World Development Report 2008 WDR 2008 Presentation (520 KB) es

Tegucigalpa – On March 28, 2008, the World Bank Country Office and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock hosted an event aimed at disseminating highlights of the World Development Report 2008 (WDR 2008) – Agriculture for Development.  The event, held at the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), was attended by some ninety representatives from Government, the private sector, academia and the international community. 

The Country Manager, Adrian Fozzard, welcomed the guests stating that “to use agriculture for economic development in the countries that are oriented to agriculture, such as Honduras, a transformation is required in productivity, particularly among the small producers, who form the bulk of agricultural producers in Honduras.  The public sector must provide essential public services (e.g., sanitary and phytosanitary controls, research and development), improve the investment climate, put in place policies to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources and maximize the achievement of desirable social impacts.”


The keynote speaker, Edward Bresnyan, Senior Rural Development Economist, shared the principal messages of the WDR 2008.  Mr. Bresnyan stressed that GDP growth originating in agriculture is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as is GDP growth originating outside of agriculture.  Subsequently, an expert panel, which included Lic. Mayra Falck, Economist, Panamerican Agricultural School (Zamorano); Ing. Mirza Castro, Director, Climatic Change Program, SERNA; and Pablo Rodas-Martini, Chief Economist, CABEI, commented on various aspects of the WDR 2008 while bringing the Honduran context to the discussion.

The World Bank, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, has been carrying out important projects in support of rural and agricultural development.  Currently in the pipeline for Honduras is a Rural Competitiveness Project, known locally as COMRURAL.  This project is expected to benefit approximately 7,000 families in seven Western department of Honduras with productive and tourism potential.