The purpose of this study is to assess the potential of clustering in the development of agriculture and rural communities in China. We shall examine in detail the food industry, which is the link in the food chain that propels the industrialization of agriculture, and identify instances of...

There is a widely held view that off-farm income in developing countries tends to reduce poverty, leading to the conclusion that policies should focus on the further diversification of income options of rural households. However, much off-farm employment might be initiated rather as a survival...

Global efforts to reduce deforestation rely heavily on protected areas and land use restrictions. The effect of these restrictions on local communities is currently the subject of heated debate among conservation and development experts. Measuring the social impacts of protected areas is...

The impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on the poor in developing countries is still the subject of controversy. While previous studies have examined direct productivity effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton and other GM crops, little is known about wider socioeconomic outcomes. We...

Accurate targeting is key for the success of any development policy. While a number of factors might explain low targeting efficiency such as governance failure, political interference or lack of political will, this paper focuses on improving indicator-based models that identify poor households...

The work presents results of a study conducted in 2009 and involving farmers who owned farms of up to 10 hectare located in 2 communes (gminas). The first commune is typically rural (in the Lubelskie Voivodeship) and the other is a multi-function commune. The farmers interviewed in both gminas,...

The braconid larval parasitoid Cotesia flavipes Cameron was introduced from Asia into East and Southern African region starting in 1993 to control the invasive exotic maize stemborer Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). A quasi-experiment was constructed using farmers that applied...

For the countries of the Central Europe, the regional policy measures which concentrate on the maintenance of the small and medium sized producer’s units and are trying to find solutions to the worsening negative circumstances for the family farms (in the EU-12, 68.5% of farms are regarded as...

The article presents the outcomes of rural dwellers’ migrations in the economic and social aspect. Apart from defining the phenomenon of external migration against the background of current social trends, also a review of motives for migration including the push factors (home country) and the...

The study contains the results of questionnaire surveys conducted in the Pomeranian province after the first year of Polish membership in the European Union. The inspected farms varied in size, from 1.5 ha to 150 ha of agricultural land. Farmers of the Pomeranian province, being asked about the...