Ifar Country Report Series

A union list of serials commencing publication after Dec. 31, 1949.

The need for agricultural research resources in the developing world cannot be underestimated, but the availability of such resources is often poor due to lack of funding and investment. In order for Africa and other such developing countries to achieve productivity in agriculture - vital to food security, poverty reduction and sustainable management of natural resources - investment and policy development needs to be assessed. This book, a joint effort from IFPRI, ILRI and the Kellogg Foundation, explores the importance of impact assessment studies in Africa, and assembles important evidence to pave the way for further, much needed investment in agricultural research all over the developing world.

Jointly organised by the European Commission and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology in Spain (CDTI), the Aeronautics Days sixth edition – ‘Aerodays 2011’ – was held on 30th - 31st March and 1st April 2011 in the Palacio Municipal de Congresos of Madrid. It brought together 1400 delegates – policy makers, aerospace manufacturers, engineers, researchers and customers – to report and discuss the challenges and solutions for creating greener, safer, secure and competitive solutions for aeronautics and air transport in Europe. Highlights included ‘Flightpath 2050’, Europe’s vision for future aviation. The present book, published by the European Commission, brings together about 80 papers selected by a Scientific Advisory Committee with the intention to make broadly known the main themes and issues addressed on the occasion of this Convention. Given the strategic importance of the latter, these post-conference proceedings constitute a reference document providing an overview on aeronautical research within Europe more particularly devoted to Commission supported programmes and networks.

Despite pledges by world leaders to halve the proportion of the world¿s population that is undernourished by 2015, the number of undernourished people in sub-Saharan Africa has increased from 170 million in the period of 1990-1992 to over 200 million in the period of 2001-2003. Since early 2007, food-related riots have occurred in 15 countries, incl. 7 in sub-Saharan Africa, leading both the U.N. and the World Food Program to express concern about the impact of chronic undernourishment, or food insecurity, on world peace and security. This report examined: factors that contribute to persistent food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa; and the extent to which host governments and donors, incl. the U.S., are working toward halving hunger in the region by 2015. Illus.

The ancient ruins of Southeast Asia have long sparked curiosity and romance in the world’s imagination. They appear in accounts of nineteenth-century French explorers, as props for Indiana Jones’ adventures, and more recently as the scene of Lady Lara Croft’s fantastical battle with the forces of evil. They have been featured in National Geographic magazine and serve as backdrops for popular television travel and reality shows. Now William Chapman’s expansive new study explores the varied roles these monumental remains have played in the histories of Southeast Asia’s modern nations. Based on more than fifteen years of travel, research, and visits to hundreds of ancient sites, A Heritage of Ruins shows the close connection between “ruins conservation” and both colonialism and nation building. It also demonstrates the profound impact of European-derived ideas of historic and aesthetic significance on ancient ruins and how these continue to color the management and presentation of sites in Southeast Asia today. Angkor, Pagan (Bagan), Borobudur, and Ayutthaya lie at the center of this cultural and architectural tour, but less visited sites, including Laos’s stunning Vat Phu, the small temple platforms of Malaysia’s Lembah Bujang Valley, the candi of the Dieng Plateau in Java, and the ruins of Mingun in Burma and Wiang Kum Kam near Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, are also discussed. All share a relative isolation from modern urban centers of population, sitting in park-like settings, serving as objects of tourism and as lynchpins for local and even national economies. Chapman argues that these sites also remain important to surrounding residents, both as a means of income and as continuing sources of spiritual meaning. He examines the complexities of heritage efforts in the context of present-day expectations by focusing on the roles of both outside and indigenous experts in conservation and management and on attempts by local populations to reclaim their patrimony and play a larger role in protection and interpretation. Tracing the history of interventions aimed at halting time’s decay, Chapman provides a chronicle of conservation efforts over a century and a half, highlighting the significant part foreign expertise has played in the region and the ways that national programs have, in recent years, begun to break from earlier models. The book ends with suggestions for how Southeast Asian managers and officials might best protect their incomparable heritage of art and architecture and how this legacy might be preserved for future generations.