Syposis of the full IA report.

"A “supermarket revolution” has been underway in developing countries since the early 1990s.

"A growing body of evidence suggests that conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs can have strong, positive effects on a range of welfare indicators for poor households in developing countries.

"Encouraging signs of growth acceleration in Africa may herald a new development era of rapid transformation.

"Quantitative data are important in measuring, monitoring, and benchmarking the inputs, outputs, and performance of agricultural science and technology (S&T) systems.

The global agricultural economy is changing. Commodity prices are declining, and producers increasingly supply complex value chains. There is growing interest in how farmers can benefit from emerging market opportunities.

Those who study global poverty and ways to reduce it face a perennial set of questions: Do advances in knowledge, research, and technology make a real difference in the lives of poor people? What effect does research have on the poor?

Maize, the second most globally important staple crop after wheat, originated in Mexico, where it is typically grown as part of a set of associated crops and practices called the milpa system.

"A common criticism of antipoverty programs is that the high share of administrative (nontransfer) costs substantially reduces their effectiveness in alleviating poverty.

"This study compares the effects of importing fresh Mexican Hass avocados into the United States under three scenarios for mitigating pest risks. The analysis finds that Scenario 1, adherence to the U.S.

""This paper reports on a study of farmers’ assessment of different types of maize germplasm—improved varieties, landraces, and creolized varieties—in two poor, but contrasting, regions of Mexico.

""El presente reporte tiene como objetivo principal identificar dinámicas institucionales que permitan aumentar la efectividad de las políticas científicas, tecnológicas y de innovación agrícolas en países en desarrollo.

Agricultural development policies and programs, including extension and support for innovation, implicitly assume that the whole target population has the ability to innovate.