This case study is one of six evaluations of the implementation of the World Bank's 1991 Forest Strategy. This and the other cases (Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, India, and Indonesia) complement a review of the entire set of lending and nonlending activities of the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility.
... Exibir mais + The World Bank has clearly diminished its lending presence in the Amazon in the past decade. It has moved from the "big projects" era of the 1960s through the 1980s and strong economic and sector work to a more careful approach at the end of the century with attempts once again to focus on strategic issues and smaller projects, including pilot activities. This seems due both to the poor performance of earlier projects-which prompted a more risk-adverse Bank strategy following the intense international scrutiny and criticism contributing to the cautious approach urged by the 1991 Forest Strategy-and to a lack of demand in Brazil for Bank funds. Brazil's macroeconomic difficulties-its balance of payments and fiscal deficits-have led the government to be selective as well as to shift lending to quick-disbursing activities. This is evident in the most recent land reform programs. Controlling deforestation is not easy given the large number and level of national and global forces and actors affecting it. If the Bank is to be a facilitator for balancing the needs of stakeholders (i.e., the poor and the indigenous people) and national and global interests, it must be seen as an objective bystander. The 1991 Forest Strategy emphasizes the primacy of the rights of the indigenous people-and by implication their rights have primacy over those of the local poor. But the Bank cannot be a facilitator unless it is viewed by both parties as not serving the interests of only one party.
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This volume reports on a conference held by the World Bank's independent Operations Evaluation Department (OED) to discuss the Bank's rote in global program partnerships.
... Exibir mais + The starting point for the discussions was a comprehensive review by OED of the effectiveness of 26 of the largest programs, including the Consultative Group on International AgricuRural Research and programs in health, environment, and trade. Participants at the conference provided crosscutting lessons about program design, implementation, and evaluation, and shared views about how the Bank can best help build commitment and assure financing for high priority global public goods that benefit the poor.
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International agricultural research, technology generation, transfer, adoption and impact (IARTGTAI) constitute components of a system that has evolved from a relatively simple structure in the 1960s to a complex network in the late 1990s.
... Exibir mais + Its functioning is of great international interest. Despite major successes on the food front, there are still 850 million people who earn less than a dollar a day and go to bed hungry. Many studies of research, adoption and/or impact in agriculture exist, but they tend to look at specific aspects of the scientific and technology processes, such as priority setting or research impact. The recent changes in the science and technology processes and the resulting present structure have not been analyzed sufficiently yet as organizational innovations intended to alleviate market failures with a view to achieve specific social objectives. The innovations form part of a larger global science and technology process consisting of multiple actors, each with a different set of interests. A broader evolutionary framework offers an opportunity for a clearer understanding of the relationship between sources of technical change in agriculture, and the spread of its adaptation and adoption by producers and agroindustries.
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This report completes the second phase of the Operations Evaluation Department's independent evaluation of the World Bank's involvement in global programs.
... Exibir mais + This Phase 2 report is based on case studies of 26 (of a total of 70) Bank-supported global programs that accounted for 90 percent of the Bank's global program expenditures in 2002. It follows on the phase 1 report completed in 2002 and the meta-evaluation of the CGIAR completed in 2003 that evaluated Bank involvement in global programs. The phase 2 report's recommendations stress two key elements: 1) The need for a global strategy for the Bank that will focus Bank support on high-priority, well-funded global public goods programs and that will be based on a consultative process involving key partners; 2) Better routine management of the global portfolio in order to set international standards for quality, add value, and enhance returns to Bank country operations and clients. The study points out that some key elements of a Bank global strategy would likely include an understanding and exploitation of the comparative advantage of the Bank and its key partners, including U.N. agencies; a clear focus on key global public goods and global policies that adversely affect developing countries' prospects for growth and poverty alleviation; and support of poverty reduction activities that complement rather than compete with Bank country operations. With respect to the improvement in the portfolio, OED recommends that the Bank: a) Separate oversight from management; b) Improve standards of governance and management of individual programs; c) Revisit selection and exit criteria; and d) Strengthen evaluations of global programs and their review within the Bank.
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The changing dynamics of the forest sector and the global economy prompted World Bank President James Wolfensohn to launch the CEO forum and the World Bank/World Wide Fund for Nature Alliance.
... Exibir mais + In parallel, Bank management launched a Forest Policy Implementation Review and Strategy process in which the Operations Evaluation Department (OED) was asked to contribute an independent evaluation of the Bank's 1991 Forest Strategy. OED evaluated implementation of the strategy as outlined in "The Forest Sector: A World Bank Policy Paper (1991)," Operational Policy 4.36, and Good Practice 4.36 (both issued in 1993). The evaluation reviewed lending and non-lending activities for the three organizations comprising the World Bank Group as well as for the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). Six country studies were carried out (Brazil, Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, India, and Indonesia) along with a global review, and six regional portfolio reviews. The OED studies analyzed the interactions among the Bank's Country Assistance Strategies, economic and sector work, policy dialogue, and Bank lending. The report identifies seven elements that would make Bank forest strategy more relevant and help it achieve its strategic objectives in the forest sector.
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The Bank's forest strategy brought the environmental agenda into the mainstream of the Bank's activities, and challenged the Bank group to adopt a multi-sectoral approach to conserving tropical moist forests, and expanding forest cover.
... Exibir mais + Implementation experience suggests the need for a new, broad-based strategy, reflecting concern for conservation of all forests, incorporating the views of stakeholders, and stressing long-term involvement, partnership with a range of constituencies, as well as the exchange of experience across countries. The note examines the Operations Evaluation Department's (OED) review of Bank activities, and changing international trends, which supported two main findings: first, the 1991 Forest Strategy was only partially implemented, and, second, implementation has had only modest impacts, with uncertain sustainability. Thus implementation fell short of expectations in several respects: direct lending not adequately incorporated into the country assistance strategy, nor into macroeconomic, and sector analysis. Moreover, the "precautionary" approach to forest management - and its ban on Bank financing of commercial logging, while strategically important, basically contributed to environmental awareness - ignored threats to forests, where Bank operations have outpaced that strategy. Revising the forest strategy and policy, should enable the Bank to play a global role, mobilize financial resources, forge international partnerships, and, broaden the forestry cover, to foster sustainable development objectives.
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The Bank's forest strategy brought the environmental agenda into the mainstream of the Bank's activities, and challenged the Bank group to adopt a multi-sectoral approach to conserving tropical moist forests, and expanding forest cover.
... Exibir mais + Implementation experience suggests the need for a new, broad-based strategy, reflecting concern for conservation of all forests, incorporating the views of stakeholders, and stressing long-term involvement, partnership with a range of constituencies, as well as the exchange of experience across countries. The note examines the Operations Evaluation Department's (OED) review of Bank activities, and changing international trends, which supported two main findings: first, the 1991 Forest Strategy was only partially implemented, and, second, implementation has had only modest impacts, with uncertain sustainability. Thus implementation fell short of expectations in several respects: direct lending not adequately incorporated into the country assistance strategy, nor into macroeconomic, and sector analysis. Moreover, the "precautionary" approach to forest management - and its ban on Bank financing of commercial logging, while strategically important, basically contributed to environmental awareness - ignored threats to forests, where Bank operations have outpaced that strategy. Revising the forest strategy and policy, should enable the Bank to play a global role, mobilize financial resources, forge international partnerships, and, broaden the forestry cover, to foster sustainable development objectives.
Exibir menos -
The Bank's forest strategy brought the environmental agenda into the mainstream of the Bank's activities, and challenged the Bank group to adopt a multi-sectoral approach to conserving tropical moist forests, and expanding forest cover.
... Exibir mais + Implementation experience suggests the need for a new, broad-based strategy, reflecting concern for conservation of all forests, incorporating the views of stakeholders, and stressing long-term involvement, partnership with a range of constituencies, as well as the exchange of experience across countries. The note examines the Operations Evaluation Department's (OED) review of Bank activities, and changing international trends, which supported two main findings: first, the 1991 Forest Strategy was only partially implemented, and, second, implementation has had only modest impacts, with uncertain sustainability. Thus implementation fell short of expectations in several respects: direct lending not adequately incorporated into the country assistance strategy, nor into macroeconomic, and sector analysis. Moreover, the "precautionary" approach to forest management - and its ban on Bank financing of commercial logging, while strategically important, basically contributed to environmental awareness - ignored threats to forests, where Bank operations have outpaced that strategy. Revising the forest strategy and policy, should enable the Bank to play a global role, mobilize financial resources, forge international partnerships, and, broaden the forestry cover, to foster sustainable development objectives.
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The workshop provided a forum for the exchange of experiences in the design and implementation of competitive grant programs for research and extension (CGPs).
... Exibir mais + This report provides a brief outline of concerns and lessons learned from common experiences in competitive programs from country, regional, and donor perspectives. It provides country case studies, and the various papers presented by participants on a range of issues that influence, both policy formulation, and the performance of competitive programs. These include the evolutionary status of the research and development (R&D) system, size and economic status of the country, source of funds, commitment of the government, and differences in objectives. Considerations when introducing a competitive program suggest that competitive programs are a funding mechanism with both advantages and disadvantages: they are not appropriate in all situations, and should be linked with other funding sources for research, extension and training to promote a complementary system of R&D funding. On program policy and administration, suggestions include the need for strong and independent governance; qualitative and quantitative measures; rigorous, independent, and transparent review process; monitoring and evaluation guidelines with clear objectives and indicators for the program. Recommendations for establishing procedures for a positive impact on institutional reform, include inter alia, the promotion of co-operation through the competitive process on a partnership basis, and, the development of mechanisms to internalize experiences from competitive funding to upgrade quality of block (or core) funding (e.g., peer review). A recurring theme was the issue of balancing of public and private objectives. This means protecting proprietary knowledge and technologies to attract the participation of the private sector, while ensuring that public funds are used for social objectives. Likewise, equity concerns must be weighed against the needs of a competitive market economy.
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This case study is one of six evaluations of the implementation of the World Bank's 1991 Forest Strategy. This and the other cases (Brazil, Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, and India) complement a review of the entire set of lending and nonlending activities of the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility.
... Exibir mais + A review of World Bank assistance to Indonesia in the forest sector since 1991 faces two challenges. The first is maintaining a distinction between an assessment based on quick solutions to outstanding problems and one based on long-term underlying objectives and historical facts, and how they shaped government and Bank actions toward Indonesia's forests until 1997. The second challenge is to assess the performance of the Bank's 1991 Forest Strategy in a situation where, despite largely adopting the principles that its strategy espouses, the Bank has been unable to influence the rate of destruction of natural forests. Following a brief discussion of the background and context to the current forest sector situation in Indonesia, this review is divided into two parts. The first part presents the state of the forests and the forest sector and identifies the pressures on forests and the key issues. The second part assesses the Bank's involvement in the sector and concludes with the main findings of the review.
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Private investment in agricultural biotechnology research by seed companies is increasingly rapidly. The privatization of intellectual property, and the associated emergence of the private sector as the major force in agricultural technology generation, is beginning to have a profound impact on farmers and researchers in industrial and developing countries.
... Exibir mais + The report looks at intellectual property right (IPR) from various perspectives - industry, International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs), and national systems and universities. It also summarizes that the Bank can assist clients in various ways by : 1) becoming a catalyst for promoting policy research in IPR issues to fill in the gaps in knowledge and need for further research; 2) developing strategies for assisting to strengthen national IPR systems; 3) identifying and removing practical hurdles to implementing effective IPR systems; 4) incorporating IPRs within the scientific and related communities.
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In the last few years there has been increasing interest in establishing competitive grants programs in agricultural research in developing countries.
... Exibir mais + In donor funded projects, these programs are often seen as a complement to the ongoing research programs, undertaken through regular long term research funding, but which often pose the risk of being viewed as a panacea, and a substitute for regular long term research funding. Their design and implementation needs to reflect understanding of a complexity of factors needed to make them work effectively. The design of Brazil's competitive grants program in agriculture is drawing extensively on international and domestic experience. This paper briefly reviews the recent Brazilian experience, and offers its full operational manual for review, and possible wider adaptation as appropriate in other countries. The competitive system established and implemented by EMBRAPA (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária) actively seeks to increase competitiveness, and partnerships among participating institutions. Access to grant funding by the entire national agricultural research system, through the process of a competitive system, will enhance the quality of project proposals, and support the improvement of research results and better linkages of research to felt demands. Through partnerships, the Brazil Agricultural Technology Development Project expects to capitalize on the complementarity of Brazilian researchers with those at the global level, and their corresponding institutions. At the national level, a much better and efficient use of available infrastructure (labs, etc.) should be attained.
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This is just one in a series of essays published in conjunction with the Fiftieth Anniversary of the World Bank. This series is devoted to improving understanding of the evolving role of the World Bank.
... Exibir mais + Each essay analyzes the Bank's approach to the major development challenges its borrowing countries have faced. This paper examines the food crisis in South Asia with special attention to India, as India comprises nearly 75 percent of the population of South Asia and produces nearly 80 percent of its foodgrains. The author details the success of the Green Revolution in South Asia, India in specific, citing India as an economic basket case 30 years ago, dependent on food imports with 50 percent of its population living in poverty. Today India has reduced that impoverished population percentage to 30 percent, manages the largest public grain stock and has become a minor food exporter. The author credits the Bank and its implementation of Green Revolution - Agricultural loans for this success.
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The book opens with an overview of the broad trends in donor assistance to the six countries under investigation and an analysis of country performance based on data from the records of governments and donors.
... Exibir mais + Discussions are organized around several topics: 1) the policies donors adopted toward promoting agriculture; 2) how recipients' perceptions of their development needs and priorities influenced the amount and form of aid given; 3) the context of assistance; 4) how strategic, commercial, and humanitarian constituencies in donor countries influenced the level and content of assistance programs; and 5) the comparative advantage of donors with respect to their ability to provide agricultural or other specific kinds of assistance. The book does not cover livestock and forestry in any detail, although both play an important role in alleviating poverty and in ensuring environmental sustainability. The book ends with an assessment of the donors' effect on country policies and performance and outlines the study's implications for future donor assistance.
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The structural adjustment efforts under way since the early 1980s have emphasized the liberalization of agricultural prices and markets and have led to a vigorous debate about the appropriate roles of the private and public sectors.
... Exibir mais + This paper examines the causes of state intervention prior to independence as well as post-independence experience with marketing parastatals and cooperatives in Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania. This analysis is followed by an overview of the content and outcomes of the marketing and pricing liberalization programs. The focus is on the pricing and marketing of traditional export and food crops, which in these countries constitute well over 90 percent of the area harvested, value added and employment created in agriculture. The paper is not concerned with dairy, livestock or horticultural crops - areas in which government intervention has been less obtrusive and in which the private sector has played an important role.
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Documento para discussão sobre Gestão do Desenvolvimento Agrícola na África (MADIA) 8436 DEC 31, 1989
The removal of fertilizer subsidies, and privatization of importation and distribution networks have been prominent features of recent policy reforms in MADIA countries to reduce budget deficits and the role of the public sector.
... Exibir mais + This paper reviews the reform policies implemented during the 1980s in the MADIA countries and their impact on the development of fertilizer use. In particular, it explores the supply and demand constraints that hinder the process of rapid growth and diffusion of fertilizer use. This study recommends that : 1) donors should undertake long term, untied import support for fertilizers to promote sound intensification of fertilizer use on a sustained basis, 2) food and fertilizer stocks be financed at the national and regional levels to encourage governments to remove intra and inter country restrictions on trade, 3) improving the knowledge base on a location specific basis, especially the relative role of fertilizers vis a vis other more complex resource management needs, and 4) privatization offers great potential for improving fertilizer procurement and distribution.
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Documento para discussão sobre Gestão do Desenvolvimento Agrícola na África (MADIA) 8323 DEC 31, 1989
Lele, Uma; Christiansen, Robert E.; Kadiresan, Kundhavi
The structural adjustment efforts under way since the early 1980s have emphasized the liberalization of agricultural prices and markets and have led to a vigorous debate about the appropriate roles of the private and public sectors.
... Exibir mais + This paper examines the causes of state intervention prior to independence as well as post-independence experience with marketing parastatals and cooperatives in Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania. This analysis is followed by an overview of the content and outcomes of the marketing and pricing liberalization programs. The focus is on the pricing and marketing of traditional export and food crops, which in these countries constitute well over 90 percent of the area harvested, value added and employment created in agriculture. The paper is not concerned with dairy, livestock or horticultural crops - areas in which government intervention has been less obtrusive and in which the private sector has played an important role.
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Documento para discussão sobre Gestão do Desenvolvimento Agrícola na África (MADIA) 8436 DEC 31, 1989
One of the critical problems of Nigeria's agricultural sector is the inadequate or nonexistent supporting physical infrastructure such as rural roads, storage and marketing facilities, and water supply.
... Exibir mais + This paper comprises a discussion of the extent of the rural roads network and the consequences of its growth on Nigerian agriculture during the 1970 to 1988 period. Following, a review of the experience of construction and maintenance of rural roads in Bank projects is presented. Further, an assessment is made of future needs for rehabiliation and maintenance of the network, with calculation regarding the resources necessary to develop such a network. Finally, institutional aspects, sustainability and reform are considered. The paper concludes by stressing the urgent need to search for effective mechanisms including reform, technical assistance and coordination of federal directorates, state entities and local government institutions to build institutional capacity at all levels but particularly in Local Government Authorities (LGA).
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Documento para discussão sobre Gestão do Desenvolvimento Agrícola na África (MADIA) 8437 DEC 31, 1989
This paper attempts to explore the causes of productivity differences by farm size by focusing on Kenya and Malawi, which have had a superior record in maintaining agricultural data.
... Exibir mais + The data show that yields per hectare are higher on large farms, which not only make more intensive use of modern inputs but also of labor. In part, this is because large farmers are better able to undertake risk. Small farmers, who have been slower to adopt modern technology, have had inadequate access to modern inputs. Nevertheless, the domestic resource costs (DRCs) of small farm production are similar to those of large farms, so that no loss in productive efficiency results from adopting a smallholder development strategy. The following policies are suggested to foster more rapid growth in smallholder productivity. First, a greater knowledge of how small farmers mobilize labor through market as well as nonmarket forces is essential. Second, smallholder programs may also require governments to provide information, inputs and credit until private markets for these services are able to develop. Finally, a land policy is needed to increase the access of households to land, and a production policy is needed to ensure that all households, regardless of farm size, have a right to grow all crops, since there are usually no scale economies in production.
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Documento para discussão sobre Gestão do Desenvolvimento Agrícola na África (MADIA) 8296 NOV 30, 1989
A comparative overview will be presented of domestic policies (macroeconomic and agricultural) in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania and their influence on the extent and character of agricultural growth.
... Exibir mais + The contribution of the World Bank to agricultural growth in the three countries will then be reviewed, from the perspectives of both policy advice and lending provided by the Bank. The presentation will be based upon the findings of case studies of the Bank's involvement in the three East African countries, carried out under DRD's Managing Agricultural Development in Africa (MADIA) Research Project.
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Documento para discussão sobre Gestão do Desenvolvimento Agrícola na África (MADIA) 8295 NOV 30, 1989