1st Edition

Economic Reforms and Food Security The Impact of Trade and Technology in South Asia

Edited By Suresh Babu, Ashok Gulati Copyright 2005
    504 Pages
    by CRC Press

    504 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Gain new insight on alleviating food insecurity in one of the poorest areas of the world!

    This book analyzes various facets of economic reforms in South Asia and their implications for attaining food security. It illuminates relevant issues regarding the constraints and challenges in achieving food security, focusing on South Asian countries where a large percentage of the world’s poor reside. This timely resource examines possible future courses of action involving trade and new technological advances to improve agriculture-led development in the region.

    Economic Reforms and Food Security: The Impact of Trade and Technology in South Asia focuses its attention on the economic reforms and experiences of six nations:

    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • India
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Economic Reforms and Food Security: The Impact of Trade and Technology in South Asia includes the most relevant presentations made at the South Asia Regional Conference held in New Delhi in April of 2002. The book features experts who present lively, important debate on such significant issues as:
    • current economic reforms—have they really enhanced food security?
    • trade liberalization—can the WTO and new trade opportunities handle food security concerns?
    • new technological options—how they contribute to agricultural production and food security
    • the challenges of water—pricing, subsidies, and other issues in irrigation
    • agricultural diversification and market reforms-how they increase food availability
    • interventions in food and nutrition security—short-term solutions to reduce food insecurity
    • and more!
    Economic Reforms and Food Security: The Impact of Trade and Technology in South Asia contains numerous tables and figures to demonstrate the current food situation in this area of the world and offers projections of where improvements can be made. Students and faculty of economics or South Asia will find this book extremely useful; it will also benefit development researchers, policymakers, and governmental officials who are searching for answers to poverty and starvation in developing countries. This text shows you how a concerted effort by governments, agencies, organizations, industries, and individuals—backed by adequate resources and changes in policies—can accelerate progress toward achieving sustainable food security for all.

    • About the Editors
    • Contributors
    • Foreword (Joachim von Braun, Isher Judge Alhuwalia, and Mangala Rai)
    • Acknowledgments
    • Introduction. Economic Reforms and Food Security in South Asia: An Overview of
      the Issues and Challenges (Suresh Chandra Babu and Ashok Gulati)
    • Background
    • Outline of the Book
    • Conclusion
    • PART I: ECONOMIC REFORMS, TRADE, TECHNOLOGY, AND FOOD
      SECURITY
    • Chapter 1. Have Economic Reforms Enhanced Food Security? (Manmohan Singh)
    • Chapter 2. Food Security in South Asia: A 2020 Perspective (Per Pinstrup-Andersen)
    • Introduction
    • Food Security Situation and Outlook to 2020
    • Driving Forces
    • Policy Priorities
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 3. Food Security in South Asia: Issues, Options, and Opportunities (Vijay S. Vyas)
    • The Concept of Food Security
    • The Status of Food Security
    • Public Policies
    • Regional Collaboration
    • PART II: TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND FOOD SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA
    • Chapter 4. WTO Agricultural Negotiations and Food Security in Developing Countries (Eugenio Díaz-Bonilla, Marcelle Thomas, and Sherman Robinson)
    • Introduction
    • Food and Nutrition Security
    • Trends in Food Security
    • Variety of Food Security Situations and Implications for WTO Negotiations
    • Trade Liberalization, Food Security, and Industrialized Countries
    • Food Security Problems in Developing Countries
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 5. Indian Agriculture, Food Security, and the WTO-AOA (Anwarul Hoda and Ashok Gulati)
    • The Emergence of Food Security Concerns in India
    • India and the AOA
    • Is the AOA a Threat to India’s Food Security?
    • The Real Trade Challenges to India’s Food Security
    • Ensuring Food Security: The Way Forward
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 6. Trade Liberalization and Food Security in Bangladesh (Paul Dorosh and Quazi Shahabuddin)
    • Introduction
    • The Rice Economy of Bangladesh
    • Bangladeshi Agricultural Policy in the Context of WTO
    • Conclusions and Policy Implications
    • PART III: TECHNOLOGY FOR FOOD SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA
    • Chapter 7. Technological Options for Achieving Food Security in South Asia (Panjab Singh)
    • Introduction
    • The Meaning of Food Security
    • Challenges for Ensuring Food Security
    • The Role of Technology in Ensuring Food Transfer
    • Impediments to Technology Transfer
    • Summing Up
    • Chapter 8. Future Challenges for the Rural South Asian Economy (Peter Hazell)
    • Introduction
    • Public Spending on Agriculture
    • From Food Security to Market-Driven Growth
    • Development of Less-Favored Regions
    • Agriculture and the Environment
    • Development of the Rural Nonfarm Economy
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 9. Intellectual Property Rights in South Asia: Opportunities and Constraints for Technology Transfer (Anitha Ramanna and Sangeeta Udgaonkar)
    • Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer
    • “Common Heritage” and the Technology Absorption Model
    • Policy Change
    • India’s Policy: A Case Study
    • Structure of the New IPR Regimes in South Asia
    • Opportunities/Constraints for Transfer of Technology
    • Policy Implications
    • PART IV: THE CHALLENGE OF WATER FOR FOOD SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA
    • Chapter 10. Emerging Water Issues in South Asia (Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Mark Rosegrant)
    • Introduction
    • Trends in Water Use in South Asia
    • Water and Food Security: The IMPACT-WATER Model
    • Consequences for Rural Livelihoods
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 11. Pricing, Subsidies, and Institutional Reforms in Indian Irrigation (K. V. Raju and Ashok Gulati)
    • Introduction
    • Irrigation Subsidies
    • “The Vicious Circle” and the Need for Reform
    • Reforming the Vicious Circle
    • Concluding Remarks
    • PART V: MARKET REFORMS, DIVERSIFICATION, AND FOOD SECURITY
    • Chapter 12. Agricultural Diversification in South Asia: Patterns, Determinants, and Policy Implications (P. K. Joshi, Ashok Gulati, Pratap S. Birthal, and Laxmi Tewari)
    • Introduction
    • Mapping Patterns of Diversification
    • Patterns of Agricultural Diversification in South Asia
    • Patterns of Agricultural Diversification in India
    • Determinants of Diversification
    • Implications of Diversification
    • Conclusions and Policy Implications
    • Chapter 13. Market Reform in Agriculture: An Indian Perspective (S. Mahendra Dev)
    • Introduction
    • The Problem of Grain Stock Overaccumulation and Needed Reforms
    • Other Agricultural Policies
    • Economic Access, Employment, and Rural Transformation
    • Concluding Observations
    • Chapter 14. Market Reform, Diversification, and Food Security in Sri Lanka (Saman Kelegama and Suresh Chandra Babu)
    • Introduction
    • Part I: Overview of Sri Lankan Agriculture
    • Part II: Post-WTO Market Reform
    • Part III: Agricultural Diversification
    • Part IV: Food Security
    • Concluding Remarks
    • Chapter 15. Food Security in Bhutan: Policy Challenges and Research Needs (Suresh Chandra Babu, Choni Dendup, and Deki Pema)
    • Introduction
    • The Role of Agriculture in Bhutan
    • Food Security in Bhutan
    • New Opportunities: Diversification and Trade
    • Food Policy Challenges and Research Needs
    • PART VI: FOOD SECURITY INTERVENTION IN SOUTH ASIA
    • Chapter 16. Feeding Minds While Fighting Poverty: Food for Education in Bangladesh (Akhter U. Ahmed and Carlo del Ninno)
    • Introduction
    • Overview of the FFE Program
    • Analysis of Program Effects
    • Conclusions for Policy
    • Chapter 17. Agricultural Trade Policy Issues for Pakistan in the Context of the AOA (Sarfraz Khan Qureshi)
    • Introduction
    • Pakistan’s Experience in Implementing the AOA
    • Experience with Food and Agricultural Trade
    • Issues of Concern in Further Negotiations on Agriculture
    • Chapter 18. Food Security in Nepal (Suman Sharma)
    • Poverty and Its Determinants in the Context of Food Insecurity
    • Food Security
    • Liberalization Policies, the Agricultural Perspective Plan, and Their Impact on Agriculture
    • Major Issues in the Current Policies and Programs
    • Chapter 19. Household Food and Nutrition Security in India (Abusaleh Shariff)
    • Introduction
    • The Structure of Food and Nutrition Insecurity
    • The Vulnerable Groups
    • Conclusion
    • PART VII: EMERGING ISSUES
    • Chapter 20. Emerging Issues in Trade and Technology: Implications for South Asia (Per Pinstrup-Andersen)
    • Making Globalization Work for Poor People
    • The Role of Science and Technology
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 21. Converting Policy Research into Policy Decisions: The Role of Communication and the Media (Klaus von Grebmer)
    • Competence in Research and Communications Leads to Impact
    • The Right Information in the Right Form at the Right Time
    • Reaching Out to the Media
    • Index
    • Reference Notes Included

    Biography

    Mark Rosegrant, Suresh Babu (International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA) (Edited by) , Isher Ahluwalia, Ashok Gulati (International Food Policy Research Institute, New Delhi, India) (Edited by) , Mangala Rai, Manmohan Singh (Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California, USA), Per Pinstrup-Andersen, V. Vyas, Eugenio Diaz-Bonilla, Marcelle Thomas, Sherman Robinson, Asnwarul Hoda, Paul Dorosh, Quazi Shahabuddin, Panjab Singh (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India), Peter Hazell, Anitha Ramanna, Sangeeta Udgaonkar, Ruth Meinzen-Dick, K. Raju.