South Asia is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. Home to approximately 1.3 billion of the world's population, the region's GDP growth rate of 5.6 per cent in 1990-2000 surpassed the world average of 2.6 per cent, second only to East and Southeast Asia at 7.0 per cent (The World Bank, 2004). During 1980-2000, the GDP per capita in South Asia grew at a rate of 3.3 per cent per annum...

This paper analyzed dynamics of crop diversification in one of the agriculturally prosperous districts of Indian Punjab using Gibbs Martin Index. Spatio-temporal analysis of crop diversification in the district shows decline in crop diversification in most of the blocks (administrative sub divisions). The cropping pattern in most of the blocks of the district has become over specialized in the ...

Rural development has not received the priority and attention warranted by the present and future concentration of poverty in rural areas. Is this perhaps because rural development agencies present conflicting narratives? A framework is presented within which to answer that question, and is then applied to the recent policy statements of the EU, FAO, IFAD and the World Bank. Each policy stateme...

Smallholder farming systems in Papua New Guinea are characterised by an integrated set of cash cropping and subsistence food cropping activities. In the Highlands provinces, the subsistence food crop sub-system is dominated by sweet potato production. Coffee dominates the cash cropping sub-system, but a limited number of food crops are also grown for cash sale. The dynamics between sub-systems ...

Diversification of field edges is widely used as a strategy to augment pollinator populations and, in turn, supplement crop pollination needs. Hedgerow plantings, a commonly applied field-scale diversification technique, have been shown to increase wild bee richness within edges and into crop fields; however, their effects on pollination services in mass-flowering, pollinator-dependent crops ty...

An interdepartmental programme for Improving support for enhancing livelihoods of the rural poor. Cover photograph from FAO Photo-library This paper was prepared under contract with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The positions and opinions presented are those of the author alone, and are not intended to represent the views of FAO. The Livelihood Support Progr...

This paper demonstrates how crop diversification impacts on two outcomes of climate smart agriculture; increased productivity (legume and cereal crop productivity) and enhanced resilience (household income, food security, and nutrition) in rural Zimbabwe. Using data from over 500 smallholder farmers, we jointly estimate crop diversification and each of the outcome variables within a conditional...

Modern methods of quantitative risk analysis, specifically value-at-risk and expected shortfall approach, provide comprehensive and coherent risk evaluation throughout entire distribution of outcomes and can take agricultural business from the realm of uncertainty to specific, quantified risks. Monte Carlo simulation with autocorrelation of standard deviation shows the best results in risk mode...

Firms pursue diversification for sake enhancing financial performance. Some theories state positive relationship between diversification and financial performance. However, there are some theories for negative relationship about the issue. The study has filled the gap that most studies done in developed countries and there are fewer studies in developing country like Malaysia. In this study, re...