Preface to the First Update of the Agriculture Investment Sourcebook

Objective of updating the Sourcebook:

The Agriculture Investment Sourcebook, upon its release in February 2004, and till date is one of the most popular, most downloaded and requested ARD document. This underscored the fundamental need to ensure that the information within the Sourcebook was most current and relevant. The Sourcebook aimed to be a living document and it was expected that as experience is gained with new innovations and as existing investments are proven fit for up-scaling, the new information will be compiled in the subsequent versions of the Agriculture Investment Sourcebook.

The structure and format of each module has been retained as has some of the information within each module that is still relevant. Each module has been thoroughly reviewed and updated for obsolete information and redundant facts and statistics. The updated version of the Sourcebook includes topics that capture new issues and areas and maintains the primary purpose of the Sourcebook which was to help in implementing the rural strategy, Reaching the Rural Poor, by sharing information on investment options and innovative approaches that will aid the design of future lending programs for agriculture.

What’s New?

• One New Module:
  
  
  • Module 6 - Investment in Fisheries and Aquaculture: Rapid population growth in developing countries, increased disposable incomes, particularly in Asia, and changing consumer preferences have dramatically increased global demands for aquatic foods. Proliferation of more efficient capture technologies, decades of government subsidies increased market access even for remote fishing communities and development programs aimed at increasing production from fragile open-access resources has led to widescale depletion of fish resources. The growing concerns over the sustainability of wild fish stocks is acerbated by further concerns over the impact on aquatic ecosystems of rapidly expanding aquaculture production. Long-term investments to insure the sustainability of capture fisheries and aquaculture are needed at many political and societal levels in planning, ecosystems-based resource management, and the post-harvest sector, in human resources and applied science and extension institutions, especially in collaborative business and organizational development.

This new module contains

• An overview
• Three Agriculture Investment Notes – AINs (Implementing the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; Managing Capture Fisheries; and  Aquaculture Production Systems)
• Four Innovative Activity Profile – IAPs (Bangladesh: Listening to the voice of the poor; China: Integrated Coastal Zone Management for Sustaining Marine Resources; India: Income Generation through Aquaculture; and Indonesia: Community-Based Coral Reef Management)

• Six New Agriculture Investment Notes (AINs).
  
  • Module 2 - Design and Implementation of IPR Regimes to Support Plant Breeding in Developing Countries.
  • Module 4 - Promoting Efficient and Sustainable Fertilizer Use in Africa
  • Module 7 - Food Safety and Agricultural Health
  • Module 8 - Commercial Banks Entering Rural Markets
  • Module 11 - Strengthening Agricultural Markets in Areas Affected by Conflict.
  • Module 11 - Reducing Agricultural Vulnerability to Natural Hazards
    
  
  
• Nine New Innovative Activity Profile (IAPs):
  • Module 1 - Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project Irrigation Sector Public Expenditure Review to Assess Project Fiscal Impact.
  • Module 2 - Romania Agricultural Support Services Project: Competitive Grant Support for Provision of Technology and Information to Private Farmers in the ECA Region
  • Module 3 – Vietnam: Using Entertainment-Education (EE) Approach to Motivate Rice Farmers to Reduce Pesticides in the Mekong Basin.
  • Module 4 - Developing rural agricultural input supply systems for farmers in Africa (Malawi, Kenya, Uganda.
  • Module 8 - Mongolia: Technological Innovation Serving Rural Areas (Khan Bank of Mongolia.
  • Module 8 - Mexico:  The Use of Reverse Factoring To Provide Finance – NAFIN.
  • Module 10 - Kyrgyz Republic: Benefits of Securing and Registering Land for Rural Development.
  • Module 11 - Afghanistan: Supporting Food Security by Establishing Village-Based Seed Enterprises (VBSE).