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Publications
Conflicts, rural development and food security in West Africa
01/2004
This paper examines food security in the context of conflict in West Africa. The analysis developed in the paper recognises the importance of defining conflict type and the trends in conflict so that conflict and post-conflict policies may be implemented.
Valuation methods for environmental benefits in forestry and watershed investment projects
01/2004
The understatement or omission of the environmental costs and benefits associated with forest management options results in project evaluations and policy prescriptions that are less than socially optimal.
Linkages and rural non-farm employment creation – Changing challenges and policies in Indonesia
12/2003
Increasing problems of rural unemployment in Indonesia are at the core of this report. Numbers of unemployed increased dramatically after the 1997 economic crisis and millions of people searched to be reabsorbed in rural labour markets.
Information asymmetry and economic concentration – The case of hens and eggs in eastern Indonesia
12/2003
Eggs have been important elements of cooking and nutrition in Indonesia for centuries, mostly supplied from ducks and backyard chickens. Consumption of layer eggs has increased 12-fold over the past 30 years, and prices are lowered in central areas of the country.
Do futures benefit farmers who adopt them?
12/2003
The present study shows how to use a simulation approach to quantify the effects of making a futures market available on adopting farmers’ behavior and welfare, and its impact on market variables such as spot prices.
The economics of food safety in developing countries
12/2003
This paper aims to provide an overview of issues associated with the economics of food safety in developing countries. It is intended to highlight the major questions and concerns associated with an economic analysis of food safety issues, both generally and specifically in a developing country context.
Food security and agriculture in the low income, food-deficit countries – 10 years after the Uruguay Round
11/2003
This paper reviews agricultural and food security performances of developing countries after the Uruguay Round. In particular, issues and trends relevant to the interests of the low income food deficit and the net food importing countries are examined as the world prepares for further trade negotiations.
A conceptual framework for national agricultural, rural development, and food security strategies and policies
11/2003
The purpose of the present Conceptual Framework document, developed in the context of FAO’s “Initiative to Review and Update National Agricultural, Rural Development and Food Security Strategies and Policies”, is to propose a flexible general approach to addressing food security through agricultural and rural development and direct actions to enhance immediate access to food.
Can public transfers reduce Mexican migration? A study based on randomized experimental data
10/2003
Prior research on Mexican migration has shown that social networks and economic incentives play an important role in determining migration outcomes. This study utilizes experimental data on PROGRESA, Mexico's primary poverty reduction program, to evaluate the effects of public cash transfers on migration.
Diversification in South Asian agriculture – Trends and constraints
07/2003
This paper provides an assessment of the agricultural diversification trends in South Asia. In the first part food consumption and crop production patterns in the region during the last twenty years are reviewed.
Determinants of cereal diversity in communities and on household farms of the northern Ethiopian highlands
07/2003
On farm conservation of crop diversity poses obvious policy challenges in terms of the design of appropriate incentive mechanisms and possible trade-offs between conservation and productivity.
Land use change, carbon sequestration and poverty alleviation
07/2003
Land use change is a key requirement for improving rural incomes and making a significant reduction in poverty levels globally.
Social capital and poverty – Lessons from case studies in Mexico and Central America
06/2003
The aim of this article is to study the relations between social capital and the result of the efforts made by poor groups to reduce their poverty and social exclusion.
Armed conflicts and food security
06/2003
Despite the end of the Cold War conflicts are still very frequent and most of them occur in developing countries. However, the nature of conflicts has changed and the proportion of civilian fatalities has increased markedly.
Explaining success in reducing undernourishment numbers in Ghana
06/2003
In particular public sector and private formal sector employees and export farmers benefited from the complete turnaround in the macroeconomic environment and performance.
Agricultural export performance in Africa – Elements of comparison with Asia
06/2003
This study addresses the strategies and the factors of agricultural export performance in Africa compared with other regions, especially Asia.
Biotechnology R&D – Policy options to ensure access and benefits for the poor
06/2003
This paper examines the consequences of the emergence of a f ew large companies as the leaders in the commercialization of biotechnology and analyses a number of concerns about who benefits from biotech research.
The economics of agricultural biotechnology research
06/2003
This paper examines the economic determinants and impacts of agricultural research, particularly biotechnology research, with a view to understanding the potential of agricultural biotechnology to address the needs of the poor in developing countries.
Smallholder agroforestry projects – Potential for carbon sequestration and poverty alleviation
06/2003
This paper provides an assessment of the potential for small-holder agro-forestry projects to be competitive in markets for carbon emission reduction credits, and explores the ways in which small-holder participation in such markets may be facilitated.
Learning by eating – A case study on the cost of hunger in Sri Lanka
06/2003
This study investigates the relationship between nutrition intake and economic growth as an attempt to provide useful insights for FAO’s Anti-hunger Programme. It addresses the question of how much economic growth is lost by a country that has undernourished people.