This paper examines the prospects for organic agriculture (OA) and the production of biofuels as strategies for rural development in Cambodia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Both agricultural activities are growing worldwide, although there are some questions as to how...

There is a spectrum of policy options available in dealing with dollarization in the transitional economies of Southeast Asia. These range from official dollarization at one end and enforced de-dollarization at the other. In between lie: currency board arrangements (CBAs), single currency...

Poverty is prevalent among small farms in transition economies such as the Lao PDR, where market failures prevail and subsistence production is the norm. Contract farming is emerging as a promising tool to facilitate market linkages and provide the necessary supports that enable small farms to...

The multiple currency phenomenon (MCP) in Lao PDR takes the form of the use of foreign currencies such as dollars and baht in the presence of a domestically issued currency. The MCP has both costs and benefits. The costs include the social loss associated with seigniorage, the inability to...

With globalization, market liberalization, and the rapid development of rural infrastructure, new market opportunities for high-value crops and livestock production are expanding in both developed and developing countries. This has translated into increased use of contract farming to establish...

This final report presents the outcome of the “Thematic evaluation of EC support to the health sector”. It was commissioned by the Evaluation Unit of DG DEVCO and implemented between January 2011 and May 2012. The evaluation provides an independent assessment of the European Commission’s...

The overall purpose of this evaluation is to ensure accountability for the use of allocated resources as well as to promote a lesson-learning culture in EC development cooperation. The main specific objectives of the evaluation were: •to provide the relevant external co-operation services of...