Food production in 2050 will be sufficient, globally, but many of the poor will remain food insecure. The primary cause of food insecurity will continue to be poverty, rather than inadequate food production. Thus, policies and investments that increase the incomes of the poor will remain the best ways to extend food security to all. Investments that promote growth in sustainable agriculture and...

In the mind of the general public, the rural sector is equal to agriculture and for a great majority of policymakers, rural development continues to mean agricultural development. Not surprisingly, it is a sector traditionally covered at the governmental level by the ministries of agriculture, and at the international development level by agencies with an agricultural development mandate such a...

Chinese ecological agriculture (CEA) is a relatively recent agricultural and rural development approach, which has emerged in light of continuous efforts in exploring sustainable agriculture and rural development in modern China. Based on the discussion of the ecological agricultural concepts and practices in ancient China, as well as the agro-ecological problems that have emerged in modern Chi...

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is proposing to amend its regulation concerning the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program. This proposed rule will promulgate regulations for a new loan program that will provide both loans and grants for distance learning and telemedicine projects benefiting rural areas. The regulation is necessary to implement a new loan program mandated by the Fed...

the purpose of this delphi study was to develop a consensus listing of those characteristics that comprise an effective agriculture educator in rural areas. the delphi technique is effective in obtaining consensus among a purposively selected group of experts. researchers believe that the reliability is greater than 0.80 when delphi group responses numbered greater than 13. the population of th...

Agricultural growth has long been recognized as an important instrument for poverty reduction. Yet, measurements of this relationship are still scarce and not always reliable. This paper presents additional evidence at both the sectoral and household levels based on recent data. Results show that rural poverty reduction has been associated with growth in yields and in agricultural labor product...

birth and death indicators were examined through retrospective surveys conducted in 1985 and 1987 in the islamic republic of lran, reviewing 1984 and 1986 events, to obtain infant mortality rate (imr) and other necessary indicators for health planning and evaluation. comparison between 1985 and 1987 surveys revealed: 1. no major change in crude death rate ( 6.3 per 1000 in 1987 survey) had occu...