Published in 1999, the book is the proceedings volume of the 23rd International Conference of Agricultural Economists, held in Sacramento, California, in August 1997. It continues the series of triennial IAAE conferences.

Published in 1999, the book is the proceedings volume of the 23rd International Conference of Agricultural Economists, held in Sacramento, California, in August 1997. It continues the series of triennial IAAE conferences.

This book provides fresh insights into concepts, methods and new research findings on the causes of excessive food price volatility. It also discusses the implications for food security and policy responses to mitigate excessive volatility. The approaches applied by the contributors range from on-the-ground surveys, to panel econometrics and innovative high-frequency time series analysis as well as computational economics methods. It offers policy analysts and decision-makers guidance on dealing with extreme volatility.

This volume deals with land degradation, which is occurring in almost all terrestrial biomes and agro-ecologies, in both low and high income countries and is stretching to about 30% of the total global land area. About three billion people reside in these degraded lands. However, the impact of land degradation is especially severe on livelihoods of the poor who heavily depend on natural resources. The annual global cost of land degradation due to land use and cover change (LUCC) and lower cropland and rangeland productivity is estimated to be about 300 billion USD. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for the largest share (22%) of the total global cost of land degradation. Only about 38% of the cost of land degradation due to LUCC - which accounts for 78% of the US$300 billion loss - is borne by land users and the remaining share (62%) is borne by consumers of ecosystem services off the farm. The results in this volume indicate that reversing land degradation trends makes both economic sense, and has multiple social and environmental benefits. On average, one US dollar investment into restoration of degraded land returns five US dollars. The findings of the country case studies call for increased investments into the rehabilitation and restoration of degraded lands, including through such institutional and policy measures as strengthening community participation for sustainable land management, enhancing government effectiveness and rule of law, improving access to markets and rural services, and securing land tenure. The assessment in this volume has been conducted at a time when there is an elevated interest in private land investments and when global efforts to achieve sustainable development objectives have intensified. In this regard, the results of this volume can contribute significantly to the ongoing policy debate and efforts to design strategies for achieving sustainable development goals and related efforts to address land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

This book provides fresh insights into concepts, methods and new research findings on the causes of excessive food price volatility. It also discusses the implications for food security and policy responses to mitigate excessive volatility. The approaches applied by the contributors range from on-the-ground surveys, to panel econometrics and innovative high-frequency time series analysis as well as computational economics methods. It offers policy analysts and decision-makers guidance on dealing with extreme volatility.

This book takes a new approach on understanding causes of extreme poverty and promising actions to address it. Its focus is on marginality being a root cause of poverty and deprivation. "Marginality" is the position of people on the edge, preventing their access to resources, freedom of choices, and the development of capabilities. The book is research based with original empirical analyses at local, national, and local scales; book contributors are leaders in their fields and have backgrounds in different disciplines. An important message of the book is that economic and ecological approaches and institutional innovations need to be integrated to overcome marginality. The book will be a valuable source for development scholars and students, actors that design public policies, and for social innovators in the private sector and non-governmental organizations.

Human activities are significantly modifying the natural global carbon (C) cycles, and concomitantly influence climate, ecosystems, and state and function of the Earth system. Ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) are added to the atmosphere by fossil fuel combustion but the biosphere is a potential C sink. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of C cycling in the biosphere is crucial for identifying and managing biospheric C sinks. Ecosystems with large C stocks which must be protected and sustainably managed are wetlands, peatlands, tropical rainforests, tropical savannas, grasslands, degraded/desertified lands, agricultural lands, and urban lands. However, land-based sinks require long-term management and a protection strategy because C stocks grow with a progressive improvement in ecosystem health.

Life in rural communities is bound to change with historically unprecedented speed in the coming decades. How will this change be guided by local, national and global policies in order to enhance the livelihoods of rural inhabitants and to overcome the growing division of rural and urban areas? The contributions in this publication, ranging from scientific papers to short reports from practitioners, are grouped around 4 major themes: political and institutional frameworks to foster rural development; natural resources management; broadening the technological base of rural economies; and improved linkages between urban and rural areas. The overall message is unanimous: there is a promising future for the rural areas worldwide if adequate policies can be enforced and more efficient and fair institutions can be created.

This book takes a new approach on understanding causes of extreme poverty and promising actions to address it. Its focus is on marginality being a root cause of poverty and deprivation. Marginality is the position of people on the edge, preventing their access to resources, freedom of choices, and the development of capabilities. The book is research based with original empirical analyses at local, national, and local scales; book contributors are leaders in their fields and have backgrounds in different disciplines. An important message of the book is that economic and ecological approaches and institutional innovations need to be integrated to overcome marginality. The book will be a valuable source for development scholars and students, actors that design public policies, and for social innovators in the private sector and non-governmental organizations. "

Biotechnology offers great potential to contribute to sustainable agricultural growth, food security and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Yet there are economic and institutional constraints at national and international levels that inhibit the poor people's access to appropriate biotechnological innovations. Agricultural Biotechnology in Developing Countries: Towards Optimizing the Benefits for the Poor addresses the major constraints. Twenty-three chapters, written by a wide range of scholars and stake-holders, provide an up-to-date analysis of agricultural biotechnology developments in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Besides the expected economic and social impacts, the challenges for an adjustment of the international research structure are discussed, with a special focus on intellectual property rights and the roles of the main research organizations. Harnessing the comparative advantages of the public and private sectors through innovative partnerships is the only way forward to optimize the benefits of biotechnology for the poor. The book will be an invaluable resource for both academics and policy-makers concerned with agricultural biotechnology in context of developing-countries.

Biotechnology offers great potential to contribute to sustainable agricultural growth, food security and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Yet there are economic and institutional constraints at national and international levels that inhibit the poor people's access to appropriate biotechnological innovations. Agricultural Biotechnology in Developing Countries: Towards Optimizing the Benefits for the Poor addresses the major constraints. Twenty-three chapters, written by a wide range of scholars and stake-holders, provide an up-to-date analysis of agricultural biotechnology developments in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Besides the expected economic and social impacts, the challenges for an adjustment of the international research structure are discussed, with a special focus on intellectual property rights and the roles of the main research organizations. Harnessing the comparative advantages of the public and private sectors through innovative partnerships is the only way forward to optimize the benefits of biotechnology for the poor. The book will be an invaluable resource for both academics and policy-makers concerned with agricultural biotechnology in context of developing-countries.

While this book presents the results of comprehensive and cooperative international reseirch, this effort would not have been successful without the assistance of various institutions and personalities. Financial support for the conference was received from the Volkswagen Foundation, Germany, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) which is gratefully acknowledged. The Deutsche Ralffeisenverband kindly contributed to hosting the international group of researchers in Bonn. For their valuable comments we also thank: Uwe Eiteljorge, Johannes Jutting, Amim Kuhn, Witold-Roger Poganietz, Matin Qaim, Alexandra Schleier, Ludwig Striewe, Jllrgen Wandel, Peter Weingarten, Manfred Wiebelt and Susanna Wolf. The editors also acknowledge the help provided by James Creed, Karin Clark, and Ulla Knodt in checking language and style of the articles, most of them written by non-native speakers. Martin Grub, Tina Klebsch, and Andrea Stang have been helpful in providing technical assistance needed to prepare the manuscript. Bonn Peter Wehrheim Eugenia V. Serova Moscow Halle/Saale Klaus Frohberg Bonn Joachim von Braun January 2000 x Russia's Agro-food Sector: Towards Truly Functioning Markets Wehrheim, P., E. V. Serova, K. Frohberg, and J. von Braun (eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 1 - 8 SECTION 1 Introduction and Overview Peter Wehrheim, Eugenia V. Serova, Klaus Frohberg, and Joachim von Braun 1. INTRODUCTION This publication takes a close look at the agro-food economy in Russia.

This open access book examines recent advances in how artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have elicited widespread debate over their benefits and drawbacks for humanity. The emergent technologies have for instance implications within medicine and health care, employment, transport, manufacturing, agriculture, and armed conflict. While there has been considerable attention devoted to robotics/AI applications in each of these domains, a fuller picture of their connections and the possible consequences for our shared humanity seems needed. This volume covers multidisciplinary research, examines current research frontiers in AI/robotics and likely impacts on societal well-being, human - robot relationships, as well as the opportunities and risks for sustainable development and peace. The attendant ethical and religious dimensions of these technologies are addressed and implications for regulatory policies on the use and future development of AI/robotics technologies are elaborated.

Life in rural communities is bound to change with historically unprecedented speed in the coming decades. How will this change be guided by local, national and global policies in order to enhance the livelihoods of rural inhabitants and to overcome the growing division of rural and urban areas? The contributions in this publication, ranging from scientific papers to short reports from practitioners, are grouped around 4 major themes: political and institutional frameworks to foster rural development; natural resources management; broadening the technological base of rural economies; and improved linkages between urban and rural areas. The overall message is unanimous: there is a promising future for the rural areas worldwide if adequate policies can be enforced and more efficient and fair institutions can be created. A 30-min video, attached as a CD-ROM, can be used to foster the dialogue and to reflect the multi-dimensional approach taken.

While this book presents the results of comprehensive and cooperative international reseirch, this effort would not have been successful without the assistance of various institutions and personalities. Financial support for the conference was received from the Volkswagen Foundation, Germany, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) which is gratefully acknowledged. The Deutsche Ralffeisenverband kindly contributed to hosting the international group of researchers in Bonn. For their valuable comments we also thank: Uwe Eiteljorge, Johannes Jutting, Amim Kuhn, Witold-Roger Poganietz, Matin Qaim, Alexandra Schleier, Ludwig Striewe, Jllrgen Wandel, Peter Weingarten, Manfred Wiebelt and Susanna Wolf. The editors also acknowledge the help provided by James Creed, Karin Clark, and Ulla Knodt in checking language and style of the articles, most of them written by non-native speakers. Martin Grub, Tina Klebsch, and Andrea Stang have been helpful in providing technical assistance needed to prepare the manuscript. Bonn Peter Wehrheim Eugenia V. Serova Moscow Halle/Saale Klaus Frohberg Bonn Joachim von Braun January 2000 x Russia's Agro-food Sector: Towards Truly Functioning Markets Wehrheim, P., E. V. Serova, K. Frohberg, and J. von Braun (eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 1 - 8 SECTION 1 Introduction and Overview Peter Wehrheim, Eugenia V. Serova, Klaus Frohberg, and Joachim von Braun 1. INTRODUCTION This publication takes a close look at the agro-food economy in Russia.

Human activities are significantly modifying the natural global carbon (C) cycles, and concomitantly influence climate, ecosystems, and state and function of the Earth system. Ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) are added to the atmosphere by fossil fuel combustion but the biosphere is a potential C sink. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of C cycling in the biosphere is crucial for identifying and managing biospheric C sinks. Ecosystems with large C stocks which must be protected and sustainably managed are wetlands, peatlands, tropical rainforests, tropical savannas, grasslands, degraded/desertified lands, agricultural lands, and urban lands. However, land-based sinks require long-term management and a protection strategy because C stocks grow with a progressive improvement in ecosystem health.

IIn Entwicklungslandern ist die Ernahrungs-Problematik nicht alleine die unzureichende Versorgung mit Weizen und Reis, sondern die oftmals fehlende Versorgung mit Mikronahrstoffen wie Vitaminen und Spurenelementen, die zu massiven Krankheiten (u.a. Blindheit) oder Minderwuchs fuhren. Selbst bei uns hier in Industrielandern, die wir uns gut ernahren koennen, treten, was die wenigsten wissen, bei Kindern und v.a. Senioren Mangelerscheinungen auf durch unzureichende Versorgung mit Vitaminen, so beispielsweise bei Vitamin D (geschwachtes Immunsystem; Osteoporose, da Vitamin D die Calcium-Aufnahme foerdert). Fotos in Schwarzweiss werten seine Eingangsgeschichten auf.

This Open Access book compiles the findings of the Scientific Group of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 and its research partners. The Scientific Group was an independent group of 28 food systems scientists from all over the world with a mandate from the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. The chapters provide science- and research-based, state-of-the-art, solution-oriented knowledge and evidence to inform the transformation of contemporary food systems in order to achieve more sustainable, equitable and resilient systems.

Dieses Buch erlautert Moeglichkeiten, wie Afrika seine Potenziale ausschoepfen kann, um eine Versorgung mit Lebensmitteln fur eine erschwingliche und gesunde Ernahrung durch die nachhaltige Nutzung der eigenen Ressourcen zu sichern. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf Investitionen, Kooperation und politischen Massnahmen. Die hier vorgeschlagene Agenda soll eine langfristige sein, die jedoch kurzfristig mit konkreten Schritten eingeleitet werden sollte.

This book identifies ways in which Africa can realize its potential to secure a supply of food for affordable and healthy diets through the sustainable use of its own resources. The focus is on investment, cooperation, and policy action. The agenda proposed here is intended to be a long-term one, but one that should be initiated in the short term with concrete actions.

The issue of maintaining a diverse gene pool in the form of crop varieties is very topical world wide. This is caused by the potential benefit of crop genetic resources for addressing future demand emanating from unforeseen agricultural problems. This volume is mainly concerned with on-farm conservation as a supplement to the other in situ and ex situ conservation options. The study aims at generating relevant information for maintaining local varieties on farmers' fields in Ethiopia. In order to effectively devise policies for on-farm conservation, the volume argues that an improved understanding of farmers' incentives, attribute preferences and opportunity costs is indispensable. These issues are extensively addressed (both theoretically and empirically) with a focus on policy that is expressed by the guiding question

The aim of the book is to present contributions in theory, policy and practice to the science and policy of sustainable intensification by means of technological and institutional innovations in agriculture. The research insights re from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The purpose of this book is to be a reference for students, scholars and practitioners inthe field of science and policy for understanding and identifying agricultural productivity growth potentials in marginalized areas.