This has to be accomplished against a
background of high illiteracy rates, rapidly growing
populations, low and erratic rainfall, inherently infertile
soils, and development strategies which have had a strong
urban bias. Under such conditions, traditional production

In the Argentina Biodiversity
Conservation Project, a social assessment (SA) helped the
Government of Argentina/World Bank team develop a
cooperative approach to protected areas management. Social
analysis and participatory research helped the task team

The characteristics of indigenous groups
make participatory approaches especially critical to
safeguarding their interests int he development process.
Such approaches, recognizing the right of indigenous peoples
to participate actively in planning their own futures, are

? This article outlines the role that
the World Bank will play in supporting a modified rural
development strategy for the Sub-Saharan Africa region: The
Bank will be more selective in targeting countries for
assistance in rural development programs, focusing on those

Environmental degradation primarily
affects the poor, both in rural and urban areas. Reversing
the downward spiral of this degradation is essential to any
strategy for reducing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. This
study outlines the World Bank's strategy for improving

Within the sub-region of West Central
Africa (Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana,
Niger, Nigeria, and Togo) several countries have completed
National Environmental Action Plans (NEAPs). Some are
implementing environmental support programs based on these

The Sahel Operational Review (SOR) seeks
to accelerate the transfer of lessons learned in natural
resource management from ongoing Bank projects to the design
of new Bank projects. This paper is the final report of the
second phase of the SOR. It summarizes 29 SOR activities

The World Bank, together with other
donors, has launched a program for promoting information
systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Because of the importance of
geo-referenced information systems in resource
decision-making, a systematic review of the Bank portfolio

This study researched Indigenous
Knowledge Systems (IKS) in agriculture in Zimbabwe's
rural areas, focusing on crop farming in the Tonga of Binga
District in Matebeleland's North Province, and
livestock in the Kalanga tribe of the Plumtree District in
Matebeleland's South Province. The study aimed to

A social assessment was done during the
preparation of Tajikistan's Pilot Poverty Alleviation
Project to answer several key questions: What are the poor
people's priority needs and wants? Why are they poor?
What are their own strategies for improving their lives?

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

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