This study documents the long-term
welfare effects of household non-traditional agricultural
export (NTX) adoption. The analysis uses a unique panel
dataset, which spans the period 1985-2005, and employs
difference-in-differences estimation to investigate the
long-term impact of non-traditional agricultural export
adoption on changes in household consumption status and
asset position in the Central Highlands of Guatemala. Given

This report describes a pilot study of
natural risk hazards in the peri-urban extension areas of
the Dakar Metropolitan Area, Senegal. The area subject of
this study stretches across 580 square kilometers, covering
less than 1 percent of the national territory, but housing
about 50 percent of Senegal's urban population. Much of
the rapid population growth of the Dakar Metropolitan Area
is taking place beyond the boundaries of the Department of

This report presents a comprehensive
analysis of poverty and its main determinants using the most
recent 2007 Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) data.
It provides an in-depth analysis of rural poverty, the
linkages between labor markets and poverty, the importance
of social transfers for poverty alleviation, and the
progress made since 2003 in the health and education
sectors, and also presents some findings on incomes trends

This study examines agricultural and
rural development (ARD) public expenditures in Mexico. The
study is based on federal public expenditures. The study is
structured in six parts as follows: the first part presents
the Mexican ARD context in terms of policy and performance.
The second part dissects the ARD public budget, classifying
expenditure programs in various ways so as to provide an
overview of the scope and composition of ARD spending. The

China's progress in poverty
reduction over the last 25 years is enviable. One cannot
fail to be impressed by what this vast nation of 1.3 billion
people has achieved in so little time. In terms of a wide
range of indicators, the progress has been remarkable.
Poverty in terms of income and consumption has been
dramatically reduced. Progress has also been substantial in
terms of human development indicators. Most of the

This study, competitiveness of the value
chain of the agricultural sector in Cameroon, aims to help
the Government achieve its objectives for the rural sector.
The main objective of this study was to provide information
on the potentials, investment and growth policies of
commercial agriculture in Cameroon. It gives an overview of
the constraints and analyzes the national, regional or
international competitiveness of six value chains of the

This report was undertaken in the wake
of the Ketsana Disaster, to assess damage, losses, and
resource requirements for recovery. Typhoon Ketsana hit
Cambodia between September 29 and October 5, 2009. Fourteen
out of 24 provinces were affected by the storm and
subsequent flash floods. The report addresses macro-economic
impacts, livelihood and social impacts, disaster risk
management requirements, and recovery and reconstruction

Namibia is a large country in Southern
Africa that borders the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola
to the north and South Africa to the south. With a surface
area of 824,290 square kilometers, it is similar in size to
Mozambique and about half the size of the U.S. state of
Alaska. Namibia has a small population of approximately 2.1
million people. It is also one of the least densely
populated countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an average

Due to climate change and increasing
food prices, emphasis needs to be placed on addressing water
management as a key determinant for agricultural production
and productivity. However, governments and donors have
tended to pay relatively little attention to this area, and
investments remain low. This report, which is based on
economic and sector work carried out in the Water Anchor of
the World Bank, highlights the importance of improving water

China's progress in poverty
reduction over the last 25 years is enviable. One cannot
fail to be impressed by what this vast nation of 1.3 billion
people has achieved in so little time. In terms of a wide
range of indicators, the progress has been remarkable.
Poverty in terms of income and consumption has been
dramatically reduced. Progress has also been substantial in
terms of human development indicators. Most of the

This study builds a profile of the
status of poverty and vulnerability in Malawi. Malawi is a
small land-locked country, with one of the highest
population densities in Sub-Saharan Africa, and one of the
lowest per capita income levels in the world. Almost 90
percent of the population lives in rural areas, and is
mostly engaged in smallholder, rain-fed agriculture. Most
people are therefore highly vulnerable to annual rainfall

This assessment of poverty and
inequality comes at an important juncture for Kenya. The
December 2007 elections and subsequent pronouncements of the
newly formed Grand Coalition have underlined the salience of
these issues to ordinary Kenyans, and for policy makers. The
violence in early 2008 highlighted the importance of
addressing poverty and inequality as major goals in their
own right, but also for instrumental reasons, as major goals