Structure of the Sourcebook
The Sourcebook is intended as a ready reference for practitioners (World Bank staff and their partners in borrowing countries) seeking summary information on the state of the art about good practice for agricultural investments, and innovative activities that merit close monitoring for potential scaling up. Box 1. The Sourcebook Modules - Building Agricultural Policy and Institutional Capacity
- Investments in Agricultural Science and Technology
- Investments in Agricultural Extension and Information Services
- Investments in Sustainable Agricultural Intensification
- Investments in Sustainable Natural Resource Management
- Investment in Fisheries and Aquaculture
- Investments in Agribusiness and Market Development
- Investments in Rural Finance for Agriculture
- Investments in Irrigation and Drainage
- Investments in Land Administration, Policy, and Markets
- Managing Agricultural Risk, Vulnerability, and Disaster
- Scaling Up Agricultural Investments in the Bank’s Changing Internal Environment
Source: Authors |
The Sourcebook is divided into eleven self-contained modules (see box 1). Each module contains three different types of subunits, which can also be stand-alone documents: A Module Overview provides a summary of the major issues and investment options for each investment area, and is intended as a broad introduction to the topic.
Several Agricultural Investment Notes (AINs) summarize good practice (and sometimes bad practice) in specific investment areas, to provide a brief, but technically sound, overview for the nonspecialist. For each AIN the investments have been evaluated in different settings for effectiveness and sustainability, and can be broadly endorsed by the community of practitioners from within and outside the Bank.
Several Innovative Activity Profiles (IAPs) highlight design of successful or innovative investments. These provide a short description of an activity in the Bank’s portfolio or that of a partner agency, focusing on potential effectiveness in poverty reduction, empowerment, or sustainability. Activities profiled have often not been sufficiently tested and evaluated in a range of settings to be considered “good practice,” but should be closely monitored for potential scaling up.
The Sourcebook thus provides introductions to topics, but not detailed guidelines on “how to” design and implement investments. The stand-alone nature of each subunit of the Sourcebook allows flexibility and adaptability of the materials, but necessarily results in some replication of the issues covered. Selected readings and Web links1 are provided for readers who seek more in-depth information and examples of practical experience.
1 A list of Websites where many selected readings can be obtained is provided in Appendix 1. Since specific Web links are often cumbersome and become quickly outdated, only the generic institutional Web links are provided.   
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