Lincoln, UK; and James Monaghan, Harper Adams University, UK; Charles Wortmann, Patricio Grassini and Roger W. Elmore, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, USA; Charles Staver, Bioversity International, France

Description

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on the development and deployment of good agricultural practices (GAPs).

The first chapter describes GAPs, notions of good farming, how GAP standards have evolved in developed and developing economies and the opportunities to evolve these pre- and postharvest standards.

The second chapter reviews the role of GAPs in preventing microbial contamination of fresh produce. The chapter also summarises how GAPs have evolved, the impact they have had on the produce industry, as well as how they are implemented.

The third chapter considers the debates about GAPs in the context of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and how GAPs can be developed as part of an effective food safety control programme in CEA systems around the world.

The fourth chapter addresses how GAPs can be used to optimise sustainable crop production and refers to three contrasting maize cultivation systems in the USA, Ethiopia and Argentina to demonstrate this.

The final chapter provides an overview of the GAP-related certification schemes in global banana production and how they can be utilised to address the yield gap, improve synchronisation between ecological processes, production routines and cost efficiency.

Key Features

  • Highlights the importance of good agricultural practices (GAPs) in achieving a safe, sustainable and secure agri-food supply chain
  • Considers the evolution of GAPs and their implementation within the fresh produce sector to improve food safety
  • Includes case studies which demonstrate how GAPs have been utilised to improve crop production in three contrasting maize cultivation systems

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Table of Contents

  • Chapter 1 - Developing good agricultural practices across global agri-food supply chains: Louise Manning, University of Lincoln, UK; and John G. Keogh, McGill University, Canada;
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. The evolution of GAP as a concept
    • 3. The development of GAP standards
    • 4. Challenges facing GAP standards and implementation
    • 5. Ensuring the effectiveness and inclusivity of GAP: the case of VietGAP
    • 6. Conclusion
    • 7. Acknowledgements
    • 8. References
  • Chapter 2 - The role of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) in preventing pathogenic microbial contamination of fresh produce: Thomas P. Saunders and Elizabeth A. Bihn, Produce Safety Alliance – Cornell University, USA;
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Evolution of Good Agricultural Practices from voluntary to regulation
    • 3 Reasons for adopting Good Agricultural Practices
    • 4 Why Good Agricultural Practices remain the foundation for fresh produce safety
    • 5 Commitment and training
    • 6 Scalability of Good Agricultural Practices
    • 7 Feasibility of implementing Good Agricultural Practices
    • 8 Assessing risks
    • 9 Good Agricultural Practices: always room for improvement
    • 10 Produce safety adds to farming stress
    • 11 Good Agricultural Practices relevance for the future
    • 12 Conclusion
    • 13 Where to look for further information
    • 14 Acknowledgement
    • 15 References
  • Chapter 3 - Improving good agricultural practices related to product safety on farms: Louise Manning, University of Lincoln, UK; and James Monaghan, Harper Adams University, UK;
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. Food Safety Objectives, Performance Objectives, and Performance Criterion
    • 3. GAP in the context of CEA
    • 4. Conclusion
    • 5. References
  • Chapter 4 - Optimizing maize-based cropping systems: Sustainability, good agricultural practices (GAP) and yield goals: Charles Wortmann, Patricio Grassini and Roger W. Elmore, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, USA;
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Defining sustainable crop production
    • 3 Good agricultural practices
    • 4 Setting targets and measuring performance
    • 5 Case study: improving maize cultivation in the United States, Ethiopia and Argentina
    • 6 Conclusions
    • 7 References
  • Chapter 5 - Good agricultural practices: an end point or a starting point for more sustainable banana production?: Charles Staver, Bioversity International, France;
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Why GAP in banana production?
    • 3 GAP-related certification schemes in banana production
    • 4 Is sustainable banana production being operationalized through GAP certification?
    • 5 Improving GAP for more sustainable banana production
    • 6 Scientific frontiers in bananas and implications for GAP
    • 7 Conclusion: mutual lessons between GAP certification and approaches to sustainable banana production
    • 8 Where to look for further information
    • 9 References

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