This report is the outcome of assessment and is intended as an advisory note to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to enable them to identify a strategy and potential public investments to improve current risk-management practices in the rice supply chain. This report identifies the major risks facing the rice supply chain, ranks them in terms of their potential impact and frequency, and offers a framework for improving current risk-management practices.

East Java is the second largest contributor to Indonesia's economy with a growth rate similar to national level and other major provinces in Java. Nevertheless, for a province that is expected to be a major economic center in the country, there has been very little change in the region's economic structure in the past 10 years. Since 1995, the share of industry and agriculture in the economy is almost unchanged. Furthermore, the growth in both of these two sectors has been low, despite the fact that industry was once the main driver of the East Java economy.

The objectives of the Costing Adaptation through Local Institutions (CALI) study were (a) to identify the costs of adaptation through local institutions, and (b) to investigate which institutions help households adapt to climate variability, which efforts and costs are needed to realize the adaptation options, and how they facilitate adaptation to climate variability. The study was carried out in Ethiopia, Mali, and Yemen. This report discusses the results for Yemen.

The challenges faced by more than five and a half million Afghan refugees who have returned since 2002 receive scant regard in most international media or official proceedings concerning Afghanistan. Attention is primarily focused on Afghanistan’s intensified armed conflict, NATO’s withdrawal planning, and faltering peace efforts. Moreover, despite the millions of refugees who have returned in the past ten years, Afghans still comprise the world’s largest refugee population.

The concept of land consolidation is new in Latvia. Its main tasks are to eliminate land fragmentation and to facilitate farms of optimal size. One of the most important preconditions of land consolidation is forming of optimal size farmland plots in property and use, and land fragmentation, which has a major impact on both the operating conditions and other rural development processes. Land fragmentation affects not only land management, but it also increases transport costs.

Rural landscape of the southern part of Lithuania as well as its use is analysed in the article. The defects of land reclamation system cause the rise of deserted lands. Dampness and bagged up soils are a large obstacle for the proper use of deserted lands. One more reason is lands of low productivity. The third reason of the rise of deserted lands is the shortage and default of perspective farmers and agricultural companies who are able to lease and cultivate land.

The fight against poverty remains the key development goal of the Government of Mozambique (GoM). Success in the transformation of the agriculture sector is considered a necessary condition for meeting the goal because agriculture and poverty are closely related. About 80% of the population heavily depends on agriculture as their primary source of livelihood, and about 73% lives in rural areas. Currently, the level of agricultural productivity is low compared to that in other developing countries, including southern African countries.

Donor Report

Public investment in agriculture and rural infrastructure is an important driver of agricultural growth and has a significant bearing on poverty outcomes. Determining the right levels and types of investments requires that policymakers have reliable and context-specific information about the impacts of different types of public investments. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) initiated its Global Research Program on Priorities for Public Investment in Agriculture and Rural Areas (GRP-3) in 1998 to provide such information.

Kenyan farmers’ livelihoods are closely linked to climate conditions. Almost three-quarters of the labor force depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, and almost all farmers depend on timely and adequate rainfall for crop production and husbandry, as only 2 percent of cultivated area is equipped for irrigation. Thus, climate variability and change will have an increasing impact on agricultural livelihoods and food security in the country, making adaptation essential for rural areas in Kenya.

Depuis quelques décennies, le développement rural est considéré comme le parent pauvre de la coopération au développement. L’article qui suit explique les raisons de
ce comportement et décrit de quelle manière il est possible d’exploiter le renouveau d’intérêt actuel pour les régions rurales.

Les conditions de vie des populations pauvres conditionnent leur demande en matière de micro-assurance. Ces personnes sont généralement des travailleurs indépendants du secteur informel, illettrés et peu au fait du concept d’assurance.
Ils vivent souvent dans des zones rurales mal équipées en infrastructures. Les services d’assurance équitable doivent permettre aux populations pauvres des zones rurales et urbaines d’atténuer les impacts des crises qui menacent leurs vies, leur productivité et leurs ressources.