Recurring environmental incidents have
led to increased public awareness of the threats of
environmental pollution to public health and rapid
urbanization is driving up land prices in Chinese cities. As
a result of these developments, industrial plant relocations
are numerous, particularly of heavily polluting industrial
plants, such as pesticide, coke, steel plants, and chemical
industry plants. These relocations are leaving behind many

This paper investigates the impact of
increases in wheat flour prices on household food security
using unique nationally-representative data collected in
Afghanistan from 2007 to 2008. It uses a new estimator, the
Unconditional Quantile Regression estimator, based on
influence functions, to examine the marginal effects of
price increases at different locations on the distributions
of several food security measures. The estimates reveal that

The objective of the study is to
examine, identify, and quantify the factors behind
Africa's high prices for road transport. Such prices
are a major obstacle to economic growth in the region, as
shown in several studies. For example, Amjadi and Yeats
(1995) concluded that transport costs in Africa were a
higher trade barrier than were import tariffs and trade
restrictions. Other analyses by the World Bank (2007a)

Did the rise in food prices have a long-term impact on agricultural production? Using household-level panel data from seven provinces of Indonesia, this paper finds that the price shock created a forward-looking incentive to invest, which can dynamically enhance productivity in agriculture. It also finds that the impact of the price shock on investment behavior differs by initial wealth. In response to price increases, wealthy farmers invested more in productive assets, while poor farmers increased their financial savings as well as consumption.

The objective of this review of
resettlement policy and implementation in Brazil, is to
identify ongoing good practices, as well as areas for
further improvement. It draws upon an assessment of the
Brazilian legal and institutional framework related to land
acquisition for projects in the public interest, a rapid
evaluation of the resettlement programs in six projects
(three projects that received Bank financing and three

This document describes the training
course for lawyers and judges in the Palestinian
Territories, which was designed as an introduction to
residential mortgage lending, and the use of mortgage
collateral. These materials begin with a technical
description of mortgage lending and mortgage collateral, the
purposes and content of mortgage law, and the general
conditions for development and expansion of residential

Expert statements indicate that annually
approximately 20 billion dollars will be needed to prevent
90 percent deforestation in tropical countries. Development
practitioners are eager to see the benefits from REDD plus
initiatives shared with local partners. Equally important to
understanding how local partners might benefit are questions
such as, who should derive benefits from REDD plus
initiatives, and how to ensure these initiatives reach the

The Kenya agricultural carbon project is
breaking new ground in designing and implementing climate
finance projects in the agricultural sector. The project is
regarded as an innovative example for climate-smart
agriculture within and outside the World Bank. For the first
time, while increasing productivity and enhancing resilience
to climate change, smallholder farmers in Africa will
receive payments for greenhouse gas mitigation based on

This report is based on seven background
papers comprising household studies, national level
analyses, and technical assessments. Household studies were
undertaken in Mozambique and Zambia to develop a clearer
picture of the role of Miombo woodlands in household
consumption. These studies were an outcome of intensive,
seasonal structured household surveys, which have formed the
core of the original work supported by this project

This report builds on reviews of
available methodologies, tools, and practices for greenhouse
gas (GHG) analysis, and summarizes the outcomes of pilot
studies. It discusses the issues and challenges associated
with GHG analysis for energy, transport and forestry
projects such as setting project boundaries and accounting
for indirect emissions. To do this it draws on existing
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Agriculture and agroprocessing are
important in Zambia's economy, representing more than
40 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and contributing
about 12 percent of national export earnings. Agriculture
employs some 67 percent of the labor force and supplies raw
materials to agricultural industries, which account for some
84 percent of manufacturing value-added in the country.
Smallholder agriculture dominates the rural economy. It

As the world recovers only slowly from
the 2008 financial crisis and Europe is facing a looming
debt crisis, concerns have increased that the "new
normal" -- a period of high unemployment, low returns
on investment, high risks, and low growth -- may become
protracted in advanced economies. If growth remains weak,
unemployment rates and debt levels will be slow to recede.
Consequently, the global recovery may continue to be fragile