This paper describes different types of rural microfinance institutions, and examines their comparative advantages as well as related challenges to and strategies for deepening rural financial systems. The focus is not about which type of institution is better or worse for a particular target...

Poverty is still a predominantly rural phenomenon. However, the context of rural poverty has been changing across the world, with high growth in some economies and stagnation in others. Furthermore, increased openness in many economies has affected the specific role of agricultural growth for...

Summary The objectives of this paper are (i) to assess the actual economic implications of the new European banana policy on prices, consumption and trade in Germany within a theoretical and quantitative analysis; (ii) to elaborate the welfare implications of the European banana market policy on...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the spatial disparity between rural and urban areas in Ghana using the Ghana Living Standards Survey’s (GLSS) rounds 5 and 6 data to advance the assertion that an endowed rural sector is necessary to promote agricultural development in Ghana....

Contrary to conventional economic theories, the relationship between income growth and agricultural employment is extremely diverse, even among regions starting from similar levels of development, such as Asia and Africa. Due to its labor-intensive Green Revolution and strong farm–nonfarm...

Purpose – For many farm families and operators across the OECD countries, off‐farm income has become a major determinant of their well‐being. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential role of off‐farm employment as a risk management tool among farm operators....

Purpose – The global demand for food is expected to increase by 60 percent by 2050 when the world’s population reaches 9.1 billion. To meet this challenge significant investment in the agricultural sector is required to embrace innovative financing mechanisms that can benefit sustainable...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to fill a knowledge gap by examining the changes in fruit and vegetable consumption of Chinese households. Design/methodology/approach – Using 1993 and 2001 household survey data from three selected provinces in China, the authors estimated a quantile...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a dynamic computable general equilibrium (DCGE) model to analyze economy‐wide impacts of different types of public spending in China. A particular focus is placed on their impacts on food economy. Design/methodology/approach – In this...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a new approach to market analysis, and test how the China‐US soybean market integration and arbitrage efficiency have changed across 1995/1‐/2004/1 – a period covering strengthened government efforts to join WTO, and the institutional...