The report proposes key elements for an
agricultural export-oriented strategy in Egypt, that would
build on the achievements of the agricultural strategy
during the 1990s. Substantial improvements in the
country's macroeconomic environment, following policy
reforms - though necessary - have not been sufficient to
improve agricultural export performance. Overall, while
Egyptian agricultural production increased during the 90s,

Accelerating rural economic growth and
reducing rural poverty requires a comprehensive strategy
built on sound analysis covering all major aspects o f the
rural economy including agricultural output markets, input
markets (seeds, fertilizer, extension), factor markets
(land, water, labor and credit), the rural non- farm
economy, and targeted interventions. This report focuses on
one aspect o f this complex puzzle - rural factor markets.

The authors describe and analyze the emergence of river basin management in the Warta River Basin of Poland. The Warta basin's 55,193 k

This book provides a detailed and
comprehensive evaluation of water reform and water sector
performance from the perspectives of institutional economics
and political economy. It integrates institutional theory
with resource economics, and set against an exhaustive
review of the theoretical and empirical literature, the
authors develop an alternative methodology to quantitatively
assess the performance of institutions in the context of

This staff sector assessment note
accompanies the recently completed national environmental
action plan for sustainable development (NEAP-SD), which, as
an output of the Industrial Pollution Control Project in
Algeria, focused on charting a new course for environmental
management in the country, based on an objective assessment
of past policy, and institutional failures, on a new
consensus on the need for mainstreaming the environment into

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 study examines how environmental
issues have been addressed in the water sector in Brazil,
within the context of activities of the Federal Government,
generally, and those implemented under Bank sector
operations, in particular. The core focus of the study lies
in the management of water quality, as it affects both the
users of raw water, and those who are primarily concerned
with the disposal of wastewater. The report considers the

The study examines Bangladesh's
extreme vulnerability to climate change, whose low-lying
topography, and funnel-shaped coast, further exposes the
land to cyclones, and tidal surges, resulting in seasonal
floods. These factors, and the large population base,
widespread poverty, aggravated by the lack of strong
institutional development, makes the country particularly
vulnerable to climate variability. Various climatic factors,

China has very serious water problems
despite substantial economic development achievements,
strong technical expertise, and political stability. But in
terms of its potential and the critical pressing needs for
water resources management, China could do much better in
managing its water resources. The World Bank's
assistance to China in water resources development and
management in the past has tended to be reactive and

The case in Mexico City offered an
opportunity to observe the advantages, and disadvantages of
gradualist reform. Unfortunately, the authors find that the
long-term nature of an incremental approach does not match
well with the generally shorter-term horizons of elected
politicians. Difficult decisions in implementation are left
to later years, which pushes potentially unpopular actions
onto the shoulders of future administrations, while allowing

This Note outlines a larger report
describing the changing context of demand and supply for
agricultural water. It identifies the policy, institutional,
and incentive reform options that will accelerate
improvements in productivity and pro-poor growth in this
sector. It articulates priorities for investment and
indicates options for adjusting the respective roles of the
public sector and other stakeholders. The report also sets

This issue, which serves as the annual
review on the environment, looks at the Bank's work
from July 2002 through June 2003, dedicated this year to
Water and the Environment, on the occasion of the Fifth
World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa. Following the
overview, which reviews progress in the implementation of
the Environment strategy, the report presents viewpoints on
ways to move forward in delivering water as committed in