This introductory chapter sets the scene for the discussion in the edited volume on how new agricultural affects tropical forests. It critically reviews four hypotheses that have been central in the claim that better technologies help protect forests: the Borlaug, the subsistence, the economic development and the land degradation-deforestation hypotheses. Each of them appears to be valid only under certain restrictive conditions. The chapter then gives the aims and scope of the book, the key conclusions, as well as a summary of each of the chapters.

This Working Paper summarizes research conducted as part of the AgWater Solutions Project in Ethiopia between 2009 and 2012. Researchers from the AgWater Solutions Project conducted a situation analysis in 2009, which identified a range of options deemed to be technically feasible, affordable and practical for smallholder farmers: water-lifting technologies, groundwater for agriculture and manual well drilling, community-based watershed management, on-farm water storage, small reservoirs and rainwater harvesting.

This Working Paper summarizes research conducted as part of the AgWater Solutions Project in Zambia from 2009 to 2012. Approximately 48 million hectares (Mha) of land in Zambia are suitable for agricultural use. An estimated 67% of the Zambian labor force is employed in the agriculture sector. Researchers from the AgWater Solutions Project examined ways of improving the motor pump supply chain, how to make better use of small reservoirs and improving the function of horticultural markets. Researchers also explored gendered aspects of agricultural systems.

Women’s land rights are increasingly advocated as an empowerment tool to spur development outcomes. However, empirical evidence of this relationship is limited. In this study we use data from peasant communities in rural Peru to explore the effect of the intra-household allocation of inherited land on women’s empowerment. Empowerment is modeled as a latent variable measured by different influence indicators using a Generalized Structural Equation approach.

This research is being undertaken as an ILCA project with support from the Rockefeller Post-Doctoral Fellowship Programme. There are three objectives. One objective is very similar to that of the World Bank and Niger studies: to determine the effects of land tenure on investment, productivity and efficiency in crop-livestock systems in the Ethiopian highlands.

Impact of dynamic land use and land cover changes on the livelihood of local communities and ecosystem services is a major concern. This is particularly evident in most dryland agricultural systems in South Asia. We study land use/land cover (LULC) changes over the last two decades in a watershed (9589 ha) located in semi-arid eco-region in South India (Anantapuram district) using Landsat and IRS imagery. We captured additional data through field observations and focused group discussions.