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Contributed articles.
Agriculture in developing economies often employ the largest share of the workforce yet contribute the least to GDP when compared to the Industry and Services sectors. The reasons for this low productivity are numerous: land fragmentation; lack of post-harvest infrastructure; low technology utilization; weak market linkages; absent or inefficient markets; information and knowledge asymmetries (or lack thereof). This is further exacerbated by overall socio-economic structural deficiencies such as lack of access to finance and crop insurance. Smallholder agriculture often constitutes the largest segment of agricultural producers in developing countries. Increased performance of agricultural smallholders is sine-qua-non for inclusive development not just in agriculture but also at a more broad-based level. The 2010 Growth Report by the Commission on Growth and Development mentions utilization of knowledge and integration into global value chains as two of the characteristics of high growth countries. Given this context, the information and knowledge needs as well as the communication patterns (specifically the use of ICTs) were investigated using an exploratory non-representative survey of smallholders and agricultural micro-enterprises (only collectors, traders, commission agents and retailers of agricultural produce) in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Communities around the world rely on forests for their livelihoods, and the sustainable development of small-scale, often family-run enterprises is increasingly recognised as a key to poverty reduction. This publication examines the needs of such small-scale enterprises for access to microfinance services, given the seasonal and often unpredictable nature of forest-based activities. It looks at different types of financial institutions (such as banks, non-governmental organisations, co-operatives and credit unions) as well as group lending, leasing, insurance and cash transfers. The strengths and weaknesses of different approaches are considered through four case studies which draw on experiences in Nepal, Guatemala, the Sudan and Peru.
This book deals with an agricultural production and marketing system known as contract farming (CF). In this system, a public or private agency purchases the crops of independent farmers through contracts, often providing inputs, technical assistance and marketing. CF has a long history in developed countries and has spread to the Third World. The book uses case studies from North America, Latin America and Africa to assess the experience to date and provide guidelines for the use of CF in the future.