This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on good agricultural practices (GAP).
The first chapter describes GAP, notions of good farming and how GAP standards have developed over time. The chapter also identifies opportunities to evolve these pre- and post-harvest or slaughter standards, and their related principles and practices in the future.
The second chapter reviews the role of GAP in preventing microbial contamination of fresh produce. The chapter also summarises how GAP have evolved, as well the impact they have had on the fresh produce industry.
The third chapter considers emerging aspects of GAP in the context of controlled environment agriculture and explores how performance criterion and monitoring programmes can be developed as part of an effective food safety control programme.
The fourth chapter explores the role of GAP in optimising maize-based cropping systems. The chapter illustrates the importance of setting targets and measuring performance through the inclusion of a case study on improving maize cultivation in the US, Ethiopia and Argentina.
The final chapter reviews the range of GAP in smallholder organic export banana production and the ways in which they can be improved to make banana production more sustainable.
Dr Louise Manning is Professor of Sustainable Agri-food Systems at the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology at the University of Lincoln, UK. With over 30 years of experience in both industry and research, and over 125 peer-reviewed publications, Professor Manning is internationally-renowned for both her research and consultancy work on food safety and quality, agri-food systems, food integrity and crime. She is an Associate Editor for the British Food Journal and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Rothamsted Research. Professor Manning has previously edited Developing smart agri-food supply chains: Using technology to improve safety and quality, published by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing in 2021.