Other Rural Study

112 items available

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https://hdl.handle.net/10986/2207

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Smart Villages in Azerbaijan: A Framework for Analysis and Roadmap
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03) World Bank
This paper is the main output of an analytical and research program aimed at identifying policy options to develop technology and social innovation driven smart village approaches that can improve service delivery and local economic development in rural areas. The concept of smart villages focuses on enabling communities - in partnership with local government and the private sector - to identify opportunities and solutions that are right for their own areas based on demand (bottom-up and participatory needs assessment), on transferring knowledge and innovation, and on policy incentives. With these three elements in place, customized smart solutions for rural areas can result in greater local economic development with better connectivity and improved services, increased livelihoods and incomes, and improved quality of life. The paper is presented in six sections, each representing an element of the research and analysis undertaken to define and apply the concept of smart villages in Azerbaijan. The first section presents the context of rural development, particularly aspects which relate to the rural-urban divide, public policies, and programs aimed at advancing rural development, as well as the digital dimensions of development. The second section introduces the concept of smart villages. What does this mean? How do other countries apply this term? What are the core principles and elements? Following from the definition and global examples of smart villages, the paper lays out a framework for assessing the smart village readiness of villages in Azerbaijan, viewing them as spatial clusters and drawing on global big data and national data sources to rank village clusters with common spatial characteristics as the most versus the least ready to apply smart village approaches.
Connecting the Dots: Transport, Poverty, and Social Inclusion - Evidence from Armenia
(World Bank, Yerevan, 2017-12) World Bank
This report examines the impact of rural connectivity on poverty, access to basic services, and income in Armenia, a country which has found itself in a low-growth, low-investment nexus, with stalled poverty reduction. This study attempts to shed light on the linkages between transport and poverty in Armenia. The rest of the report is structured as follows: Section 1 explains the evolution of selected social, economic, and demographic indicators for Armenia during the analysis period; Section 2 lays out the conceptual framework for operationalizing shared prosperity and poverty in rural transport operations; Section 3 proposes a systematic but non-exhaustive collection of literature on rural road impact studies in low- and middle-income countries; Section 4 examines regional gaps in accessibility to markets and services which were computed with the use of the first geographic information system (GIS) based mapping platform of its kind in Armenia, and introduces the potential association between accessibility and poverty in Armenia; Section 5 characterizes key social and economic indicators in the project’s immediate area of influence to then summarize household-level outcomes obtained from a comprehensive qualitative analysis and community-level findings resulting from a nighttime lights analysis; and Section 6 summarizes the lessons learnt and the directions for future research. The report concludes with policy implications from this research and directions for future analytical and operational work on transport and poverty in Armenia.
Implementation of the Land Governance Assessment Framework in the Republic of Croatia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-01) Roić, Miodrag
The Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) is a diagnostic tool to assess the status of land governance at country level using a participatory process that draws systematically on existing evidence and local expertise rather than on outsiders. The analysis covers nine themes: land tenure recognition; rights to forest and common lands and rural land use regulations; urban land use, planning, and development; public land management; process for transfer of public land to private use; public provision of land information (land administration and information systems); land valuation and taxation; dispute resolution and review of institutional arrangements and policies. The assessment follows a scorecard approach and produces a matrix of policy priorities matrix. The LGAF process helps to establish a consensus on (i) gaps in existing evidence; (ii) areas for regulatory or institutional change, piloting of new approaches, and interventions to improve land governance on a broader scale (e.g. by strengthening land rights and improving their enforcement); and (iii) criteria to assess the effectiveness of these measures. This report presents the result for Republic of Croatia.
Issues and Options for Improved Land Sector Governance in Ukraine
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014) Muliar, Oleksandr; Kaliberda, Oleksandr; Kulynych, Pavlo; Egiashvili, David
The Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) is a diagnostic tool to assess the status of land governance at country level using a participatory process that draws systematically on existing evidence and local expertise rather than on outsiders. The analysis covers nine themes: land tenure recognition; rights to forest and common lands and rural land use regulations; urban land use, planning, and development; public land management; process for transfer of public land to private use; public provision of land information (land administration and information systems); land valuation and taxation; dispute resolution and review of institutional arrangements and policies. The assessment follows a scorecard approach and produces a matrix of policy priorities matrix. The LGAF process helps to establish a consensus on (i) gaps in existing evidence; (ii) areas for regulatory or institutional change, piloting of new approaches, and interventions to improve land governance on a broader scale (e.g. by strengthening land rights and improving their enforcement); and (iii) criteria to assess the effectiveness of these measures. This report presents the result for Ukraine.
Improving Land Sector Governance in Georgia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-08) Egiashvili, David
The Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) is a diagnostic tool to assess the status of land governance at country level using a participatory process that draws systematically on existing evidence and local expertise rather than on outsiders. The analysis covers nine themes: land tenure recognition; rights to forest and common lands and rural land use regulations; urban land use, planning, and development; public land management; process for transfer of public land to private use; public provision of land information (land administration and information systems); land valuation and taxation; dispute resolution and review of institutional arrangements and policies. The assessment follows a scorecard approach and produces a matrix of policy priorities matrix. The LGAF process helps to establish a consensus on (i) gaps in existing evidence; (ii) areas for regulatory or institutional change, piloting of new approaches, and interventions to improve land governance on a broader scale (e.g. by strengthening land rights and improving their enforcement); and (iii) criteria to assess the effectiveness of these measures. This report presents the result for Georgia.
Turkey : Rural Finance Study, Volume 2. Expanded Report
(Washington, DC, 2006-05) World Bank
Over the past five years in Turkey, the agricultural and rural sector has seen substantial change in transfer policies which now place greater emphasis on improved equity and investment. These have been summarized in the earlier World Bank "Review of the Impact of the Reform of Agricultural Sector Subsidization (2004), and "Policy and Investment Priorities for Agricultural and Rural Development" (2005). Currently, the structural changes in the agricultural sector and rural employment generation in response to labor shedding in the agricultural sector are key challenges to which Turkey is responding in the design of and agricultural and rural development strategy. However, the impact of government transfers and public investment policies in the rural sector will be limited unless the supply of, access to, and demand for rural financial services is significantly increased. For these reasons, the Turkey Rural Finance study (RFS) seeks to establish a policy agenda for the Government of Turkey (GOT) in order to contribute to the effort of renewed growth of the rural financial system after a period of prolonged decline. In order to inform this policy agenda, the study also has aimed at portraying the situation of rural financial markets in Turkey and determining the factors influencing the use of financial services by rural households and the constraints affecting the availability of financial services in rural areas. The findings and measures recommended by this study are also important for Turkey's on-going rural sector dialogue with the European Commission (EC), as increased access of small rural enterprises to financial services is desired for improved absorption by these enterprises of EC funding under the Instrument for Pre-Accession programs in rural areas. The findings of the RFS, based on two surveys of rural households and financial intermediaries carried out in 2004 and on other financial data compiled in 2005, reveal that rural financial markets perform relatively poorly, leading to low incidences in the use of financial services by rural households and therefore limiting their ability to take advantage of growth opportunities and/or accumulation of assets. For example while the agricultural sector accounts for roughly 10-15 percent of GDP, it receives only 5 percent of all bank loans. Based on the survey of rural households, over 70 percent of rural households were found to be credit constrained, and only 9 percent of surveyed rural households reported making investment outlays in 2004.
Turkey : Rural Finance Study, Volume 1. Main Report
(Washington, DC, 2006-05) World Bank
Over the past five years in Turkey, the agricultural and rural sector has seen substantial change in transfer policies which now place greater emphasis on improved equity and investment. These have been summarized in the earlier World Bank "Review of the Impact of the Reform of Agricultural Sector Subsidization (2004), and "Policy and Investment Priorities for Agricultural and Rural Development" (2005). Currently, the structural changes in the agricultural sector and rural employment generation in response to labor shedding in the agricultural sector are key challenges to which Turkey is responding in the design of and agricultural and rural development strategy. However, the impact of government transfers and public investment policies in the rural sector will be limited unless the supply of, access to, and demand for rural financial services is significantly increased. For these reasons, the Turkey Rural Finance study (RFS) seeks to establish a policy agenda for the Government of Turkey (GOT) in order to contribute to the effort of renewed growth of the rural financial system after a period of prolonged decline. In order to inform this policy agenda, the study also has aimed at portraying the situation of rural financial markets in Turkey and determining the factors influencing the use of financial services by rural households and the constraints affecting the availability of financial services in rural areas. The findings and measures recommended by this study are also important for Turkey's on-going rural sector dialogue with the European Commission (EC), as increased access of small rural enterprises to financial services is desired for improved absorption by these enterprises of EC funding under the Instrument for Pre-Accession programs in rural areas. The findings of the RFS, based on two surveys of rural households and financial intermediaries carried out in 2004 and on other financial data compiled in 2005, reveal that rural financial markets perform relatively poorly, leading to low incidences in the use of financial services by rural households and therefore limiting their ability to take advantage of growth opportunities and/or accumulation of assets. For example while the agricultural sector accounts for roughly 10-15 percent of GDP, it receives only 5 percent of all bank loans. Based on the survey of rural households, over 70 percent of rural households were found to be credit constrained, and only 9 percent of surveyed rural households reported making investment outlays in 2004.
The Dynamics of Vertical Coordination in Agrifood Chains in Eastern Europe and Central Asia : Implications for Policy and World Bank Operations
(Washington, DC, 2005-06) World Bank
A major problem in the transition countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) during the transition was the breakdown of the relationships of farms with input suppliers and output markets. The simultaneous privatization and restructuring of the farms and of the up- and downstream companies in the agrifood chain has caused major disruptions. The result is that many farms and rural households face serious constraints in accessing essential inputs (feed, fertilizer, seeds, capital, etc.) and in selling their products. The problems are worsened by the lack of public institutions necessary to support market-based transactions, such as for enforcing property rights and contractual agreements. In the absence of appropriate public institutions, private contractual initiatives, often from large food and agribusiness companies, are emerging to overcome these obstacles. Large traders, agribusinesses, and food processing companies, often as part of their own restructuring or following foreign investment, start contracting with the farms and rural households and provide basic inputs in return for guaranteed and quality supplies. This process of interlinked contracting, called vertical coordination, is growing rapidly in ECA agriculture and rural areas. This report pinpoints unresolved issues related to efficiency, equity, and government policy. As a part of its analysis, the report identifies options for improved policies, institutions, and investments which Governments could make, and which the World Bank could support, in order to improve links in agricultural marketing and processing chains and increase access of farmers to input and output markets.
Drought : Management and Mitigation Assessment for Central Asia and the Caucasus
(Washington, DC, 2005-03) World Bank
The objective of this study is to raise awareness and understanding of exposure and vulnerability to drought in Central Asian countries and the Caucasus and to introduce a strategic, pro-active framework of mitigation and prevention. The audiences of the report are the governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in the Caucasus and Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia. The report will further be of interest to NGOs and civil society, as well as donors. More specifically, the report should help the ministries of, agriculture, irrigation and water resource management, environment, meteorological services, emergency services, and regional and local government (including municipalities) to improve their preparedness for future droughts. The report explores the ways that effective management and mitigation can soften the impact of drought in Central Asia and the Caucasus and reduce damage and relief and recovery costs. The inquiry begins with an examination of types of drought and exposure to them. Chapter 2 contains an analysis of vulnerabilities to drought, as well as the capacity of the disaster management structure to mitigate and respond to slow-onset natural disasters of this nature. The ensuing chapter covers different types of drought in 2000-01 (meteorological, hydrological, agricultural, and socioeconomic drought) and analyzes the measures taken to manage and mitigate them. The conclusion of the report provides recommendations concerning how international agencies including the World Bank can coordinate and synergistically assist the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus in successfully creating and implementing a drought management and mitigation strategy.
Rural Infrastructure in Armenia : Addressing Gap in Service Delivery
(Washington, DC, 2004-09-01) World Bank
This report provides public policy makers with the information necessary to develop a rural infrastructure strategy, it was not intended to represent a strategy per se, merely to highlight the issues that need greater consideration in the definition of a strategy. It starts with an inventory of existing rural infrastructure assets and a description of current institutional arrangements. It follows with a snapshot of local preferences and priorities for rural infrastructure development. It goes on to provide a provisional estimate of the costs of rehabilitating and maintaining a basic minimum level of infrastructure in all rural communities, and the incremental costs of enhanced levels, where economically justified. It concludes with a framework to assist in the setting of investment priorities and recommendations for the development of a rural strategy and action plan.