Countries in transition from centrally
planned to market economies face several challenges when
planning investments. These include a lack of information
about beneficiary groups, particularly those in rural areas;
and the collapse of institutions maintained by the state
prior to transition. During preparation of the Estonia
Agriculture Project, the government sought World Bank
technical assistance to undertake a social assessment (SA)

The livestock sector in Mali accounts
for 43 percent of cattle exports in the Sahel sub-region.
However, while the sub-sector accounted for 28.6 percent of
agriculture's contribution to Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), investment in it amounted to only 10.7 percent of the
total budget allocation to rural development. The African
Financial Community (CFA) devaluation in January 1994
increased the competitiveness of red meat from Sahelian

How to address the link between
environmental regulation and trade was an important part of
discussions at the World Trade Organization Ministerial in
Doha, Qatar in November 2001. Trade ministers agreed to
launch negotiations on trade and the environment,
specifically clarification of WTO rules. The authors address
an important part of the background context for deciding
whether or how to link trade agreements to the environment

Buying, selling and mortgaging farmland
are still rare in Eastern and Central Europe. Not
surprisingly, given the level of risk in many of these
countries, short-term transactions, especially leasing, are
more common. These short-term transactions do almost as well
as land sales in allocating resources. Making them more
secure by improving simple registration and enforcement
systems and increasing public access to information on what

? This article outlines the role that
the World Bank will play in supporting a modified rural
development strategy for the Sub-Saharan Africa region: The
Bank will be more selective in targeting countries for
assistance in rural development programs, focusing on those
that demonstrate commitment to appropriate agricultural
policy and investment. It will expand its information,
education and communication initiatives to help governments

A history of repeated external and
domestic shocks has made economic insecurity a major concern
across the Caribbean region. Of particular concern to all
households, especially the poorest segments of the
population, is the exposure to shocks that are generated by
catastrophic events or natural disasters. The author shows
that despite high consumption growth, the Caribbean region
suffers from a high volatility of consumption that decreases

The Philippines regained a modest growth
rate of 3.5 percent per annum for 1999-2001, but has not yet
managed to reduce the incidence of poverty from its 1996
level. The Medium Term Philippine Development (MTPDP) growth
targets of over 5 percent per year are attainable, but only
if the key building blocks for sustained growth - an
environment conducive to increased investment and
productivity within both private and public sectors - are

Between 1970 and 1992, the World Bank
assisted financially in about 15 wildlife-related projects
in Sub-Saharan Africa. The lending volume was US$ 368
million or about 1percent of the Bank's totals lending
during the same period. While geographically, these projects
have been concentrated in East Africa, especially Kenya, the
others are located in Somali, Malawi, Botswana, Cote
d'Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Ghana, the Central African

The note summarizes the findings of the
Africa Forest Strategy Paper, which responded to the
problems confronting forest resources in the Sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA), providing a comprehensive overview, and
analysis of the forest sector, and mapping a set of actions
for consideration by African countries. The diagnosis
highlights the nexus between rapid population growth,
environmental degradation, and poor agricultural

Infrastructure's interactions with
and importance to the economies of developing countries have
not been fully understood. This is evident in the
Bank's approach to sector work in infrastructure and in
its structural adjustment programs, which emphasize
adjusting prices to the detriment of a country's
infrastructure. Still, the available evidence indicates that
in poorer countries with inadequate infrastructure,

Petroleum supply reforms could yield
huge savings. Training flourishes in the informal sector.
Credit is a constraint to enterprise development. cAN Africa
pay for its universities. How to double Sub-Saharan
Africa's agricultural growth rate. Upgrading farming
systems in the Sahel. Agricultural research is being revitalized.

Youth is often the time when a person starts to dream of the future, think of the path to take and boldly and aggressively set his/her life in motion. In many rural villages, to be a farmer is not part of this dreamt future . Farming is a lowly job and does not earn, so better migrate to cities or abroad where there may be more opportunities and adventure. What will then be the future of agriculture and food without young farmers? No farmer, no food. No food, no life.