Around the world, countries are becoming
urbanized at an astonishing pace. As countries develop
economically, their economies shift from mainly rural and
agrarian to increasingly urban and nonagricultural. This
rural-urban transformation presents both opportunities and
challenges for development. When managed effectively, the
transformation spurs growth and reduces poverty. When
managed poorly, however, the process can result in stark

This paper is one of a series of
analytical studies commissioned by the World Bank's
Africa Region and Water Anchor which are intended to
identify and address the future challenges of urban water
supply, sanitation and flood management in Sub-Saharan
Africa's (SSA) cities and towns. Following the terms of
reference for the assignment, and as indicated by its title,
the paper is directed at understanding and describing the

Using the Agricultural Census 2003 and
the Rice Household Survey 2008 for Indonesia, this paper
analyzes the distribution of benefits from fertilizer
subsidies and their impact on rice production. The findings
suggest that most farmers benefit from fertilizer subsidies;
however, the 40 percent largest farmers capture up to 60
percent of the subsidy. The regressive nature of the
fertilizer subsidies is in line with research carried out in

This report lays the groundwork for a
safety net system that can address the needs of the poor in
Cameroon. Cameroon does not have a coordinated system of
safety nets; rather, small, isolated interventions which
together do not address the needs. Moreover, food and fuel
price subsidies which mainly benefit the rich cost around 2
percent of GDP/year much more than total safety net
spending. There is a need for a social protection strategy

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a land-locked
nation located in the Drakensberg mountain range in Southern
Africa. The country has a total area of 30355 km² and in
2009 had an estimated population of nearly 2.1 million, with
nominal per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 1080
(in 2010). About 75 percent live in rural areas, often in
scattered mountain villages, while most of the urban
population lives in and around the capital Maseru and the

This paper examines the dynamics of
poverty and vulnerability in Haiti using various data sets.
As living conditions survey data are not comparable in this
country, we first propose to use the three rounds of the
Demographic Health Survey (DHS) available before the
earthquake. Decomposing household assets changes into age
and cohort effects, we use repeated cross-section data to
identify and estimate the variance of shocks on assets and

This country note for Georgia is part of
a series of country briefs that summarize information
relevant to climate change and agriculture for three
countries in the Southern Caucasus Region, with a particular
focus on climate and crop projections, adaptation options,
policy development and institutional involvement. The note
series has been developed to provide a baseline of knowledge
on climate change and agriculture for the countries

The Tugi Silvo-pastoral Project (TUSIP)
is a South-South Cooperation between the Tropical
Agriculture Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE)
based in Costa Rica (www.catie.ac.cr) and the Akwi Memorial
Foundation (AMF) based in the North West Region of Cameroon.
The main goal of TUSIP was to assess the environmental
benefits of a set of silvo-pastoral practices and to empower

While climate change is likely to
increase weather risks in many developing countries, there
is little evidence on effective policies to facilitate
adaptation. This paper presents experimental evidence on a
program in rural Nicaragua aimed at improving
households' risk-management through income
diversification. The intervention targeted agricultural
households exposed to weather shocks related to changes in

Over the past few years there has been a
growing interest in the role that forests play in supporting
the poor, in reducing their vulnerability to economic and
environmental shocks, and in reducing poverty itself.
International workshops in Italy, Scotland, Finland and
Germany have focused on the contribution of forests to
livelihoods and the policies needed to strengthen that
contribution. At the same time, Forestry Ministries, though

Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to the
adverse impacts of global climate change, as it already
suffers from low agricultural productivity, water stress,
and high losses from disasters. Public awareness of the
multiple consequences of climate change is high, with
possible impacts on health, natural disasters, and
agriculture of greatest public concern. Climate change can
potentially deepen poverty by lowering agricultural yields,

The study includes a conceptual overview
of the link between climate impacts and human rights,
focused on the relevant legal obligations underpinning the
international law frameworks governing both human rights and
climate change. As such it makes a significant contribution
to the global debate on climate change and human rights by
offering a comprehensive analysis of the international legal
dimensions of this intersection. The study helps advance an