The paper uses three years of household farm plot panel data (2006-2009), covering six districts in central and southern Malawi to assess factor productivity and farming system development under the input subsidy program. All farm plots of the households were measured with GPS. Maize production intensified in this period as maize area shares of the total farm size were reduced while input use intensity and yields increased. Yields of improved maize were significantly (+323 kg/ha) higher than for local maize.

After more than two decades of agrarian change in Tajikistan, farming structures seem to crystallise. The first signs towards farm individualisation were observed only around 2000, which were the result of significant pressure from outside, when the post-conflict state was highly susceptible to pressure from multilateral institutions. Over time, striking differences in agrarian structures have emerged nation-wide; from highly fragmented, autonomous farms, to elite-controlled large-scale cotton farming.

Like that in other post-communist states, Tajikistan’s agricultural decollectivization was initiated through top-down measures. However, the implementation process has not been uniform across the state’s territory; in some districts collective farms were quickly and thoroughly broken up, while in others the process is just now beginning. In this paper, we investigate spatial variation in Tajikistan’s decollectivization process.

ABSTRACTED FROM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Throughout Tajikistan, land, and access to it, is paramount to continued resilience and improved livelihoods of rural citizens. Agricultural output, especially from small to medium sized farms, constitutes a disproportionately high percentage of Tajikistan’s overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and represents an opportunity for continued economic growth for both the farmers and the country.

ABSTRACTED FROM INTRODUCTION: This brief has been developed by incorporating farmers’ perspective in relation to the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance Tenure (VGGT) of Land, Fisheries and Forest Tenure in the National Food Security Context of Bangladesh. The brief also recommends some immediate action points from farmers' perspectives, relies deeply on policy documents and exemplify some activities in relation to the national policies and strategic documents.

With a diameter of only 5 to 11 millimetres on average, it is fascinating to think how soybean is currently affecting – and affected by – changes in economy, environment and society, both at the global and at the local level. Bearing in mind the main objective of the Trade Hub project and the specific contribution of Work Package 4, the present Scoping Study analyses the evolution of the ‘geopolitics’ of international trade flows, dissecting social, institutional, economic and environmental outcomes along the value chain of this commodity.

China has a unique land use system in which there are two types of land ownership, namely, state-owned urban land and farmer collective-owned rural land. Despite strict restrictions on the use rights of farmer collective-owned land, rural land is, in fact, developed along two pathways: it is formally acquired by the state and transferred into state ownership, or it is informally developed while remaining in collective ownership.

In summary, China presents a particularly intriguing case for the study of land system dynamics with its spatial patterns of cropland and crops, crop structure and diversity, land transfer and consolidation, and land use intensity changes against the backdrop of its rapid socio-economic transformation, globalization, and environmental challenges. Moreover, after 40 years since the commencement of China’s Economic Reform and the de-collectivization of agriculture, it is a good time to review and reflect how China’s agricultural land systems have been transformed.

This report is a documentation of data gathered during the project for the Badia Benchmark, organized in a way to facilitate the on of various disciplines. The purpose is, to facilitate the use of this data for better management of resources during the project and to provide accessible and user friendly database that is suitable for use beyond the project lifetime. It is anticipated that future research and development projects, will build upon this database and continue the documentation to enhance the use of data for the Badia and similar areas.

The project aims to improve the productivity of degraded rangelands through efficient utilization of limited rainfall. Nearly 48% of farmers in the Muhareb community own flocks, with an average flock size of about 159 head. About 52% of farmers in Um Al Naám own flocks, with an average of 125 head; about 63% of farmers in Muhareb community own a small flock (average 28 head), or a medium flock size (30%, average 293 head), or a large flock (7%, average 751 head. However, about 72% of farmers in Um Al Naám own a small flock, with an average flock size of 36 head.

This report summarizes the experience of an integrated approach for the selection and characterization of watersheds for research, development, or research for development activities.

Climate change has led to more severe conditions throughout the world as well as in Morocco. In general, rainfall has declined and average temperatures have increased. These new rainfall patterns are threatening water supplies. Fluctuations and reductions in annual rainfall have led to severe and frequent droughts throughout the Central and West Asia and North Africa region. Consequently, water resources have become scarce. Increasing municipal and industrial demand for water has resulted in steadily decreasing allocations for agriculture.