Rice production an policy context; Structure and performance of Rice markets; Food Demand and Calorie Consumption; Poverty and Rice Prices; Impact of Further liberalization of Rice markets; Conclusions and policy implications; Methods to analyze market integration; Derivation of Welfare Measures; Foreign demand elasticity for Vietnamese Rice; Description of the Viet Nam Agricultural Spatial equilibrium Model.

"What is the effect of trade liberalization on households in developing countries? To what extent do the poor benefit when local markets are made more accommodative to international trade? The author empirically analyzes the distributional impact of trade policies on households in a low-income country with a large rural economy where labor markets are imperfect. The methodology in this paper, which can be applied to various types of labor market conditions, relates changes in prices attributed to trade reforms to changes in household welfare, income distribution, and poverty using theoretically consistent measures of producer and consumer welfare. The author investigates the effects on poverty and income distribution of national and international market integration in Vietnam's rice sector and fertilizer market between 1993 and 1998, a period of ongoing market reforms when the national poverty rate fell sharply from 59 percent to 37 percent. ... " -- Cover verso.

Vietnam has experienced macroeconomic stability and high rates of economic growth since the mid-1990s; nevertheless, it remains one of the 30 poorest countries in the world. Within Vietnam, the Northern Uplands is the poorest region, as well as being the most dependent on agriculture. This report examines income diversification in the Northern Uplands, including its contribution to poverty reduction and the constraints currently limiting further diversification. Given that crop and income diversification have been identified as essential components in raising rural incomes and reducing rural poverty, this report has significant implications for those involved in formulating agricultural policy and devising development programs.

The impact of price developments on world food markets on poor households in developing countries is an important policy question. Who gains and who loses from agricultural commodity price changes depends on the specific circumstances of households, and, at the level of nations, on the structure of production and trade. The contributions to this volume review trends in international prices and trade patterns of key food commodities, and assess the incidence of food price changes in a number of developing countries using household level data on sources of incomes and consumption patterns.

Despite the reportedly rapid growth of mechanization, as well as its unique history in economic and social systems, information on the patterns of agricultural mechanization growth in Vietnam has been limited. Through an extensive review of existing literature and several rounds of nationally representative household survey data, we document the evolution of mechanization (particularly tractors and combine harvesters) in Vietnam, including the heterogeneity across regions and farm sizes, and the emerging roles of the private sector in the supply of machinery and hiring services.

With the adoption of new market-oriented policies, Vietnam has transformed itself from one of the world's poorest countries during the 1980s, into an economy with one of the highest growth rates during the 1990s. Using macroeconomic and household survey data, this publication examines a range of issues including: the causes of Vietnam's economic growth and future prospects; the impact on household welfare and poverty levels, school enrolment, child health and other socioeconomic outcomes; and the nature of poverty in Vietnam and the effectiveness of government policies for poverty reduction, drawing lessons for Vietnam and for other low-income developing countries.

Humanity has made enormous progress in the past 50 years toward eliminating hunger and malnutrition. Some five billion people--more than 80 percent of the world's population--have enough food to live healthy, productive lives. Agricultural development has contributed significantly to these gains, while also fostering economic growth and poverty reduction in some of the world's poorest countries.