The aim for this study was to assess the
impact of irrigation activities in the Brazilian Semi-Arid
(BSA) Region, and to analyze to what extent irrigated
agriculture in this region has contributed to the reduction
of poverty levels and regional inequalities, income growth
and distribution, and the creation of quality jobs, with the
aim of contributing to the establishment of guidelines for a
regional development strategy. The study indicates that,

This study compares the financial costs
and returns to tobacco growing with twelve (traditional and
non-traditional) alternative crops, looking at
profitability, costs, labor intensity, financial support,
technical infrastructure, land-suitability, marketing
difficulties, world demand, and production risks. It aims to
provide an improved understanding of the trade-offs farmers
face in deciding what crops to grow. The analysis is based

This report is part of a strategy to
promotes trade competitiveness within the East Asia and
Pacific Region. It presents an overview of the logistics
issues facing East Asia countries and proposes a development
agenda for them. Based on the recognition that the
countries have basic differences in their level of
development, extent of openness, and composition of trade,
it begins by discussing the benefits of improved logistics.

This study provides a review of the food
and agricultural sector in Ukraine. It assesses the current
status of the food and agricultural sector with special
reference to the agricultural policy regime and the form and
level of government support to the sector. The paper reviews
the sector's readiness to compete on open global
markets for food and agricultural products. Given the
importance and sensitivity of the food and agriculture

Economic progress is accompanied by a
fundamental spatial transformation where the economic
landscapes of countries become increasingly uneven. The
journey from low incomes to high incomes involves rising
concentration of prosperity in a few places. Connecting
people to prosperity - is the principle behind economic
integration policies that can help countries reap the
benefits of both uneven growth and inclusive development.

This Policy Note has three main
objectives : a) formulate strategic choices related to the
sustainability of irrigated agriculture in Lebanon. b)
recommend institutional strengthening of water resource
management in the irrigation sector in general, especially
for operations and maintenance (O&M). c) define the
Bank's future involvement in the irrigated agriculture
sector. As demand for domestic, industrial, and agriculture

The report identifies the challenges,
and opportunities the forestry sector faces in Turkey, where
twenty five percent of the country's land area is
covered by forests, with significant economic,
environmental, and cultural functions. The challenges
identified in the review include poverty, land tenure, the
need to establish multi-purpose, participatory forest
management planning, and, to control soil erosion in

In 1989, Albania's rigid political
and socioeconomic structure shattered beyond repair.
Turbulence soon invaded every domain of life. As the state
imploded, so did the state-run economy. This review explores
ongoing consequences of this difficult transformation that
took place since 1989 and of policy initiatives to mitigate
or ameliorate its effects. Albania has been much studied;
the review addresses important information gaps. It

The acute water shortage, and pollution
problems in North China have been exacerbated by the
continued population growth, and the accelerated industrial
expansion over the past half-century, conducive to
increasingly severe freshwater shortages, and catastrophic
consequences for the future. Significant commitments need to
be made to rapidly implement strategies to bring water
resource utilization back into a sustainable balance. The

This report is intended to inform the
discussions of the Sri Lanka Development Forum.
Specifically, section One reviews recent economic
performance, the status of macroeconomic management and the
strategic directions outlined in Mahinda Chintana. It notes
that the recent acceleration in Sri Lanka's growth can
be partly attributed to large aid flows for tsunami
reconstruction and to rapid growth in domestic demand. While

Data from China's national rural
and urban household surveys are used to measure and explain
the welfare impacts of changes in goods and factor prices
attributable to accession to the World Trade Organization
(WTO). The price changes are estimated separately using a
general equilibrium model to capture both direct and
indirect effects of the initial tariff changes. The welfare
impacts are first-order approximations based on a household

The report argues that Nicaragua's
best hope for sustained growth, and poverty reduction,
probably lies with agricultural exports, which have the
potential to gain from opportunities in world markets.
Despite the small share of farmland devoted to the
production of exports (25 percent of harvested area), the
total trade of agricultural goods (including the value of
both imports, and exports) accounted for almost eighty five