Agriculture is a vital development tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goal that calls halving by 2015 share of people suffering from extreme poverty and hunger. That overall message this year's World Report (WDR), 30th in series. Three out every four poor developing countries live rural areas, most them depend directly or indirectly on agriculture their livelihoods. This report provides guidance to governments international community designing implementing agendas can make...

The fundamental role that agriculture plays in development has long been recognized. In the seminal work on subject, was seen as a source of contributions helped induce industrial growth and structural transformation economy. However, globalization, integrated value chains, rapid technological institutional innovations, environmental constraints have deeply changed context for agriculture's role. We argue new paradigm is needed recognizes multiple functions emerging context: triggering...

The role of intensification in minimizing cropland and slowing deforestation is often disputed. We make a broad distinction between technology-induced market-induced intensification. find evidence at the local level that technical progress few cases may induce land expansion although much depends on where change occurs (near forest frontier or away from it) type market (local global). At global level, technology-driven strongly saving specific regions likely to continue occur. Market-driven...

New estimates of the impacts germplasm improvement in major staple crops between 1965 and 2004 on global land-cover change are presented, based simulations carried out using a economic model (Global Trade Analysis Project Agro-Ecological Zone), multicommodity, multiregional computable general equilibrium linked to spatially explicit database land use. We estimate impact removing gains cereal productivity attributed widespread adoption improved varieties developing countries. Here, several...

Abstract Agricultural research and extension programs in developing countries, rather than following the conventional package approach, should be designed to take into account fact that farmers adopt improved technological components a stepwise manner. On‐farm experimental survey data collected from two rainfall zones high valley of Mexico are synthesized show have rationally followed process adopting varieties, fertilizer, herbicide for barley, reflecting relative profitability riskiness...

Abstract The growing literature on economic efficiency of farmers in Third World agriculture is reviewed with emphasis conceptual and methodological issues, empirical results studies aimed at measuring technical efficiency. While substantial progress has been made inefficiency, important problems remain. Results from regions undergoing rapid technological change suggest inefficiencies, the order 30 per cent, as well allocative inefficiencies use purchased inputs. Most are able to relate...

It is the aim of this paper to examine from a theoretical standpoint process rural-urban migration in Africa and its role economic development with view toward proposing research agenda address key policy issues. We do three stages. First large body empirical knowledge briefly reviewed emphasising those characteristics which are most important deficiencies our present understanding migration. Second synthesized into framework for analyzing emphasis on variables. This then used explore some...