The impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on the poor in developing countries is still the subject of controversy. While previous studies have examined direct productivity effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton and other GM crops, little is known about wider socioeconomic outcomes. We...

The Council Regulation (EC) 1698/2005 approved on 20th September 2005 was the starting point of the fourth programme of Rural Development Aid for the period 2007-2013. This communitarian programme affects Andalusia, an European region situated in the south of Spain. The authors of this paper...

The purpose of this study is to assess the potential of clustering in the development of agriculture and rural communities in China. We shall examine in detail the food industry, which is the link in the food chain that propels the industrialization of agriculture, and identify instances of...

Edited volume of the contributions to the mini-symposium of the same title at the IAAE conference 2009.

Conservation agriculture is often perceived to provide “win-win” outcomes for farmers leading to reduced erosion and off-site sedimentation, as well as improved soil fertility and productivity. However, adoption rates for conservation agriculture in many regions of the world remain below...

Generally, an appropriate maintenance and management of the common-pool resources (CPRs) in rural areas can contribute to the enhancement of the “quality of life” of inhabitants through improvement of the local environment, etc. In recent years, with the aging of farm households and the rise...

The North China Plain (NCP) covers an area of around 328,000 km2 and is one of the most important regions of cereal crop production in China. Wheat and maize rotations and one season cotton are the most common cropping systems. The region contributes at an amount of about 50% to the countries...

There is no consensus about how globalization –trade and foreign investments – affects poverty reduction. Using household survey data, this study contributes to the empirical literature on globalization and poverty by analyzing the household-level implications of increased foreign...

The European Union’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) has “the purpose to protect and preserve water resources across the European Union to ensure future sustainable use” but is likely to add to agricultural land losses, e.g. to infrastructure, industrial estates and housing. While the...

Global efforts to reduce deforestation rely heavily on protected areas and land use restrictions. The effect of these restrictions on local communities is currently the subject of heated debate among conservation and development experts. Measuring the social impacts of protected areas is...