Reducing poverty and hunger in Asia:

Investment Priorities for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Asia Shenggen Fan, Joanna Brzeska, and Ghada ShieldsAgricultural development, Rural development, Hunger, Poverty reduction, economic growth, Agricultural policy, Technology transfer, infrastructure, Decentralization, rural areas, Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable development, Climate change,

Association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been associated with exposures in the workplace. We aimed to assess the association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study. Methods We analysed cross-sectional data from 28 823 adults (≥40 years) in 34 countries. We considered 11 occupations and grouped them by likelihood of exposure to organic dusts, inorganic dusts and fumes. The association of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheeze, dyspnoea, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC with occupation was assessed, per study site, using multivariable regression. These estimates were then meta-analysed. Sensitivity analyses explored differences between sexes and gross national income. Results Overall, working in settings with potentially high exposure to dusts or fumes was associated with respiratory symptoms but not lung function differences. The most common occupation was farming. Compared to people not working in any of the 11 considered occupations, those who were farmers for ≥20 years were more likely to have chronic cough (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.19–1.94), wheeze (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16–1.63) and dyspnoea (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.53–2.20), but not lower FVC (β=0.02 L, 95% CI −0.02–0.06 L) or lower FEV1/FVC (β=0.04%, 95% CI −0.49–0.58%). Some findings differed by sex and gross national income. Conclusion At a population level, the occupational exposures considered in this study do not appear to be major determinants of differences in lung function, although they are associated with more respiratory symptoms. Because not all work settings were included in this study, respiratory surveillance should still be encouraged among high-risk dusty and fume job workers, especially in low- and middle-income countries.publishedVersio

The balance between industry and agriculture in economic development : v. 5. Factors influencing change.

Non-PRIFPRI5xl, 416 p. : ill., tables ; 23 cm

Reducing poverty and hunger in Asia: The role of agricultural and rural development

After 30 years of dynamic growth and substantial poverty reduction in Asia, do agriculture and rural development still have a role to play in that region? The policy briefs in this collection provide abundant evidence that they do. Although the incidence of people living in poverty fell from more than 50 percent in the mid-1970s to 18 percent in 2004, and the incidence of hunger fell to 16 percent, Asia is still home to more than half of the world’s poor, most of whom live in rural areas. Agriculture and rural development are thus still key to reducing poverty and hunger in the region.Contents: Agricultural and Rural Development for Reducing Poverty and Hunger in Asia: Past Performance and Priorities for the Future Nurul Islam and Joachim von Braun; Poverty in Asia and the Transition to High-Priced Food Staples C. Peter Timmer; Asia's Poorest and Hungry: Trends and Characteristics Akhter U Ahmed, Ruth V. Hill, Doris M. Wiesmann, and Lisa C. Smith; Economic Exclusion and Poverty in Asia: The Example of Castes in India Sukhadeo Thorat; Women's Status and the Changing Nature of Rural Livelihoods in Asia Agnes R. Quisumbing; Agriculture in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities Mark W. Rosegrant, Claudia Ringler, Timothy B. Sulser, Siwa Msangi, Tingju Zhu, Rowena Valmonte-Santos, and Stanley Wood; Asian Food Market Transformation: Policy Challenges to Promote Competitiveness with Inclusiveness Ashok Gulati and Thomas Reardon; Changing Sources of Household Income and Poverty Reduction in Rural Asia, 1985-2004 Keijiro Otsuka and Jonna P. Estudillo; How and When Road Investments Encourage Inclusive Growth: Learning from the Asian Development Bank's Experience. Hemamala Hettige; Strategies for Developing and Disseminating Improved Rice Technologies for the Poor. Robert Zeigler; Climate Change in the Context of Asia: Pro-Poor Adaptation, Risk Management, and Mitigation Strategies. Gary Yohe, Ian Burton, Saleemul Huq, and Mark W. Rosegrant; Risks Faced by Rural Households and Private-Sector Insurance Initiatives in India. D. Sattaiah; Developing Rural Institutions That Strengthen the Voice of the Rural Poor. Eduardo T. Gonzalez; Decentralization and Public Service Delivery to the Rural Poor. Kamiljon T. Akramov; Investment Priorities for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Asia. Shenggen Fan, Joanna Brzeska, and Ghada ShieldsNon-PRIFPRI1; 2020DGO; DSG

The GATT, agriculture, and the developing countries.

IFPRI convened a seminar on "GATT Negotiations on Agriculture and Developing Countries" on May 3~-June 1, 1990, in Montreux, Switzerland, with participation by a number of distinguished experts on GATT and developing-country officials engaged in the GATT negotiations. The seminar's deliberations focused on issues of negotiation of particular interest to developing countries and options and strategies available to the developing countries that would derive significant benefits from the liberalization of world trade. The seven papers in this volume served as the context for the deliberations.PRIFPRI

conclusions from a roundtable on food and population to 2010

Non-PRIFPRI1; 2020DG

meeting future food demand of an increasing population.

The product of a conference leading up to the 2020 Vision initiative, Population and Food in the Early Twenty-First Century offers technical background information on the issues of food and hunger in the coming decades. Here food, agriculture, and population experts from the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, IFPRI, and other organizations discuss the outlook for food demand and supply, and recommend areas of further study to help production meet the rising demand of a burgeoning world population.PRIFPRI1; 2020DG