Poverty incidence is one of the most critical concerns in Botswana and the government has resolved to eradicate this problem and ensure that every citizen live in a dignified and acceptable condition consistent with the national aspirations as set out in the National Vision 2016. Currently, rural areas are persistently experiencing the highest poverty incidence compared to any other place in the country. This has been the case ever since we have measured the extent of the poverty problem in 1985/86.

This paper reports on a stated preference study of exurban Rhode Island residents that assessed the relative attractiveness of a variety of commercial and recreational land uses. Focus group participants and town planners proclaimed a demand for certain commercial developments such as grocery stores and fine-dining restaurants, but survey respondents generally exhibit a strong preference for no additional development beyond the status quo current rate of development.

This paper is about the research methods, stages, challenges and results of the LASCAUX programme, a European research programme that took place over five years, between February 2009 and January 2014. The LASCAUX programme is concerned with food issues, “from plough to plate”, from a mainly legal perspective. More particularly, the nuclear core of the programme is based on the study of the concept of "food security", according to the definition from the FAO.

Investment in land administration projects is often considered key for agricultural productivity and rural development in developing countries. But the evidence on such interventions is remarkably mixed. This paper reviews the literature and discusses a number of challenges related to the analysis of the impacts of land administration programs, focusing on developing countries where the starting position is one of land administration systems based on the Napoleonic code, with existing individual rights that may be imperfect and insecure.

Background: The urban-rural land divide is visible through where people choose to work. This article aims to detect how, where and why people use rural coworking spaces instead of or in addition to working in urban areas. Methods: The research relied on both documented evidence and a structured survey among users of coworking spaces. Results: We found that the choice of working in rural coworking spaces draws on certain benefits and opportunities for its users, such as avoiding social isolation, separating private and professional life, reducing the commuting.

The strategy of the institutionalization and development of business agglomerations, in any of its analytical aspects (industrial district, local production system, cluster, etc.), has not had great results in Spanish regions with low business-density, probably due to the difficulty of finding an adequate implementation framework in administrative, geographic, and institutional terms.

Land-based sectors in the Philippines are affected by institutional

weaknesses in various ways, including overlapping and conflicting

policies, laws and programmes, a lack of reform in public land

management and inadequate funding for urban development, disaster

mitigation and climate change. Land governance has thus been given

paramount importance in recent years. However, security of tenure

for all remains a challenge as the existing institutional set-up fails

The current relationship between Syria and the West cripples any real prospect for reconstruction. Western sanctions on reconstruction as a political tool aimed at the regime, have wide-ranging negative impacts on the civilian population – while having little hope of political success. For agriculture the repercussions of sanctions on reconstruction are severe, affecting refugee returns, livelihood recovery, food security and stabilization.

The Nepal Development Update is produced annually with two main aims: to report on key economic developments over the preceding months, placing them in a longer term and global perspective; and to examine (in the Special Focus section) topics of particular policy significance. The Update is intended for a wide audience including policymakers, business leaders, the community of analysts and professionals engaged in economic debates, and the general public.

In a rural agrarian economy like that of Nepal, land has traditionally been a primary source of livelihood and security, as well as a symbol of status. Thousands of poor farmers are completely dependent on land for their livelihoods, yet not all of them have access to or control over this fundamental resource. Negotiation for access to land has been a lengthy and complicated process. It remains so in the changed political context of Nepal, where increasing numbers of emerging actors need to be considered, often with conflicting claims and counterclaims.

Digital technologies cut off access to land

Despite promises to fix unjust land governance, a new study shows that digital technologies can further land grabbing and inequality.

To mitigate the disastrous consequences of COVID-19, IFAD has committed itself
to supporting affected rural people in many countries, including Sudan, through the IFAD-established Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF). Additional support
of US$747,650, requested by the Government of Sudan to help 5,000 families
of small-scale farmers in the three states of Kordofan and in Sennar state,
has been approved. This will contribute to mitigating the negative impacts of COVID-19 on small-scale producers.