Upland areas in Vietnam account for two-thirds of its natural area and one-third of its population. These uplands are characterized by heterogeneous and fragile ecosystems, a high incidence of poverty, severe deforestation and soil degradation. Rice is an important staple which is grown in the...

This study analyzes the patterns of public resource allocation in rice research in Nepal. The resource allocation for rice research was approximated based on the full-time equivalent (FTE) of researcher time spent on rice research. A simple congruence model modified by expected rate of research...

This article examines the economics of groundwater irrigation and shallow tubewell (STW) ownership decision making, using farm-level data collected from 324 households in Nepal. STW irrigation generated a significant positive effect on rice yield and farmers’ incomes. Based on a probit...

This paper uses a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to investigate the impact on poverty of trade liberalisation in Bangladesh. The simulation results show that the complete removal of tariffs favours export oriented sectors in the economy. With trade liberalisation, rural and urban...

Laos is a mountainous country with poor roads and a high rate of poverty incidence, especially in rural areas. It is obvious that better roads could reduce poverty, but by how much? And what forms of road improvement reduce poverty the most? The economic effects of road improvement are complex...

Improving smallholder welfare in the rural sectors of developing countries requires improving access to both input and product markets. Success, however, in developing sustainable and mutually beneficial links between smallholders and agribusiness has been variable. Two recent ACIAR studies...

The incomes of people in Fiji who rely directly on agricultural production are under threat due to a number of institutional changes or shocks that are occurring now, or are expected in the near future. In this paper we examine recent evidence on the current nature and level of rural and urban...

Six methods for measuring food security are identified from the literature. The dietary intake method (DIM) and the food insecurity experienced-based measurement scales (FIEMS), the two most commonly used, were empirically tested using 1152 rural households in the Punjab province of Pakistan....

The distributional effects of trade policies involving food are always controversial, particularly in countries for which staple foods are net imports. Indonesia is the world’s largest importer of its staple food, rice, and this commodity simultaneously accounts, in its consumption, for a...