... This background paper was commissioned by USAID as part of a Strategic Agricultural Sector and Food Security Diagnostic for Myanmar, led by Michigan State University and in partnership with the Myanmar Development Resource Institute ‐ Centre for Economic and Social Development (MDRI‐CESD). The broad objectives of the Diagnostic are to improve USAID’s understanding of the major constraints to

Agriculture plays an important role in
the economies of most countries in Africa. However, few
African countries have been able to capitalize on the
sector's considerable potential to contribute to
economic development through commercialization. Few have
created an enabling environment for agricultural finance in
which lenders and other agents are encouraged to develop
innovative financial products that are well tailored to meet

Reducing emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation and enhancing carbon stocks (REDD+)
has raised the profile of benefit sharing in the forest
sector. Sharing benefits, however, is not a new concept.
Previous work on benefit sharing (associated with
intellectual property, forest and agriculture concessions,
mining, and so forth) has focused on clarifying the concept
and examining how benefit sharing could feed into broader

The main objective of this study is to
identify the major impediments to access to financial
services in rural areas, and provide practical
recommendations to address the identified problems. The
study aims to inform on rural finance policies and
innovative instruments by examining both supply and demand
sides including an identification of non-financial issues
that restrict development of the rural financial sector.

The purpose of this policy note is to
contribute to an understanding of the factors that combine
to constrain the development of smallholder agriculture in
Swaziland. It seeks to shed light on why, despite being
well-endowed in land and water resources, and despite having
a climate that is generally favorable for the production of
crops and livestock, Swaziland is obliged to import
substantial amounts of food to feed the population. Also,

The Living Standards Measurement Study
(LSMS) surveys which have collected information on many
dimensions of household well-being for over 36 countries
since 1980 are one of the most important data sources for
informing policy making on development. The LSMS surveys
have been used to assess household welfare, to understand
household behavior, and to evaluate the welfare impact of
various government policies. These surveys, however, lack

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a land-locked
nation located in the Drakensberg mountain range in Southern
Africa. The country has a total area of 30355 km² and in
2009 had an estimated population of nearly 2.1 million, with
nominal per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 1080
(in 2010). About 75 percent live in rural areas, often in
scattered mountain villages, while most of the urban
population lives in and around the capital Maseru and the

Cote d'Ivoire was an economic
success story in the first twenty years of independence, but
a sharp reversal began in 1980 and by 1993 per capita
incomes was back to the level of 1960. Devaluation of the
African Financial Community (CFA) franc triggered an
economic rebound, but this was soon undermined by the
political crisis beginning in 1999. Just as the economy was
starting to move forward, a new crisis struck in early 2011,

The objective of this review of
resettlement policy and implementation in Brazil, is to
identify ongoing good practices, as well as areas for
further improvement. It draws upon an assessment of the
Brazilian legal and institutional framework related to land
acquisition for projects in the public interest, a rapid
evaluation of the resettlement programs in six projects
(three projects that received Bank financing and three

This study s broad goal was to identify
opportunities for promoting productive uses of electricity
in existing as well as among new small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) in the rural villages of Lao PDR to
generate income for rural people and promote economic
development. To this end, the study team conducted a market
analysis of current businesses and services, as well as
major agro-processing and other income-generating activities

A reform in Burundi's coffee sector
is currently under way. Even though the reform was launched
by the government of Burundi in 1992, it was only in 2008
that implementation fully started. The purpose of the reform
is to restructure the coffee sector, focusing on the
following processes: privatization of the industrial units
(especially washing and hulling units), liberalization of
government control among the production and export agencies,

Numerous opportunities exist to improve
the performance of Samoa's fresh fruit and vegetable
(F&V) sector. Current per capita consumption appears to
be low by regional and global standards indicating prospects
for future demand growth and a need for increased awareness
of the dietary benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption.
A large share of the existing demand for fruits and
vegetables is being met by imports and there appears to be