Countries in transition from centrally
planned to market economies face several challenges when
planning investments. These include a lack of information
about beneficiary groups, particularly those in rural areas;
and the collapse of institutions maintained by the state
prior to transition. During preparation of the Estonia
Agriculture Project, the government sought World Bank
technical assistance to undertake a social assessment (SA)

Environmental concerns must be
integrated into the development process, but African
countries still face many challenges as they work to achieve
development that is economically, socially, and
environmentally sustainable. Many countries have already
launched National Environmental Action Plans (NEAPs) and
National Conservation Strategies; however, in preparing and
implementing them, economics was used sparingly because

The note summarizes the findings of the
Africa Forest Strategy Paper, which responded to the
problems confronting forest resources in the Sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA), providing a comprehensive overview, and
analysis of the forest sector, and mapping a set of actions
for consideration by African countries. The diagnosis
highlights the nexus between rapid population growth,
environmental degradation, and poor agricultural

Petroleum supply reforms could yield
huge savings. Training flourishes in the informal sector.
Credit is a constraint to enterprise development. cAN Africa
pay for its universities. How to double Sub-Saharan
Africa's agricultural growth rate. Upgrading farming
systems in the Sahel. Agricultural research is being revitalized.

The irrigation sector provides a rich
source of experiences and lessons in user participation.
Participation by farmers in system design and management
helps to ensure the sustainability of the system, reduce the
public expenditure burden, and improve efficiency, equity
and standards of service. Mobilizing support at all levels
and establishing the participatory process, however,
involves costs; it also demands knowledge of the incentives

The continued decline in global poverty
over the past 100 years particularly in the past three
decades is a remarkable achievement. In 1981, 52 percent of
the world population lived on less than $1.25 a day. By
2005, that rate had been cut in half, to 25.0 percent, and
by 2008 to 22.2 percent (World Bank 2012). Preliminary
estimates for 2010 indicate that the extreme poverty rate
has fallen further still; if follow-up studies confirm this,

This issue of Caravan describes the new program, and some of the research innovations it will build on. The issue begins with two ‘opinion pieces’ by scientists from partner organizations in the CRP. They share lessons learnt from past successes (and failures), and ideas that could be applied to dryland

Argues the need to transition the people’s demand for land from ‘land reform’ and ‘land tenure security’ to ‘land sovereignty’. A peoples’ enclosure campaign is needed to help farmers to proactively assert their political control over their remaining lands against potential and actual threats of corporate or state enclosure.

As countries develop, the demand for
water increases while water supply becomes less certain and
is often not enough to meet demand. In general, pressures
from both environment and human activities can increase the
likelihood of water scarcity. Such pressures include
increased socio-economic development and population growth,
change in people's diets, competition for available
water among different user sectors and growing climate

This country note for Armenia is part of a series of country briefs that summarize information relevant to climate change and agriculture for three pilot countries in the Southern Caucasus Region, with a particular focus on climate and crop projections, adaptation options, policy development and institutional involvement. The note series has been developed to provide a baseline of knowledge on climate change and agriculture for the countries participating in the regional program on reducing vulnerability to climate change in Southern Caucasus Agricultural systems.

A review of Fred Pearce’s book

The Public Investment Management (PIM) efficiency review is intended to support the Government of Zimbabwe, and in particular the Ministry of Finance, in its efforts to strengthen the efficiency of the public investment system, with the goal of improving the creation, operation and maintenance of public sector capital assets that support service delivery and economic growth. The problems of public investment management are not merely financial but systemic. Budget execution deficit remains a major bottleneck.