Download or read book Toward a Financially Sustainable Irrigation System written by K. J. Langford and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water resource management policies worldwide are at a crossroads. On the one hand, a remarkable consensus on the principles of reform has emerged. On the other hand, it has turned out to be difficult to transfer the principles into reality. This document describes the distinctive experience of water reform in the state of Victoria, Australia, which has been a leader in the field. The document is a compelling "insiders' view" by three professionals who played central roles in the process. Although the Victoria experience emerges from a specific natural, cultural, historical and political context, the generic lessons on the technical and political reform procedures and the links between them are of profound relevance to those engaged in the water reform process throughout the world.
Download or read book Toward a Financially Sustainable Irrigation System written by K. J. Langford and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Incentives and Instruments for Sustainable Irrigation written by Henning Bjornlund and published by WIT Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: or impeded the successful outcomes." --Book Jacket.
Download or read book Towards environmentally sustainable agriculture in the Indus Basin Irrigation System Final report written by and published by IWMI. This book was released on with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Charging for Irrigation Services written by Frank van Steenbergen and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2006-11-01 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Irrigation is the dominant consumer of fresh water world-wide, accounting for as much as 80% of use in many water-short countries. Two issues dominate the problems in water resources management generally, and especially the management of irrigation systems: scarcity of water to meet competing demands, and scarcity of funds to finance operation, maintenance and renewal of existing facilities. Various international conferences, donor policies and academic papers have pointed to the contribution that appropriate irrigation service charging systems can make to both problems. This book is unique in that it connects policy objectives in water pricing with the practicalities of a setting up an irrigation water charging systems. It discusses the different types of water charging systems as well as the basis for quantifying and calculating the charges in the real world. Based on practical experiences in a range of countries , it also looks at possibilities for cost rationalizations and developing a broad range of revenue streams. The book concludes with a systematic explanation on how to design an irrigation water charging system - looking at assessment, billing and improving collection performance.
Download or read book Institutional Reform for Irrigation and Drainage written by Fernando J. Gonzalez and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If sustainable management of tropical forests is to be accomplished and deforestation brought under control, the on-the-ground performance of existing forest concessions, along with the allocation of new concessions, will have to be strengthened. This study examines the failures of forest concessions and the loss of tropical forests due to mismanagement during the last two decades. It also emphasizes the potential gains resulting from strengthening the allocation, management, and supervision of concessions by concentrating on improving procedures, introducing performance incentives, and monitoring key performance elements
Download or read book Financial Integration Vulnerabilities to Crisis and EU Accession in Five Central European Countries written by Mustapha K. Nabli and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A major source of vulnerability in the CE5 is their nascent financial systems and their ability to handle large and increasing volume of capital. As the experience of East Asia demonstrates, a high priority should be given to improving the quality and performance of the banking system.'- From 'Financial Integration, Vulnerabilities to Crisis, and EU Accession in Five Central European Countries'The objective of this study is to help assess the possible vulnerabilities in a number of Central European countries as they proceed with global financial integration and EU accession. The report focuses on those countries slated to be the first in the region to join the EU, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia (CE5). The study: Discusses the context and presents a short description of the CE5 countries' experience in attracting capital flows Analyzes the manifestations of vulnerability to financial crises and sustainability of foreign capital flows to the CE5 Interprets the results and draws implications in view of the initial conditions of the various countries Compares the EU accession of the CE5 to the Southern Mediterranean countries' accession to the EC in the 1980s Draws conclusions and makes recommendations
Download or read book Bridging Troubled Waters written by George Keith Pitman and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, 166 million people in 18 countries lack access to adequate water resources, and it is estimated that by 2025, the number of people affected will increase to approximately three billion or 40 per cent of the worlds population. There is now an international consensus that the severity of the problem requires a strategic approach that emphasises the equitable and sustainable management of water resources. This report examines the implementation of the World Banks 1993 Water Resources Management policy and evaluates the effectiveness of strategies adopted which seek to address identified problems. It also makes recommendations for improving World Bank policy and strategy in the water sector.
Download or read book Charging for Irrigation Water written by C. J. Perry and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2001 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: nadequate funding for maintenance of irrigation works and emerging shortages of water are prevalent. The use of water charges to generate resources for maintenance and to reduce demand is widely advocated. Examples from other utilities, and from the domestic/industrial sectors of water supply suggest the approach could be effective. In developing countries, the facilities required for measured and controlled delivery of irrigation are rarely in place, and would require a massive investment in physical, legal and administrative infrastructure. To be effective in curtailing demand, the marginal price of water must be significant. The price levels required to cover operation and maintenance (O&M) costs are too low to have a substantial impact on demand, much less to actually bring supply and demand into balance. On the other hand, the prices required to control demand are unlikely to be within the politically feasible range. Furthermore, water supplied is a proper measure of service in domestic and industrial uses. But in irrigation, and especially as the water resource itself becomes constrained, water consumption is the appropriate unit for water accounting. This is exceptionally difficult to measure. An alternative approach to cope with shortage would focus on assigning volumes to specific uses–effectively rationing water where demand exceeds supply. This approach has a number of potential benefits including simplicity, transparency, and the potential to tailor allocations specifically to hydrological situations, particularly where salinity is a problem. Data from Iran are presented to support these contentions.
Download or read book Reshaping Environments written by Helena Bender and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-10-08 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reshaping Environments: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Sustainability in a Complex World draws together a team of specialist authors from disciplines including urban planning, social sciences, engineering and environmental science to examine the diverse influences humans have upon the natural environment. This interdisciplinary approach presents multifaceted responses for complex environmental issues. The book explores current environmental science theories to provide a solid foundation of theoretical knowledge. Drawing on a range of case studies, it develops core analytical skills for application to real-world environmental issues. Reshaping Environments gives environmental science students the tools and insight to comprehend the range of influences society imposes on the natural environment. It is essential reading for those interested in creating a mutually beneficial future for human society and the natural environment.
Download or read book The Role of Food Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries in Human Nutrition Volume III written by Victor R. Squires and published by EOLSS Publications. This book was released on 2011-11-15 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Role of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Human Nutrition is a component of Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Human health and wellbeing depend strongly on production, quality, and availability of food. Agriculture, or cultivation of the soil, harvesting crops, and raising livestock, which are the main sources of food, has no single origin. At different times and in numerous places, many plants and animals have been domesticated to provide food for humankind. Fishing, like farming, is a form of primary food production. Through food gathering, primitive humans first obtained fish and other aquatic products in the shallow waters of lakes and along the seashore, in areas with ebb tides, and in small streams. The breadth and complexity of the subject matter presented here is vast. This volume traces the extraordinary history of human colonization of the habitable world and is a chronicle of humankind’s early communion with the underlying realities of the earth’s physical environment, the eventual destruction of this harmonious relationship, and efforts to repair the damage. To make it easier for the reader the volume is divided into 7 sections Food and agriculture and the use of natural resources examines the relationship between food production and the resource base and demonstrate how humans have adapted and exploited Nature to feed the burgeoning populations of humans and their domestic animals. History of forestry from ancient times to the present day is analyzed and shows the linkage between forest clearance for agriculture and the rise of human populations, and current global environmental issues. History of Fishing is a saga explained that spans the full range from traditional fishing for subsistence through to the evolution of modern factory fishing fleets Impact of global change on agriculture outlines the impact of climate change, human demographic trends and the sustainability issues that arise. Economics and policy of food production analyzes the global trade in foodstuffs and the regional specializations and land use complexities. Fundamentals of human health and nutrition explains the complexities of providing a balanced and safe diet for humans throughout their life cycle from birth to old age. It explores some of the linkages between human health and the quality and quantity of food provided. Human nutrition: an overview provides, a wide ranging summary of the issues and imperatives associated with providing humans with food of a quality and standard that will ensure healthy lives. In the history of human development from the time of the earliest agricultural activities humans have cleared the natural forests and woodlands to obtain building materials and fuel wood, and to provide lands for domestic animals and crops. It is this aspect that is the main focus of the volume. The authors in this volume have analyzed and reviewed the interactions between the utilization of natural resources and human nutrition. Much attention focuses on the specific contribution by agriculture (including livestock husbandry), forestry and fisheries in meeting human needs. This synoptic overview assesses the pattern of past change in the relationship between humans and the resource base on which their lives depend. Lessons learned, or still to be learned, are teased out and elaborated. The vast breadth of the subject matter covered in this volume has meant that the work has benefited from the input of many individual contributors from vastly different parts of the globe. I am grateful to the contributors and reviewers for their time and effort and the exchange of ideas and the learning experience that I obtained by working with such a diverse and learned group. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the vast "invisible college" of colleagues whose publications that have shed light on some of the most pertinent problems facing humankind today. These four volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.
Download or read book Assessment of Corporate Sector Value and Vulnerability written by Dale F. Gray and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Once equity has fallen below a certain threshold for a significant period of time, it triggers a suspension of debt payments and distorts incentives for equity holds and managers. But what is a significant period of time? You or I could pay a $10 million annual mortgage payment for a day or two but not two or three months. Similarly, owners and managers can withstand short periods of illiquidity or negative equity but not longer ones. At some point in time, the inability to meet obligations and perception of continued difficulties creates a system-wide breakdown in debt payments." The relationship between the corporate sector and a country's macroeconomy is receiving increased attention from policymakers and investors, especially those affected by the Asian crisis. Recent crises have pointed out the importance of improving our understanding of the links between the corporate sector, the financial sector, and the macroeconomy in a world of volatile capital flows. Assessing the vulnerability of the corporate sector and its links to financial and exchange rate crisis is important for both improved surveillance and in the design of policies in crisis countries. However, the analytical and operational tools available to policymakers and investors to analyze this problem have been limited. This Technical Paper was prepared as part of an initiative to develop new frameworks which can integrate state-of-the art corporate finance principles, macroeconomic, and financial sector analysis. An innovative yet practical framework is provided which has numerous applications for assessing corporate sector vulnerability, design of corporate restructuring strategies, as well as financial sector and macroeconomic policies. It will be of interest to bankers, economic policymakers, corporate finance specialists, and macroeconomists.
Download or read book Dismantling Russia s Nonpayments System written by Brian Pinto and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One question preoccupies many scholars and practitioners: How can economic growth in the Russian Federation be reinvigorated? This report contributes to the current debate.Nonpayments in Russia evolved into a complex, inter-linked system over the latter half of the 1990s, becoming one of the most critical issues facing policymakers. This paper analyzes this system, including its origins, its evolution, the factors that now perpetuate it, and its costs, and identifies a minimum set of economic reforms needed to dismantle it. The paper also proposes answers to key questions about nonpayments, including: • How has its course been influenced by government policy at the federal and subnational levels? • What are the links with macroeconomic policy? • What is the role of the energy sector, and how has the system affected the way businesses operate? • What are the implications for economic growth? • How indeed, as part of Russia's transition to a monetized, market economy, did the nonpayments system come to exert a stranglehold on virtually every aspect of the economy? This report will be of interest to policymakers and economists interested in transition economies.
Download or read book Latin American Insolvency Systems written by Malcolm Rowat and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Modern society has eliminated the inhumane debtors' prisons for handling the insolvent debtor and in their stead have enacted benign modern laws in the area of bankruptcy. Unscrupulous merchants now use these benign laws for fraudulent purposes." Based on case studies in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, this is the first publication to provide recommendations about the important legal and institutional issues that are involved in bankruptcy reform in a critical region of the global economy. The authors note that effective bankruptcy policy balances several requirements for the conduct of a stable, successful economy. For example, it might be in the greatest interests to all parties if a company is given an opportunity to restructure and make use of the scarce resources remaining in its possession. On the other hand, inefficient firms, especially those that have long survived only on state subsidies, may need to fail in order to free space in the market for more efficient, better-managed companies. Finally, there are the needs to enforce loan contracts and provide an equitable system of debt collection.
Download or read book Institutional Frameworks in Successful Water Markets written by Manuel Mari©?o and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water is increasingly recognized as a scarce resource that must be managed more efficiently than in the past. In addition to physical scarcity, the cost of accessing these resources is climbing. This publication explores institutional frameworks in three case studies of long-standing and successful water markets. These cases demonstrate the common features and essential elements of water markets. They also show how to design markets that consider the local institutional, social, and political conditions and how to integrate those markets into existing water resource management arrangements. The papers are written for practitioners interested in how water markets operate, for decisionmakers faced with the challenge of selecting a water resource allocation system, and for academics interested in analytical-descriptive case studies that provide information on how to conceptualize the functioning of water markets from an institutional perspective.
Download or read book Southern African Agribusiness written by Steven Jaffee and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent economic reforms and political changes within Southern Africa have opened up new opportunities for intra-regional agricultural trade and other forms of agribusiness collaboration. This collaboration is vital, given the relatively small size of individual country markets and the fact that no single country in the region has the resources and capacity to mount a sustained drive to achieve international market prominence and competitiveness. This study examines private sector perceptions regarding the agribusiness investment environment and the scope for regional collaboration in Southern Africa. It then presents a series of case studies highlighting experiences in such collaboration as well as additional opportunities and constraints. The case studies illustrate the varied forms that this intra-regional collaboration has or could take, including the transfer of technologies and management systems, joint logistics and international marketing, cross-border investment, product research and development, human resource development, raw material sourcing, and regional trade in inputs and consumer products. Both the agribusiness company survey and the industry case studies include recommendations for policymakers, agribusiness managers/representatives, and agricultural and private sector development practitioners.
Download or read book Shaping the Future of Water for Agriculture written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2005 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural water management is a vital practice in ensuring reduction, and environmental protection. After decades of successfully expanding irrigation and improving productivity, farmers and managers face an emerging crisis in the form of poorly performing irrigation schemes, slow modernization, declining investment, constrained water availability, and environmental degradation. More and better investments in agricultural water are needed. In response, the World Bank, in conjunction with many partner agencies, has compiled a selection of good experiences that can guide practitioners in the design of quality investments in agricultural water. The messages of 'Shaping the Future of Water for Agriculture: A Sourcebook for Investment in Agricultural Water Management' center around the key challenges to agricultural water management, specifically: - Building policies and incentives - Designing institutional reforms - Investing in irrigation systems improvement and modernization - Investing in groundwater irrigation - Investing in drainage and water quality management - Investing in water management in rainfed agriculture - Investing in agricultural water management in multipurpose operations - Coping with extreme climatic conditions - Assessing the social, economic, and environmental impacts of agricultural water investments 'Shaping the Future of Water for Agriculture' is an important resource for those interested and engaged in development with a focus on agricultural water.
