Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
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Agribusiness IndicatorsMozambique, the only Lusophone country
 covered in the agribusiness indicators initiative, has had a
 turbulent history since independence. Civil unrest over some
 20 years and frequent drought in southern Mozambique,
 coupled with floods near the many waterways that transect
 the country (mainly east-west), have inhibited an
 agricultural transformation. Even so, Mozambique could be a
 regional breadbasket. The country has much potentially
 usable arable land, along with access to river water for
 irrigation in many agricultural production zones,
 particularly in central and northern Mozambique. Sesame,
 pigeon peas, and cashew exports are significant and rising,
 not to mention exports of industrial crops such as cotton,
 leaf tobacco, and sugarcane, yet production of grain and
 most other food crops remains stagnant. Irrigated area is
 way below what is possible and needed to increase yields and
 total agricultural output.
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Reviving Sri Lanka's Agricultural Research and Extension System : Towards More Innovation and Market OrientationThis review's objectives were to
 examine the structure and performance of the agricultural
 research and extension systems (public and private) at the
 central and provincial levels, identify successes as well as
 constraints to improving the system s effectiveness for
 fostering innovation, and propose options for further policy
 and institutional development, drawing on lessons from
 international experience. The review focused principally on
 nonplantation crops, although its main recommendations apply
 across the agricultural sector. This synthesis report
 summarizes the main findings of the review and builds upon
 them by adding some new elements. The conflict in Sri Lanka
 is explicitly recognized. Additionally, the implications of
 changes in the wider agricultural context for agricultural
 research and extension are explored, and have led to the
 adoption of an innovation systems perspective to organize
 the major findings
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Africa Can Help Feed AfricaAfrica's growing demand for food
 has been met increasingly by imports from the global market.
 This, coupled with rising global food prices, brings
 ever-mounting food import bills. In addition, population
 growth and changing demand patterns will double demands over
 the next 10 years. Two key issues must be addressed: (a)
 establishing a consistent and stable policy environment for
 regional trade in fertilizers; and (b) investing in
 institutions that reduce the transaction costs of
 coordination failures. Many countries have enacted new
 fertilizer laws in recent years, but few have provided the
 resources to define and enforce regulations through
 standards and testing capacity. This report shows that
 reducing regulatory burdens on fertilizers and the
 consequent increase in use of fertilizers will have
 substantial impacts on returns to farmers, with consequent
 impacts on poverty. The report highlights the range of
 barriers to food trade in Africa along the entire value
 chain. The issues pertain to many ministries and agencies
 within government: trade, agricultural, health and safety,
 transport, and finance. This in turn requires a "whole
 of government' approach to freeing up food trade, which
 will require strong and effective leadership to articulate
 the rationale and sustain the momentum for reform. Leaders
 must also address the hard choices that will arise in
 dealing with the political economy constraints that have
 until now blocked the capacity of Africa to exploit its
 enormous potential to feed Africans.