"How can PRC remain unscathed by the worsening food crisis? Officials must provide the actual figure of the country's grain stocks, and guarantee a good harvest of new crops in 2008. Since farm products have become more expensive, the government has to come up with a program to give the right incentives to farmers, and to cushion consumers at the same time.

A considerable part of China's anticipated stock of 50 million tons of rice, among other staples, is usually kept in small farmers' barns rather than in the state's large storage centers. In one and half months, farmers will begin to harvest their first crop of the year. Will the nation's total summer crop, which makes up one-third of its yearly supply, remain at the same level as last year's? People can feel more reassured if these questions are properly answered."

"Pakistan has an annual net housing unit shortfall of 270,000 units, leaving half the total urban population to reside in squatter or informal settlements. Inadequate housing reflects and deepens the sense of deprivation that the poor feel. This is not surprising given that housing has a crucial role to play in alleviating poverty and determining access to other basic rights. Poorly planned housing often remains beyond the geographic reach of health and educational facilities, and even public transport routes.

Quick and affordable measures for conferring titles to slums and popular settlements currently without security of tenure are required. Expanding national land and housing registration systems to allow for the tenure rights of the poor are also vital. Moreover, the costs associated with housing need to be at a reasonable enough level so that the attainment of other basic needs is not compromised. All this requires a significant increase in public expenditure for low-income housing programs."

"The impact of environmental change on jobs, sustainable economic growth and poverty was recently discussed at an International Labor Organization research conference in Niigata, Japan. Green jobs are defined as decent work created in economic sectors and activities that reduce the environmental impact of production and consumption, ultimately to levels leading to sustainable enterprises and economies.

Demand for water, energy and raw materials in the Asia-Pacific region increased by 50 per cent between 1995 and 2002. In the medium-to-long-term, climate change will lead to serious disruption of economic and social activities in many sectors and major transformations of production and consumption patterns are expected. Areas that are particularly vulnerable include the heavily populated Asian river deltas, small island states and industries sited in coastal and river flood plains."

"Though agriculture is the main source of livelihood for about 70 percent of the population of Afghanistan, it has received only about $300 million out of the $15 billion in international aid money spent there over the past six years. Afghanistan has great potential to ensure food security for its estimated 26.6 million people if donors invested in agricultural infrastructure and/or if the country's over 190,000 hectares of poppy were converted to wheat production, a senior official with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said.

Afghanistan has a lot of potential to easily become food-secure, even food self-sufficient, owing to its rich soil and plenty of rivers. While Afghanistan's cereal production, chiefly wheat, more than doubled in 2007 compared to 2001 proper investment in the country's irrigation capacity would lead to another doubling of agricultural output. This would be more than the landlocked nation's requirements."

"Over 100 villages in rural Bangladesh have got a new lease of life, thanks to the recovery of arable land that remained under water for 18 years. They are now looking forward to a bumper boro harvest which will alleviate their prolonged sufferings caused by water logging on over 16,000 hectares of land. The Bhabadah success should be an eye opener to the planners in the Water Development Board and also the agriculture department.

It has proved that the problem of water logging and cultivable land being submerged due to silting of riverbeds and other water bodies can be resolved through excavation of the rivers. Similar problems exist in many places of the country where people are finding it extremely difficult to deal with adverse natural conditions and changes, on their own. Of course, expertise and adequate logistic support are necessary to recover submerged land. Rivers are getting silted up in the absence of river training programs, which leads not only to loss of navigability but also submerged land."

"In Indonesia, as in many other countries, high food prices are the main contributing factor to high current inflation, spreading its effect in the wider economy. The long decline of prices for agriculture seems to have come to an end. Apparently the global food economy is now supply-constrained. What can countries do? Very simple. Invest in agriculture, rural infrastructure, including irrigation, education and health and harmonize trade policies and tariffs applying to foodstuffs.

Countries should also design and conduct research and development programs, and use the results. It is in the interests of rice-producing and rice-consuming countries to get together and set short-term policy agendas. Regional and subregional consultations are necessary; bilateral negotiations only will not provide the answers."

"More than 10,000 tons of coffee is produced in Timor Leste -- 80 percent of total exports -- bringing in an estimated $20 million a year. It is the main source of income for the majority of the 100,000 people living in the Ermera district. Yet military restrictions on civilians are putting the multi-million dollar coffee industry in jeopardy as authorities have ordered growers to stay away from their plantations, preventing them from preparing for the annual coffee bean harvest.

Several coffee buyers and processors have already raised concerns about the prospect of a reduced harvest. Those affected by the military operation were eligible to apply for the government's 'cash-for-work' program, whereby they can earn around $2 a day on rural projects, such as building roads."

"On the face of it, Cambodia's economy is doing well. Double-digit growth in recent years has created a resurgent middle class, eager to take advantage of new business opportunities. Phnom Penh and other cities in Cambodia are undergoing a building boom and expensive new cars are everywhere. But while some are prospering, many of the country's poorest people are slipping deeper into poverty.

While the incomes of the poor have remained constant, the prices of food and other staples have risen dramatically. The prices of non food items -- such as gasoline and cooking gas -- have also increased, adding to the country's inflation problem. But the high cost of rice is causing the most concern and it could have a devastating effect on Cambodia's rural poor, who make up about 80 percent of the population."

"A cupboard building village in Viet Nam has existed for more than 100 years with 80 households involved creating over 600 jobs. In 2004, the village was recognized by provincial authorities as a traditional trade village. However, a lack of materials for building worship cupboards has been threatening the survival of the trade village.

In fact, after the village was recognized, provincial authorities promised to give financial support to build a road, and provide clean water and electricity to effectively help develop tourism. However, there has been no change so far. Regularly, right after recognizing trade villages, provincial authorities forget their promises to help develop them."

"What is the point of discussing possible rice exports when Indonesia's production this year is estimated to be only 34 million tons and our national consumption is about 32 million tons? A domestic surplus of 2 million tons, or much less than 10 percent of national consumption, does not give us any leeway to export. Exporting such a small surplus, despite its international all-time high price, would make our domestic market vulnerable to supply shocks.

It would have been more fruitful if more attention was devoted to working out a better strategy to maintain rice self-sufficiency. More than 75 percent of our farmers are themselves net rice consumers and, due to the cumulative impact of a bad food policy over the past four decades, we have become increasingly depended on rice as virtually our single national staple."

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