Current perceptions about agriculture-based systems are rooted in an assessment of their negative and positive externalities, as well as their tremendous influence in the cultural and religious values of communities. Among the emerging concerns is how to integrate this view of the multi-faceted...

Risk is an integral part of financial intermediation. Hence, risk management must be at the heart of finance. However, it is disturbing to note that systematic risk management is still not as widespread as it should be in the microfinance industry. Except for a few flagship microfinance...

The book is one of the few notable books on agribusiness that I came across in recent years. Kim Bryceson has vast experience in the agribusiness and energy sectors. She is a Senior Lecturer in Agribusiness from the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. UQ is one of her country’s sandstone...

This paper presents a general picture of the difficulties in developing a sustainable lending service geared toward smallholder agriculture. Drawing on the experiences of the Philippines and other countries, it traces the rethinking of the agricultural credit policy following the collapse of...

The paper tackles the issue of food safety, which is generally defined as the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use. Echoing the recognition by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1996 that food safety is...

Many consider non-tariff measures (NTMs) as another protectionist stratagem to prevent exports, especially of agriculture, from developing countries. Philippine exporters seem to be taking things in stride, however. The estimated cost of less than 3% of sales borne by a Philippine food exporter...

In accordance with its mandate to ensure the production and trade of better and competitively priced goods and services around the world, the World Trade Organization has to enforce several multilateral agreements, one of which is that on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights...

Biodiversity is said to be the “heart of sustainable agricultural systems”. Biodiversity research is envisioned to provide a better understanding of development issues so that better policy responses, management practices and actions will ultimately redound to a better quality of life for...

The paper examines the possibilities of using trade policy to address the adverse economic effects of an avian influenza outbreak in the Philippines. In particular, it employs a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model for analyzing the likely effects of two options; namely, a) a ban on...

Economic growth among Southeast Asian countries during the last 25 years has averaged at five percent per year and has been accompanied by a decline in the relative importance of agriculture in the national output and employment. The response of poverty to this growth and structural...