This regional study encompasses three
Central American countries: Nicaragua, Guatemala, and
Honduras. The focus of this report is Honduras. The
objective of the study is to understand how broad-based
economic growth can be stimulated and sustained in rural
Central America. The study identifies "drivers" of
sustainable rural growth and poverty reduction. Drivers are
defined as the assets and combinations of assets needed by

The most traditional and widely used
farming systems in the humid upland tropics are based on
fallowing and various forms of slash-and-burn agriculture.
Their sustainability depends on the duration of the fallow;
as long as the fallow stage is longer than seven or eight
years, slash-and-burn systems usually remain efficient. They
produce a moderate yield using a low-input technology that
is especially efficient in terms of returns to labor. With a

This report is a summary of research work coordinated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) China in 2003-2005, to prepare Implementation Guidelines for Poverty and Environment Work (IGPEW) in China. This report describes the research in two provinces, Yunnan and Sichuan, relating to the government's on-going Village-Based Integrated Poverty Reduction Plan for Poorer Western Regions. In addition, an English version of the implementation guidelines for poverty and environment work, and of the checklist, has been prepared by combining the documents produced in the two provinces.

This report is a review of the Lesotho's financial system covering: i) the macro-financial environment; ii) safety and soundness of the banking system; iii) non-bank financial institutions; and iv) microfinance and finance for small and medium enterprises. The report was based on data and other information collected during the March 2003 mission.

Like the 2003 Fifth World Parks Congress
in Durban, South Africa, this publication is structured
around themes and issues on the cutting edge of research,
policy, and practice in the field of protected areas. It
highlights contributions by the Global Environment Facility
(GEF) and presents its perspectives for the future. This
publication comprises of the following topics : Tribute to
Africa; A Historic Role for Protected Areas; Protected Areas

There is still a long road ahead before all Indonesian's can benefit from the full potential of ICT. That road seems even longer to rural women. Despite some improvements in access and the rapid deployment of lower cost wireless technologies, not much has changed in rural areas of Indonesia. Infrastructure in rural areas is limited and existing services are expensive and practically outside of rural women's reach. Women still face enormous barriers and access to communications and information relevant to their realities is very limited.

The paper empirically explores the
linkages between environmental regulations and international
trade flows. So far, empirical studies either have failed to
find any close statistical relationship or have delivered
questionable results due to data limitations. Using a
comprehensive new database for environmental regulations
across countries, a thorough empirical investigation of that
linkage for 119 countries and five high-polluting industries

The purpose of this study is to assess
agriculture's competitiveness in Colombia. During the
past 12 years, Colombia's agricultural sector has
performed poorly, resulting in the continuation of extensive
rural poverty. Improving the sector's competitiveness
is the only sure and lasting way to improve its growth
performance and reduce poverty. Thus, the main objectives of
this study are to assess: (a) the sector's current and

Fueled by fast-expanding demand, the production of meat and milk in the developing world has doubled in recent decades, and this trend is expected to continue. This expanding sector can provide income, employment, and high quality nutrition for vulnerable groups, and in many areas of the world, essential soil fertility inputs.

The World Bank's new environment
strategy advocates cost-effective reduction of air and water
pollutants that are most harmful to human health. In
addition, it addresses threats to the livelihood of over one
billion people who live on fragile lands-lands that are
steeply sloped, arid, or covered by natural forests. The new
approach will require accurate information about
environmental threats to health and livelihood, as well as

This report addresses key structural,
institutional, and sectoral policy impediments to achieving
a higher, and sustained economic growth in the sector, and
poverty reduction in rural areas of Iran. It focuses mainly
on an assessment of agricultural development outcomes, a
discussion of the agricultural policy agenda, and provides
recommendations for future policy dialogue between the Bank,
and the Government of Iran. On examining development

These guidelines have three sections.
Section one provides food for thought, regarding poverty and
environment, and how the two are linked. Section two
provides practical tools to incorporate the environment into
a village-level action plan for the environment. Section
three provides ideas for innovative activities relating to
the environment in poverty reduction programs. Finally two
practical checklists are provided: one for poverty reduction