The World Bank’s annual World Development Report (WDR) is a comprehensive study on the economic, social and environmental state of the world. Each year, the report provides an in depth analysis focused on a specific aspect of development. For the first time in 25 years, the WDR addressed issues on agriculture and development. On February 19-29, 2008, major contributors to the report met at the World Bank in Washington, DC and presented their findings. They shared their recommendations on how the Bank might best operationalize the WDR, noting that one of the more significant challenges the Bank faces is an increasingly aggressive and competitive global market environment.
The second session of the event included three panels discussions. The first panel included members of the WDR Task Force: Christopher Delgado, Agriculture and Rural Development Advisor, Luc Christiaensen, Senior Economist, Operations and Policy, Sustainable Development, M. Salah Darghouth, Advisor, Energy Transport and Water, Paul A. Dorosh, Senior Economist, Finance Economics & Urban Development and Stephen D. Mink, Lead Economist, Sustainable Development at the World Bank.
Delgado, reiterated the keen endorsement for the report. He emphasized the urgency of disseminating its messages on both a universal level and more targeted level. WDR 2008 has many strategic and accepted elements which provide the basis for a dialogue on the specifics, he said. He recommended performing better analysis at the country level and a move toward more integrated networks.
Other panel members discussed issues such as: 1) how to best approach integrating rural infrastructure with agriculture for growth and poverty alleviation, 2) identifying the highest returns to infrastructure, 3) methods for improving the evaluation of rural projects (i.e., Vietnam), and 4) the possibility of working with value chains and linkages. The concluded that while there are areas where the sustainable development structure is working, institutional internal constraints remain.
The next panel on discussed the topic, “Promoting the Inclusion of Small Holders in Growing Markets” and included Marie-Helene Collion , Lead Agricultural Services Specialist John Lamb, Senior Agribusiness Specialist, Nicolas Perrin, Social Development Specialist, and Dina Umali-Deininger, Lead Agriculture Economist at the World Bank. The panel focused on trends in global agricultural food markets. They questioned where the small holders fit in these markets. The main challenges would be identifying the best way to exploit opportunities and determining what best practice tools exist for linking small holders. There was a brief discussion on other competitive dynamics such as supply change management shifting to value chain upgrading and procurement practices.
A third panel spoke on the following topic: “Securing Environmental Services from Agriculture and Adapting to Climate Change”. Members included Enos E. Esikuri, Senior Environmental Sepcialist, Juan Pablo Ruiz, Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist, Sustainable Development, and Karina Bracer, Bank partner with Eco Systems Services and Tropical America/The Katoomba Group. The panel presented a brief overview of the benefits and impacts of payment for eco system services. Payment for services can potentially help overcome market failures and also provide watershed and environmental protection. The increasing consumer demand for environmental sustainable practices was discussed along with the need to be able to meet U.S. and European certification standards.
Bracer, provided an overview of the organization’s capabilities. Ruiz presented results from an eco system management pilot program in Columbia, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. He highlighted the real life ways in which eco system management can serve as a tool and/or an incentive to farmers.
Finally, Megumi Muto, a Bank partner with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) was the final presenter. Muto discussed possible scenarios for what could happen to Japanese aid and bilateral assistance. She spoke of how the Bank could carry its external partners on the WDR platform.
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