Slower
output growth is expected to be a feature of agricultural production in
both the developed and developing countries’ agriculture sectors in the
coming decade.
Slower production growth : Global agricultural
production for commodities covered in this Outlook is projected to grow
at 1.5% annually, on average, compared to 2.1% in the previous decade.
This slower growth is expected to be exhibited by all crop sectors and
livestock production. These trends reflect rising costs, growing
resource constraints, and increasing environmental pressures, which are
anticipated to inhibit supply response in virtually all regions.
Developing countries increase output :
Higher
production growth is expected from emerging economies which have
invested in their agricultural sectors and where existing technologies
offer good potential for closing the yield gap with the advanced
economies, although yield/supply variability may be higher. The share of
production from developing countries continues to increase over the
outlook period.
The rise of the South is radically reshaping the world of the 21st
century, with developing nations driving economic growth, lifting
hundreds of millions of people from poverty, and propelling billions
more into a new global middle class, says the United Nations Development
Programme’s (UNDP) 2013 Human Development Report.
This phenomenon goes well beyond the so-called BRICs, middle income
countries often represented by Brazil, Russia, India and China, the 2013
Report stresses. The Report shows that more than 40 developing
countries have made greater human development gains in recent decades
than would have been predicted. These achievements, it says, are largely
attributable to sustained investment in education, health care and
social programmes, and open engagement with an increasingly
interconnected world.
Launched on March 14th, 2013 in Mexico City, Mexico, by UNDP
Administrator Helen Clark, report author Khalid Malik, and hosted by
Mexican President Enrique Nieto, the Human Development Report 2013
focuses on the unprecedented rise of the developing countries of the
Global South.
The 2013 Human Development Report -- "The Rise of
the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World" -- examines the profound
shift in global dynamics driven by the fast-rising new powers of the
developing world and its long-term implications for human development.
China
has already overtaken Japan as the worlds second biggest economy while
lifting hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty. India is
reshaping its future with new entrepreneurial creativity and social
policy innovation. Brazil is lifting its living standards through
expanding international relationships and antipoverty programs that are
emulated worldwide.
But the "Rise of the South" analyzed in the
Report is a much larger phenomenon: Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, South
Africa, Indonesia and many other developing nations are also becoming
leading actors on the world stage.
The 2013 Human Development
Report identifies more than 40 countries in the developing world that
have done better than had been expected in human development terms in
recent decades, with their progress accelerating markedly over the past
ten years. The Report analyzes the causes and consequences of these
countries achievements and the challenges that they face today and in
the coming decades.
Each of these countries has its own unique
history and has chosen its own distinct development pathway. Yet they
share important characteristics and face many of the same challenges.
They are also increasingly interconnected and interdependent. And people
throughout the developing world are increasingly demanding to be heard,
as they share ideas through new communications channels and seek
greater accountability from governments and international institutions.
The
2013 Human Development Report identifies policies rooted in this new
global reality that could promote greater progress throughout the world
for decades to come. The Report calls for far better representation of
the South in global governance systems and points to potential new
sources of financing within the South for essential public goods. With
fresh analytical insights and clear proposals for policy reforms, the
Report helps chart a course for people in all regions to face shared
human development challenges together, fairly and effectively.
Comprehensive Assessment on Water Management in Agriculture
There is broad consensus on the need to improve water management and to invest in water for food as these are critical to meet The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The role of water in food and livelihood security is a major issue of concern in the context of continued environmental degradation and persistent poverty throughout the developing world. Although there is considerable knowledge on the issue, an overarching picture on the water-food-livelihoods-environment nexus is missing, leaving uncertainties about where to invest in order to address both human and environmental water needs.
The Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture (CA) is an innovative multi-institute process aimed at identifying existing knowledge and stimulating thought on ways to manage water resources to continue meeting the needs of both humans and ecosystems. The CA critically evaluates the benefits, costs, and impacts of the past 50 years of water development and challenges to water management currently facing communities. It assesses innovative solutions and explores consequences of potential investment and management decisions.
The CA is designed as a learning process, engaging networks of stakeholders to produce knowledge synthesis and methodologies. The main output of the CA is an Assessment report that aims to guide investment and management decisions in the near future considering their impact over the next 50 years in order to enhance food and environmental security to support the achievement of the MDGs.
The Assessment synthesis report is developed along the lines of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports, and has formal linkages with the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development. It differs in that it provides in-depth analysis of water and food issues that are inadequately addressed in other global exercises, and benefits from gap-filling research of its first project phase. In the first phase, over 30 projects were developed to fill knowledge gaps and a publications process was initiated to disseminate project results. The development of the Assessment report forms the second phase of the CA process.
Tropical Deltas and Coastal Zones : Food Production, Communities and Environment at the Land-water Interface
ed. C T Hoanh, B Szuster, K S Pheng, A Ismail, A Noble. CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2010
Historically, land and water mangement within many coastal deltas has focused on the exclusion of saline water flows that move upstream from the coast. However, this approach fails to recognize the diversity of rural livelihoods and ecosystems in coastal deltaic areas, the environmental consequences of altering natural saline water flows and the emergence of new activities such as shrimp farming that require brackish water. Focusing on the developing contries of Asia, Africa and South America, chapters explore the diverse livelihoods of people in these areas, the impact of land-water management on environments, new techniques and methodologies and lessons learned in land and water management to solve the conflicts between agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries.
River Basin Trajectories : Societies, Environments and Development
ed. F Molle, and P Wester, CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2009
Using a variety of case studies, this book provides an overview of how societies have gradually developed their water resources and furthers our understanding of how such resources can be managed successfully or unsuccessfully. Discussing how and why particular options are selected, and why a particular course of events eventually prevails, the book stresses the importance of context and a multidisciplinary approach in moving towards sustainable and equitable development.
ed. S Wani, J Röckstorm, and T Oweis , CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2008
This book is based on research undertaken by a team of leading scientists from 10 global organizations. Chapters consider the potential of rainfed agriculture on the basis of case studies for different regions in Asia and Africa with the aim to assess the need of water for achieving food security and reducing poverty. Yield gaps for major rainfed crops are analysed globally and possible ways and means including technological, social and institutional options to bridge the yield gaps are discussed in detail.
ed. D Bossio and K Geheb, CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2008
The degradation of land and water resources as a result of agricultural activity has had an enormous impact on human societies and economies. It is predicted that, by 2025, most developing countries will face physical or economic water scarcity, compounded by land degradation. In order to alleviate this problem, an advanced understanding of the state of our water resources and the relationships between land use, water management and social systems is needed.
Community-Based Water Law and Water Resource Management Reform in Developing Countries
ed. B van Koppen, M Giordano, and J Butterworth, CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2007
The lack of sufficient access to clean water is a common problem faced by communities, efforts to alleviate poverty and gender inequality and improve economic growth in developing countries. While reforms have been implemented to manage water resources, these have taken little notice of how people use and manage their water and have had limited effect at the ground level. On the other hand, regulations developed within communities are livelihood-oriented and provide incentives for collective action but they can also be hierarchal, enforcing power and gender inequalities. This book shows how bringing together the strengths of community-based laws rooted in user participation and the formalized legal systems of the public sector, water management regimes will be more able to reach their goals.
Irrigation Water Pricing The Gap Between Theory and Practice
ed. F Molle and J Berkoff , CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2007
Much hope has been vested in pricing as a means of helping to regulate and rationalize water management, notably in the irrigation sector. The pricing of water has often been applied universally, using general and ideological policies, and not considering regional environmental and economic differences. Almost fifteen years after the emphasis laid at the Dublin and Rio conferences on treating water as an economic good, a comprehensive review of how such policies have helped manage water resources an irrigation use is necessary.
The Agricultural Groundwater Revolution: Opportunities and Threats to Development
ed. M Giordano and KG Villholth, CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2007
This book focuses on addressing the issues of using groundwater in agriculture for irrigation in the developing world, this book discusses the problems associated with the degradation and overexploitation of using it. It explores the practiced and potential methods for its management in the context of agricultural development.
Environment and Livelihoods in Coastal Zones: Managing Agriculture - Fishery - Aquaculture Conflicts
ed. CT Hoanh, TP Tuong, JW Gowing and B Hardy, CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2006
This book focuses on the challenges people face in managing agricultural crops, aquaculture, fisheries and related ecosystems in areas of coastal zones in the tropics of Asia, Africa, Australia and South America. Challenges arise from conflicts in the use of natural resources among different stakeholders. Through many case studies, the book discusses the nature of these conflicts and identifies what is known and not known about how to manage them.
Water Productivity in Agriculture: Limits and Opportunities for Improvement
ed. JW Kijne, R Barker, and D Molden, CABI Publication, Wallingford UK and Cambridge MA USA, 2003
In a large number of developing countries, policy makers and researchers are increasingly aware of the conflicting demands on water, and look at agriculture to be more effective in its use of water. Focusing on both irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, this book give a state of the art review of the limits and opportunities for improving water productivity in crop production.
ed. BAM Bouman, H Hengsdijk, B Hardy, PS Bindraban, TP Tuong and JK Ladha International Rice Research Institute, 2002
Proceedings from a thematic workshop on Water-Wise Rice Production held 8-11 April, 2002 at IRRI, Los Baños, Philippines. The workshop brought together scientists and irrigation system manager from several consortia and projects examining water scarcity in rice production.
