Most of the Middle East and North Africa
(MENA) cannot meet current water demand. Many countries face
full-blown crises, and the situation is likely to get even
worse. Estimates show that per capita water availability
will be cut in half by 2050, with serious consequences for
aquifers and natural hydrological systems. Demand for water
supplies and irrigation services will change as economies
grow and populations increase, with an attendant need to

One of every two people in Sub-Saharan
Africa survives on less than $1.25 a day. That proportion
has changed little over the past three decades, unlike in
Asia and elsewhere, so the region's share of global
poverty has risen from one-tenth to almost one-third since
1980. About 70 percent of today's 400 million poor
Africans live in rural areas and depend directly or
indirectly on farming for their livelihoods. While that

This paper provides evidence from one of
the poorest countries of the world that the property rights
matter for efficiency, investment, and growth. With all land
state-owned, the threat of land redistribution never appears
far off the agenda. Land rental and leasing have been made
legal, but transfer rights remain restricted and the
perception of continuing tenure insecurity remains quite
strong. Using a unique panel data set, this study

The livelihoods of communities in rural
areas of Peru are predominantly dependent on
climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture. Given their
close connection with the environment, the understanding of
how these communities perceive risks and how they adapt to
and cope with climate hazards is important for identifying
entry points for efforts aimed at building resilience. In
this context, it is assumed that the successful use of

The main purpose of this study is to
assess the changing landscape of agricultural protection and
taxation patterns in the region. The study is based on the
EU-10 sample, plus Turkey, as well as seven countries in the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): Kazakhstan, the
Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan (the CIS-7). In
2000-04, these countries accounted for 89 percent of the

This report summarizes the main outputs
of the technical assistance provided which was concentrated
in three areas: (1) development of MAIL's strategic
priorities and investments for the immediate future/short
term, medium term and longer term; (2) advising Ministry of
Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) regarding the
design of an appropriate structure of the Ministry and
definition of corresponding responsibilities; (3)

This assessment of poverty and
inequality comes at an important juncture for Kenya. The
December 2007 elections and subsequent pronouncements of the
newly formed Grand Coalition have underlined the salience of
these issues to ordinary Kenyans, and for policy makers. The
violence in early 2008 highlighted the importance of
addressing poverty and inequality as major goals in their
own right, but also for instrumental reasons, as major goals

This report is about how to
progressively reduce over time Afghanistan's dependence
on opium - currently the country's leading economic
activity - by development initiatives and shifting economic
incentives toward sustainable legal livelihoods.
Specifically, the report identifies additional investments
and policy and institutional measures to support development
responses that can counterbalance the economic advantages of

The Tanzania country office of the World
Bank has been exploring ways in which it can be more
responsive to Government in supporting the National Strategy
for Growth and Alleviation of Poverty (MKUKUTA) and ensuring
growth is an integral part of strategic planning. Given
Tanzania's great regional variations in resource
endowments, growth potential and degree of institutional
development, it was proposed that a regional case study of

This paper uses a cross sectional method
to analyze irrigation choice and crop choice across 8,405
farmers in 28 provinces in China. The findings show that
Chinese farmers are more likely to irrigate when facing
lower temperatures and less precipitation. Farmers in
warmer places are more likely to choose oil crops, maize,
and especially cotton and wheat, and are less likely to
choose vegetables, potatoes, sugar, and especially rice and

The dramatic increases in world food and
fuel prices during 2007 and early 2008 may set back
Mozambique's considerable advances in poverty reduction
during the past decade. This study assesses the impact of
higher fuel and food prices at both household and
macroeconomic levels, and also considers policy options to
mitigate some of the negative impacts of higher prices.
Rising world prices certainly represents a negative

The recent surge in food and fuel prices
has prompted countries with high dependence on food imports
to try and lock in future food supplies through direct
investment in agricultural production in other countries.
The price surges also led to a wave of proposals to invest
in biofuels investments in agricultural land. While such
investment can provide large benefits, it also carries
considerable risks both to investors and citizens in the