Ghana, like many other African
countries, had made a commitment in 2003 to allocate at
least ten percent of their national budgetary resources to
develop the agricultural sector by 2008, following the
adoption of the Comprehensive African Agriculture
Development Programme (CAADP), with an aim towards realizing
food security and poverty reduction. This Agriculture Public
Expenditure Review (AgPER) for Ghana analyzes data on public

Agricultural production is inextricably tied to climate, making agriculture one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. In countries such as the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, the risks of climate change for the agricultural sector are a particularly immediate and important problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods.

This paper examines some of the concepts
surrounding the idea that forests and trees can contribute
to making households more resilient to food insecurity. The
paper begins with a discussion of the widely accepted
definitions of food security, and the implications for our
understanding of the role of forests and trees in
contributing to food security. Authors discuss the origins
of the idea of resilience, adaptability, and transformation

The report is structured to allow
readers familiar with Macedonia s agriculture sector to
quickly grasp the essentials needed to improve the sector,
as well as to inform a general audience on how to address
the challenges of a modern European Union (EU)-aspiring
state. Chapter two provides an in-depth analysis of the
sectoral background, illustrating the main characteristics
and challenges of Macedonia s agriculture sector. The

The consequences of climate change for
agriculture and food security in developing countries are of
serious concern. Due to their reliance on rain-fed
agriculture, both as a source of income and consumption,
many low-income countries are considered to be the most
vulnerable to climate change. This paper estimates the
impact of climate change on food security in Tanzania.
Representative climate projections are used in calibrated

Transforming agriculture in Africa is
not simply about helping Africa; it is essential for
ensuring global food security. But Africa s agriculture is
also of critical importance when it comes to meeting the
world s future needs for food and fiber. With the global
population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, food
security producing enough food of sufficient quality and
making it accessible and affordable for consumers around the

Agriculture plays an important role in
the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Most of its production
depends on small family-owned farms, which are greatly
exposed to climatic and price shocks. In order to help small
farmers to manage risks, the federal and state governments
have been carrying out several programs and measures to
reduce and transfer agricultural risks. Santa Catarina ranks
seventh out of 26 Brazilian states in terms of agricultural

The agricultural and food sector is an
ideal case for investigating the political economy of public
policies. Many of the policy developments in this sector
since the 1950s have been sudden and transformational, while
others have been gradual but persistent. This paper reviews
and synthesizes the literature on trends and fluctuations in
market distortions and the political-economy explanations
that have been advanced. Based on a rich global data set

This paper uses a three-round
4,000-household panel from Andhra Pradesh together with
administrative data to explore short and medium-term poverty
and welfare effects of the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme. Triple difference estimates suggest that
participants significantly increase consumption (protein and
energy intake) in the short run and accumulate more
nonfinancial assets in the medium term. Direct benefits

This documented case of climate change
adaptation in Campeche Mexico grapples with a problem that
is fundamental to addressing climate change risks in areas
of high vulnerability, which is how to reach consensus and
take decisions under an uncertain future. The state of
Campeche in Mexico, is used as an example. With its long
coastline, Campeche is highly vulnerable to current and
projected future climate threats. Two different approaches

The objective of this study is to help
the government to decide what role safety net and transfer
programs should play in the coming 5 to 10 years. It seeks
to answer following three questions: (i) can increased
spending on transfers accelerate poverty reduction in the
medium to long term?; (ii) which groups and aspects of
poverty will it make sense to target with transfers?; and
(iii) which programs will have the greatest impact at an

In societies with widespread gender
discrimination, development programs that encourage female
participation in local governance can potentially redress
gender imbalances in economic, political, and social
outcomes. Using a randomized field experiment encompassing
500 Afghan villages, this study finds that a development
program which incorporates mandated female participation
increases female mobility and involvement in income