Many parts of Asia have achieved impressive gains in agricultural productivity and poverty reduction over the past half-century. By contrast, sustained agricultural development remains elusive in most of Africa. Policy makers are struggling to find the answers but there is no consensus about...

The global food crisis of 2007-08 has focused attention on food prices, pushing the topic to the top of the agenda of international organizations. For policymakers in sub-Saharan Africa, however, food prices have been an issue of economic importance and political sensitivity for decades. Of...

The Michigan State University (MSU) Dairy Team conducted an industry survey with the objectives of identifying and rating industry priorities. After holding discussion groups across the state, two questionnaires were developed and sent to 2,237 dairy farm owners and operators and 480 allied...

Because gender roles and relations are dynamic, programs built on a solid up-to-date understanding of how men and women share labor responsibilities and the proceeds from their agricultural activities have the potential to bring forth positive outcomes. Better information on gender-based...

In the United States as a whole, 21.4% of the families have incomes below $3,000 while in Michigan, only 15.7% fall below this line. Poverty in Michigan is definitely not as severe as that which exists in many states of the deep South and in Appalachia. In Michigan, there are about 314,000...

Ethnic regionalism may be the most powerful force in Asia today. Yet ethnic boundaries are not plotted on maps and neither are they taken into consideration in most economic analysis. The problem is a serious one and wide. What makes ethnicity such a strong force? If it is such a strong force,...