In the wake of reforms to establish a free market in land-use rights, Vietnam is experiencing a pronounced rise in rural landlessness. To some observers this is a harmless by-product of a more efficient economy, while to others it signals the return of the pre-socialist class-structure, with the rural landless at the bottom of the economic ladder. The authors' theoretical model suggests that removing restrictions on land markets will increase landlessness among the poor, but that there will be both gainers and losers, with uncertain impacts on aggregate poverty.

This paper addresses the deceptively simple question: What is the rural population of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)? It argues that rurality is a gradient, not a dichotomy, and nominates two dimensions to that gradient: population density and remoteness from large metropolitan areas. It uses geographically referenced population data (from the Gridded Population of the World, version 3) to tabulate the distribution of populations in Latin America and in individual countries by population density and by remoteness.

This review's objectives were to
examine the structure and performance of the agricultural
research and extension systems (public and private) at the
central and provincial levels, identify successes as well as
constraints to improving the system s effectiveness for
fostering innovation, and propose options for further policy
and institutional development, drawing on lessons from
international experience. The review focused principally on

Vietnam has experienced three sets of
direct impacts as a result of the coffee crisis: Some
regional economic shocks, socio-economic impacts in the
primary coffee-producing regions that have resulted in the
partial dismantling of services like health-care and
education; and post-crisis changes in the business
environment. This study of the Vietnamese coffee sector is
divided into seven parts. Part 1 provides an overview of the

This paper describes the contract
mechanism developed for the Regional Integrated
Silvopastoral Ecosystem Management Project, which is being
implemented with financing from the Global Environment
Facility (GEF). The project is testing the use of the
payment-for-service mechanism to encourage the adoption of
silvopastoral practices in three countries of Central and
South America: Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. The

The purpose of this Transport Sector
Note (TSN) is to assist the Palestinian Authority (PA) in
developing a strategy for the sector that can aid in
addressing the immediate constraints and transport issues in
support of the PA's effort to revive the national
economy, improve mobility and reduce poverty. The TSN also
aims to assist the responsible sector ministries prepare a
coherent strategic framework and program for the sector.

This study assesses the development
effectiveness of World Bank assistance in addressing
constraints to agricultural development in Africa over the
period of fiscal years 1991-2006. This Independent
Evaluation Group (IEG) review of World Bank assistance to
agriculture in Africa has a twofold purpose. First, it is a
pilot for the proposed IEG study on Bank-wide assistance in
agriculture scheduled for fiscal year 2009. Second, the

Productivity in Belarus'
agricultural sector has improved considerably, but large
parts of crop and livestock production are not
internationally competitive. The state's regulatory and
fiscal support system for agriculture has been instrumental
in improving the sector's performance. But the massive
distortions to agricultural incentives it creates to prevent
the sector from reaching its full potential. And the high

The strategic / sectoral social and
environmental assessment of power development options (SSEA)
offers an overview analysis of major regional power
development options and regional transmission
interconnections in the Nile Equatorial Lakes region in
Eastern Africa. The assessment provides a solid foundation
for planning the development of the power sectors of the
region as it contains a proposed development strategy and a

At the request of the World Bank's
Executive Board, the Bank's Operations Evaluation
Department (OED) has been conducting an evaluation of the
Bank's involvement in global programs. The Phase 1
Report titled The World Bank's Approach to Global
Programs focused on the strategic and programmatic
management of the Bank's global portfolio of 70
programs in five Bank Networks (a cluster of closely related

This paper analyzes the impact of
climate change on animal husbandry in Africa. It regresses
the net revenue from raising animals in small and large
farms across Africa on climate, soil, and other control
variables to test the climate sensitivity of livestock. The
study is based on a survey of over 9,000 farmers across 11
countries conducted by the World Bank and the Global
Environment Facility. From this dataset, 5,400 farms were

Beyond the City evaluates the
contribution of rural development and policies to growth,
poverty alleviation, and environmental degradation in the
rest of the economy, as well as in the rural space. This
title brings together new theoretical and empirical
treatments of the links between rural and national
development. New findings and are combined with existing
literature to enhance our understanding of the how rural