In addition to global developments and food policy changes, 2014 also saw important developments with potentially wide repercussions in individual countries and regions. This chapter offers perspectives on major food policy developments in various regions including Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Public agricultural extension systems often fail due to inadequate consultation of farmers about their information needs and poor understanding of their information search strategies. In discussing and implementing extension programs and advisory services, the following questions need to be addressed: What information do the farmers need? How and where do they search for information? What factors determine their search behavior? How much are they willing to pay for information?

In recent years, many development agencies have made intensive efforts to improve their efficiency and increase their impact on rural poverty. At the heart of this new strategic management process is the measurement of performance.

In 2011 two United Nations bodies adopted ambitious goals for halting land degradation and achieving sustainable development. These goals will be difficult, but not impossible, to meet. The evidence presented here suggests several avenues for achieving a world with no land degradation. First, efforts to promote sustainable land management need to improve local and national governance while also enhancing international cooperation.

By the year 2020 land degradation may pose a serious threat to food production and rural livelihoods, particularly in poor and densely populated areas of the developing world. Appropriate policies are required to encourage land-improving investments and better land management if developing countries are to sustainably meet the food needs of their populations.

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The Genetic Improvement of Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) project, which operated from 1988–97, served as a launching point for tilapia improvement efforts in Asia, as well as tropical finfish genetic improvements globally. Based on the selective breeding of Nile tilapia, the GIFT project succeeded in producing tilapia with faster growth rates, higher survival rates, and a shorter harvest time, thus increasing fish yields dramatically. These attributes, along with its stable, low price, have made tilapia an extremely popular food source in Asia, especially among poor consumers.