Contract Farming for Better Farmer-Enterprise Partnerships: ADB\u27s Experience in the People\u27s Republic of China

[Excerpt] Agriculture should provide safe and nutritious food to people. In the People’s Republic of China (PRC ) and many other developing members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), agriculture is also the main source of income for rural residents. Yet as compared with the total labor force absorption, the contribution of agriculture to gross domestic product is very small, suggesting lower productivity, often resulting in poverty. Recognizing the invaluable contribution of agriculture to the PRC ’s development, the government has been prioritizing agricultural modernization in its policy agenda with an aim to further improve the agricultural sector’s productivity and efficiency. ADB’s support to the sustainable development of agriculture in the PRC covers broad areas ranging from irrigation infrastructure and farmland upgrading to agribusiness development and food safety. The Dryland Sustainable Agriculture project commenced in 2009 with ADB assistance supports the development of partnerships between private agro-enterprises and farmers using contract farming arrangements to strengthen farm productivity, food production, and processing capacity in 27 counties in Gansu, Henan, and Shandong provinces. After 6 years, the project has delivered considerable amount of outputs in terms of facilities established and farmers engaged, showing promise in achieving its outcome. Concurring with the request from the Ministry of Agriculture, the project executing agency, ADB provided a grant to study the experiences arising from the project with respect to developing sustainable farmer–enterprise partnerships particularly contract farming models. Equally important, the study examines the issues involved in current contract farming practices and recommends policies that may help resolve them

Pacific Economic Monitor: Budget Analysis

The Monitor provides an update of developments in Pacific economies and explores topical policy issues

Office of Anticorruption and Integrity: Annual Report 2013

[Excerpt] Corruption is not single-celled. It does not move in just one direction and has many causes and symptoms. It has no single cure and will continue to grow and fester unless addressed from multiple fronts. The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Office of Anticorruption and Integrity (OAI) recognizes that tackling corruption requires a multifaceted approach and a comprehensive network of partnerships and alliances. Tasked to ensure that the finite development funds entrusted to ADB are not misused as a result of fraud and corruption, OAI relies on close collaborations with internal and external partners and stakeholders to fulfill its mandate. OAI’s mandate is underpinned by ADB’s zero tolerance to corruption. It is aligned with ADB’s broader commitment to combat corruption and improve governance as a core strategic objective of ADB Strategy 2020, and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of 2005—to which ADB is a signatory—in support of effective, transparent, and accountable aid. More than ever, in 2013 OAI’s anticorruption work focused on prevention, oversight, investigation, and deterrence through partnership, awareness raising, and outreach. Its achievements in 2013 reflect OAI’s close partnership and teamwork with ADB’s governance and operations departments as well as external partners to address fraud, corruption, abuse of resources, and other violations that undermine the integrity and effectiveness of ADB-funded activities

Property Taxation in the People\u27s Republic of China

A property tax is a general tax imposed on all property owners based on the value of their properties. Property taxation is common throughout the world due to its numerous advantages. It is regarded as a steady source of local government revenue. The property taxation system in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is still developing and does not include important features that would make it efficient. For instance, residential property is excluded from the tax base. This has contributed to real estate speculation, income disparity, and revenue losses. A well-functioning local property tax system in the PRC would provide an efficient, equitable and sustainable way to finance local development and government spending. By helping to align expenditure responsibilities with revenue allocations at the local level, property taxation could reduce inequality in the provision of public goods and foster local government ability to provide them. Further, it will reduce the incentive for speculative behavior mitigating housing bubbles. To further develop property taxation in the PRC it is recommended to gradually strengthen and expand the existing pilots, supported by clear principles on the delegation of taxation responsibilities, the definition of a nationally standardized tax base, an affordable tax rate, and enhanced local government capacity

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Assessment of the Energy Sector: Enhancing Social Sustainability of Energy Development in Nepal

In Nepal, deeply embedded structural conditions determined by gender, caste or ethnicity, religion, language, and even geography have made access to and benefits from energy resources highly uneven. Women, the poor, and excluded groups experience energy poverty more severely. To address this imbalance, the government and other stakeholders have introduced measures to achieve greater gender equality and social inclusion. This study is an attempt to understand the factors affecting the outcomes and extent to which the initiatives have fostered gender equality and social inclusion. The study recommends measures to facilitate the distributive impact of energy sector development if Nepal is to meet its target of ensuring energy access to all

Cambodia’s New Technical and Vocational Education and Training Policy

Key Points: Cambodia’s demographic divident offers great opportunities, but its human resource base remains largely low-skilled. It will be critical for Cambodia not only to improve education and technical and vocational training for young people entering the labor market, but also to upgrade the skills of the existing workforce. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is indispensable to socioeconomic development as it produces the skilled workers and technicians an evolving and modernizing labor market needs. The National TVET Policy will guide the government’s skills development strategies and coordinate all parties involved. The policy presents a clear vision, goals, objectives, and strategies to develop human resources with the competencies and skills that promote socioeconomic development today and in the future

Paving the Road to Better Income Options: Case Study on Promoting Women’s Livelihood and Employment Opportunities in Viet Nam

[Excerpt] Infrastructure projects and road networks have he potential to catalyze socioeconomic change. hey yield economic prospects for neighboring communities, enhance higher-value agricultural and industrial investment, and improve access to markets as well as health and social services. Unfortunately, such projects also entail risks. Residents are often excluded from the benefits either because they lack awareness of the opportunities or they lack the skills that could make them direct beneficiaries. Additionally, as is frequently observed, residents can become vulnerable to unforeseen risks, such as human trafficking and the spread of HIV, which can result from the increased physical connectivity. Bearing in mind both the rewards and risks of large-scale infrastructure projects, the 16-month project “Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment— Strengthening Capacity of Women Along the Central Mekong Delta Connectivity Project Phase II” was designed to prepare local communities for both income opportunities and potential adverse impacts with the forthcoming road construction in Dong Thap Province, in southern Viet Nam. With a total budget of $400,000, the project began in June 2012 targeting women, both those who are married and younger single women who might out-migrate for employment. The project set out to improve income-generating opportunities for women, promote gender equality, and enhance awareness of the risks related to human trafficking and HIV in eight communes located in two districts (Cao Lanh and Thap Muoi). Specifically, women from low-income households were targeted with vocational skills training and access to credit and employment placements. Simultaneously, the project emphasized building up institutional capacities for improving livelihood opportunities for women that would endure beyond the project

Gender Mainstreaming Case Study - India: Chhattisgarh Irrigation Development Project

Project Goals and Results • The Chhattisgarh Irrigation Development Project (CIDP) aimed to increase agricultural productivity, improve rural livelihoods, and reduce poverty by improving irrigation delivery, enhancing agricultural practices, and strengthening water resource management. • The CIDP supported the rehabilitation and upgrading of irrigation systems that serve more than 150,000 households; strengthened government capacity to assist water users’ associations (WUAs); and trained 1,250 out of 1,324 WUAs in Chhattisgarh based on the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) Act, a legislation that mandated the roles and responsibilities of WUAs, including the membership of women in irrigation management. It also trained 191 WUAs on how to improve agricultural techniques and how to be more effective in general. It offered opportunities for collective actions by communities, such as joint purchase of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, and joint marketing of produce. Overall, participants reported improved crop yields and higher household incomes. • Building on the new PIM Act, the CIDP strengthened women’s participation in WUAs. A widespread education campaign raised awareness on the importance of women’s participation in decision making and encouraged women to become active in these associations. In the 2007 WUA elections, women were elected in one-third of available positions. Processes and Management Tools • The PIM Act was passed through the CIDP. With this new law, the CIDP promoted PIM, especially women’s participation. The project predated the requirement for a Gender Action Plan and gender targets and indicators in the Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF) outputs. Gender-related strategies and targets were indicated in the Summary Poverty Reduction and Social Strategy. • All irrigation upgrading and rehabilitation activities included contractual obligations to offer “equal pay for equal work” to men and women. • Technical assistance supported activities to promote women’s participation in irrigation management and their election to WUA committees

Gender Equality in the Labor Market in the Philippines

This report on gender equality in the labor market in the Philippines is drawn from studies by a team of international consultants selected by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a technical assistance project on promoting gender equality in Asian labor markets for inclusive growth, implemented in cooperation with the International Labour Office (ILO), Bangkok. This report comprises a gendered analysis of the Philippines’ labor market, policies, and legislation, and provides recommendations for policies and legislation that have the potential to expand or improve employment and work opportunities for women in specific sectors in the Philippines. The report provides a summary of findings and recommendations that are specifically relevant for the Philippines from an analysis of gender equality and the labor markets in Cambodia, Kazakhstan, and the Philippines, and two global good practice reviews: one on social and economic policy and the other on legislation (ADB 2013a; ADB and ILO 2013a; ADB and ILO 2013b)

Reducing Youth Not in Employment, Education, or Training through JobStart Philippines

Key Points One in four young Filipinos are not in employment, education, or training. One in two young women with high school education or less are not in employment, education, or training. Creating wage jobs for the youth is critical to help reduce poverty and income inequality in the Philippines. Active labor market programs encourage employment creation and employability of workers, increase their earning capacity, and enhance integration into the productive workforce. In 2011, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of the Philippines collaborated with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to design and develop JobStart Philippines, a pilot project assisting at-risk youth to become job-ready. JobStart Philippines is an employer-led program and offers at-risk youth life skills training, one-on-one career coaching, and opportunities for technical training and internships with private sector employers. Upon successful completion of the pilot, DOLE converted JobStart Philippines into a regular program and Congress enacted the Act to Institutionalize JobStart Philippines Program in 2016, which guarantees program sustainability