Agriculture, food security, nutrition and the Millennium Development Goals

"...Today, 1.1 billion people live on less than one US dollar per day (the internationally recognized poverty threshold)—430 million in South Asia, 325 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, 260 million in East Asia and the Pacific, and 55 million in Latin America. Too many children live lives characterized by hunger and illness, and all too often succumb to early death. Moreover, another 1.6 billion people live on between one and two dollars per day, often sliding temporarily below the one dollar per day threshold. To enable all these people to live in dignity, the eight goals to achieve by 2015 are: 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development." from TextMillenium Development Goals ,HIV/AIDS ,Gender issues ,Equality ,Nutrition ,Impact ,

Irrigation Investment in Indonesia: Trend and Determinants

Penurunan produksi padi di Indonesia akhir-akhir ini mendorong para penentu kebijaksanaan untuk kembali membicarakan tentang sumber-sumber pertumbuhan produksi padi dan diversifikasi tanaman pada masa yang akan datang. Topik utama dalam diskusi tersebut adalah peranan irigasi. Tulisan ini mengkaji kebijaksanaan irigasi alternatif dalam konteks penyediaan dan permintaan tanaman pangan di Indonesia pada masa yang akan datang. Hasil kajian dipresentasikan dalam model perilaku investasi irigasi pemerintah di Indonesia. Skenario investasi irigasi alternatif diuji dengan proyeksi dan model kebijaksanaan, selanjutnya dibahas mengenai implikasi kebijaksanaan investasi dan manajemen irigas

Fish to 2020: supply and demand in changing global markets

Using a state-of-the art computer model of global supply and demand for food and feed commodities, this book projects the likely changes in the fisheries sector over the next two decades. As prices for most food commodities fall, fish prices are expected to rise, reflecting demand for fish that outpaces the ability of the world to supply it. The model shows that developing countries will consume and produce a much greater share of the world's fish in the future, and trade in fisheries commodities will also increase. The authors show the causes and implications of these and other changes, and argue for specific actions and policies that can improve outcomes for the poor and for the environment.Supply balance, Trade, Aquaculture, Fishery management, Economic analysis, Environmental factors, Developing countries

THE VALUE OF THE HIGH ASWAN DAM TO THE EGYPTIAN ECONOMY

The High Aswan Dam converted a variable and uncertain flow of river water into a predictable and controllable flow. We use a computable general equilibrium model of the Egyptian economy to estimate the economic impact of the High Aswan Dam. We compare the 1997 economy as it was to the 1997 economy as it would have been for 72 historical, pre-dam water flows. The steady water flow increased transport productivity, while the seasonal shift in water supply allowed for a shift towards more valuable summer crops. These static effects are worth LE 4.9 billion. Investments in transport and agriculture increased as a consequence. Assuming that Egypt is a small open economy, this is worth another LE 1.1 billion. The risk premium on the reduced variability is estimated to be LE 1.1 billion for a modest risk aversion, and perhaps LE 4.4 billion for a high risk aversion. The total gain of LE 7.1 billion equals 2.7% of GDP.Egypt, High Aswan Dam, computable general equilibrium model, risk premium, water supply

Does international cereal trade save water?: the impact of virtual water trade on global water use

Cereals / Trade policy / Water use / Irrigation water / Productivity / Evapotranspiration / Water scarcity / Water conservation

Modeling water resources management at the basin level: review and future directions

Water quality / Water resources development / Agricultural production / River basin development / Mathematical models / Simulation models / Water allocation / Policy / Economic aspects / Hydrology / Reservoir operation / Groundwater management / Drainage / Conjunctive use / Surface water / GIS / Decision support systems / Optimization methods / Water supply

Ex‐ante evaluation of promising soybean innovations for sub‐Saharan Africa

Open Access JournalThis study undertakes an ex‐ante evaluation of the effects of alternative technology and policy options on soybean supply and demand in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) to 2050. Current soybean consumption in SSA is dominated by cooking oil followed by soybean cake used as animal feed. Due to weak processing sectors and low soybean yields, the region is currently importing about 70% of its consumption requirements. Based on the results from a geospatial bio‐economic modeling framework, soybean consumption in SSA is projected to more than double by 2050 compared to 2010 due in part to a rising population and rising incomes. On the other hand, supply from domestic production is projected to increase by 80% over the same period. Hence, by 2050, net imports into SSA would be nearly 4 times higher than supply from domestic production. Under a future drier climate, some of the production gains achieved through soybean research and extension would be lost and this would further worsen the soybean demand gap in SSA relative to the baseline. This study shows that relying on conventional breeding alone to increase soybean yields in SSA would not be enough to substantially reduce the future demand gap. A combination of promising innovations affecting the soybean value chain across SSA would be needed to close the soybean demand gap in SSA by 2050 under a drier future climate