Sustainable Rural and Urban Development Unit of the World Bank?s Development
Research Department
invite you to a discussion featuring a new book from IFPRI, The World Bank,
Johns Hopkins University Press
Transforming the Rural Nonfarm Economy
Opportunities and Threats in the Developing World
Edited by Steven Haggblade, Peter Hazell, and Thomas Reardon
Contrary to the conventional belief that rural economies subsist on agriculture,
nonfarm work actually accounts for between one-third and one-half of rural
incomes in the developing world. The nonfarm rural economy, a vibrant, often
fast-growing, small-scale service and manufacturing sector, holds much promise
both for overall economic growth and pro-poor rural and agricultural
transformation. But it is also threatened by globalization, competition from
larger businesses, and other trends.
How can this rapidly evolving segment of the economy contribute to economic
growth and poverty reduction, despite the many risks? A new book answers this
question in detail. Contributors examine the varied scale, structure, and
composition of the rural nonfarm economy; the role of public intervention in
this sector; the ways that poor people can successfully navigate the rapid
transition underway in rural areas; and the most effective policy environment.
For more information on the book, visit:
http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/jhu/transformrural.asp
?Policymakers focus on macro-magnitudes first, urban-industrial growth next,
agriculture last, and on the rural nonfarm economy hardly at all. Yet it creates
at least one-third of rural income, output, and employment, and faces huge new
prospects, but also huge threats, from post-liberalization supply chains. This
path-breaking book organizes numerous examples and experiences into a new
picture of what causes or impedes rural nonfarm growth, what makes it pro-poor,
and what governments can do about it.?
--Michael Lipton, Research Professor of Economics, Poverty Research Unit,
University of Sussex
Friday, December 14
12:00 - 1:30 pm
World Bank J Building, Auditorium J1-050
MODERATED BY
Regina Birner
Senior Research Fellow, Development Strategy and Governance Division, IFPRI
OPENING REMARKS BY
Forhad Shilpi
Senior Economist, Development Economics Research Group, World Bank
.
PRESENTED BY
Steven Haggblade
Professor of International Development, Michigan State University and co-editor
of the book
Paul Dorosh
Senior economist, Spatial and Local Development Team, Sustainable Development
Network, World Bank and book contributor
DISCUSSED BY
John Horton
Senior natural resource specialist, Inter-American Development Bank
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About IFPRI
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) was established in 1975
to provide sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI is one of
15 agricultural research centers that receive their principal funding from
governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations,
most of which are members of the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research.
For more information, visit www.ifpri.org
About the InfoShop
The InfoShop is the public information center of the World Bank and serves as a
forum for substantial debate on international development. Our extensive events
program consists of more than 250 events over the past two years and has hosted
many internationally recognized speakers including Queen Noor, Francis Fukuyama,
Jeffrey Sachs, Amartya Sen, Joseph Stiglitz, Thomas Friedman, and Carly Fiorina.
The InfoShop functions as the only publicly accessible space at headquarters and
provides internal and external audiences with over 15,000 titles published by
the World Bank, international organizations, and other publishers on development
issues.
For more information, visit: www.worldbank.org/infoshop
