Twenty million people in Central America
cook with biomass using open fires or rudimentary stoves.
The number of people using biomass for cooking in the region
will remain significant for a long time due to high
incidence of poverty, high Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices
coupled with unsustainable LPG subsidies, as well as
relatively easy access to fuel wood in the region. Providing
these people with clean and efficient cooking solutions is

Natural resource abundance can lead to
strong economic growth if resource rents are well invested
in physical assets and other forms of productive capital.
This paper focuses on the case of the resource-abundant
economies in Eurasia, which has been less documented in the
literature on natural resource-led development than other
parts of the world. The analysis shows that the stock of
productive physical assets is relatively low, contrary to

This paper examines some of the concepts
surrounding the idea that forests and trees can contribute
to making households more resilient to food insecurity. The
paper begins with a discussion of the widely accepted
definitions of food security, and the implications for our
understanding of the role of forests and trees in
contributing to food security. Authors discuss the origins
of the idea of resilience, adaptability, and transformation

Zambia shares its robust economic growth
and capital inflows in the past few years with other
Sub-Saharan countries, growth supported by high commodity
prices that while declining are still at historical high
levels. High commodity prices have induced large foreign
direct investment (FDI) flows, mainly in extractive
industries but also in services sector, supporting growth.
Zambia's mining sector has benefited from FDI,

Transforming agriculture in Africa is
not simply about helping Africa; it is essential for
ensuring global food security. But Africa s agriculture is
also of critical importance when it comes to meeting the
world s future needs for food and fiber. With the global
population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, food
security producing enough food of sufficient quality and
making it accessible and affordable for consumers around the

The economic recession, the end of
stimulus funding and central government cutbacks, rising
social costs and aging, and the need for infrastructure
upgrading for urbanization are putting enormous fiscal
stress on cities. The financing capacity of municipalities
is greatly affected because of the decline in the tax base,
expenditure pressures, and growing and more expensive debt.
Today's urban fiscal crisis is similar to that

Kazakhstan aspires to become one of the
world s 30 most developed economies by 2050. The focus is on
laying the basis for the accelerated diversification of the
economy through industrialization and infrastructure
development, including enhancing human capital to drive
innovation and economic efficiency. This country economic
memorandum report adopts an analytical framework that looks
into options that will be explored to help authorities think

In Africa, farmers have been reluctant
to take up new varieties of staple crops developed to boost
smallholder yields and rural incomes. Low fertilizer use is
often mentioned as a proximate cause, but some believe the
problem originates with incomplete input markets. As a
remedy, African governments have introduced technology
adoption programs with fertilizer subsidies as a core
component. Still, the links between market performance and

Delivering on results is a key to
achieving our Latin America and Caribbean strategy. This
publication presents some of the recent results achieved by
the World Bank Group, our clients, and our partners in the
Latin America and Caribbean Region. The stories reflect our
effort to help clients solve their development challenges
quickly and effectively by providing a suite of financing,
advisory and convening services. This is a way to

The purpose of this paper is to outline
an approach for Bank engagement in forests, trees, and
woodlands on farms in Sub-Saharan Africa for the coming five
years. The paper takes the framework of the Africa
development strategy, which has two main pillars: supporting
employment and competitiveness, and building resilience and
reducing vulnerability; and one underlying foundation:
strengthening capacity and governance. It is consistent with

This book rental housing lessons from
international experience and policies for emerging market
is an effort to bring rental housing to the forefront of the
housing agenda of countries around the world and to provide
general guidance for policy makers whose actions can have an
effect on where and how people live. It warns of the
challenges they face and provides guidelines on how to
develop or redevelop a sound rental sector. it can enable

In this issue: have capital markets
aided growth in China and India? Land and poverty: the
importance of transparency; coping with $100 oil; how fit
are feed-in tariff policies? Political incentives to
underinvest in pro-poor policies; mass media and public
policy for agriculture; and managing public debt in small states.