The ability to cooperate in collective action problems ・such as those relating to the use of common property resources or the provision of local public goods ・is a key determinant of economic performance. In this paper we discuss two aspects of collective action problems in developing...

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze one important part of the emerging environmental problems in China--- water pollution. The importance of water for any nation is obvious. In case of China it acquires particular salience because of China’s industrial needs as well as human needs....

This work examines the impact that economic growth can have on biodiversity and on the ecological dynamics that would naturally emerge in the absence of human activity. The loss of biodiversity may induce policy-makers to implement defensive actions that prevent single species from extinction....

The present study analyzes the nature of Ukrainian farm debt by investigating whether the debt servicing problem of Ukrainian farms is more of a debt problem or a net income problem. Net income generation appears to be the more important underlying problem behind the debt problem. Second, the...

This paper examines the economic determinants and impacts of agricultural research, particularly biotechnology research, with a view to understanding the potential of agricultural biotechnology to address the needs of the poor in developing countries. It surveys public and private agricultural...

This paper provides an assessment of the agricultural diversification trends in South Asia. In the first part food consumption and crop production patterns in the region during the last twenty years are reviewed. Next, the agronomic and economic options for and constraints to diversification in...

We use original 2005 survey data from Fiji and Tonga on remittances and household income to estimate the combined impact of migration and remittances on the composition of household income. A two-stage methodology is followed. A variable for the predicted number of migrants in each household is...

In recent years, there has been increasing emphasis in the rural development literature on the multiple income-generating activities undertaken by rural households and the importance of assets in determining the capacity to undertake these activities. Controlling for endogeneity choice and...

The purpose of the present Conceptual Framework document, developed in the context of FAO’s “Initiative to Review and Update National Agricultural, Rural Development and Food Security Strategies and Policies”, is to propose a flexible general approach to addressing food security through...

Improving agricultural productivity and farm level resilience to agricultural production shocks is a critical component of reducing poverty and improving household food security throughout the developing world, and particularly in Ethiopia which is among the poorest countries in the world. This...