The papers in this proceedings provide a cross section of science research in international agricultural research centres (IARCs), where the objectives and research foci within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) have changed substantially in the 1990s. The book is divided in five sections. The first explores priority setting and research evaluation of commodity programmes. The second looks at institutional issues. The third explores issues related to commodity policies and food security.

The government of Uganda, with help from its development partners, is designing and implementing policies and strategies to address poverty, land degradation, and declining agricultural productivity. Land degradation, especially soil erosion and depletion of soil nutrients, is widespread in Uganda and contributes to declining productivity, which in turn increases poverty.

The emergence of social and environmental movements against plantation forestry in Southeast Asia positions rural development against local displacement and environmental degradation. Multi-scaled NGO networks have been active in promoting the notion that rural people in Southeast Asia uniformly oppose plantation development. There are potential pitfalls in this heightened attention to resistance however, as it has often lapsed into essentialist notions of timeless indigenous agricultural practices, and unproblematic local allegiances to common property and conservation.

The Frontis Workshop on the New Dimensions of the European Landscape was held on 10-12 June 2002. Wageningen University and Research Centre organized this workshop aiming to develop visions on the landscape in Europe, its development and design in the future and to strengthen the international network in landscape planning

Het doel van deze publicatie is de discussie over de ruimtelijke ordening van Nederand een natuurlijke basis te geven door kennis over de ondergrond die plek in de besluitvorming te geven die het verdient. In het kader van dit project zijn via een viertal kansenkaarten aangegeven hoe die kennis over de ondergrond van toepassing zou kunnen zijn voor gebruiksfuncties. Ter onderbouwing zijn er een twintigtal gesprekken met experts gevoerd en rapporten en artikelen doorgenomen. Deze publicatie bevat kansenkaarten voor: wonen en werken; natuur; landbouw; groene recreatie

The southern and central regions of The Netherlands are part of the Northwest- European Delta Metropolis. The demands placed by modern, urban society on the agricultural sector are numerous. Not only are the environment, animal welfare, and food hygiene and quality at stake here, but also must these demands be met in a period of a structural decline in economic yields and under the permanent pressure of a shortage of available land. Intensification and increase of scale, which have characterized European agriculture for a long time, are set to continue in the future.

Rice is a very important commodity in our lives, as it is the staple food of about 3 billion, or three quarters, of the people in the world. Two hundred fi fty million farmers depend on rice cultivation. Ninety percent of the world’s rice is produced and consumed in Asia.

The first in a new series of biennial reports, this publication describes FAO priorities and activities in the Asia-Pacific region during 2002 and 2003. The introduction contains a succinct analysis of the main socio-economic developments affecting agriculture in the region. Other sections describe the challenges facing the region and present solutions in support of food security and poverty alleviation while protecting the region's natural resource base.

Examines (1) what is the issue and why is it important? – equality and economic growth, tenure insecurity, governance and institutions; (2) current evidence: what do we know? – land redistribution for productive use, policy reforms to strengthen security of tenure, state facilitation of land markets; (3) what we don’t know: closing the evidence gap – reconciling social justice / equity and agricultural growth, land administration, agricultural growth and poverty reduction, appropriate taxation of land and productive resources.

MoRST is evaluating the Environmental Research output class of the Public Good Science Fund to identify inter alia the impacts of Environmental RS&T spending. Three specific questions are: How effective has the funding on Environmental RS&T been? Is Environmental RS&T having a positive effect by delivering real benefits to New Zealand, particularly to the environment? What influences the link between research and tangible positive benefits?