First published in 1999, this study aims to develop a theoretical framework for the analysis of livestock farming systems and their conditions of change. The framework should be generally applicable in developing countries and make it possible to analyse livestock farming in different agro-ecological regions. Secondly, Regina Birner applies the framework to a case study in Sri Lanka, the ecological conditions and agrarian structure of which is an excellent setting for studying the diverse factors influencing the action and change of livestock farming. Thirdly, Birner contributes to improving the planning basis for livestock developing policies in developing countries.
Agricultural policy reform is one of the major challenges facing India today. Such reform is required to reduce poverty through faster agricultural growth and to promote more sustainable use of natural resources while ensuring food security. Subsidy policies that promote the use of fertilizer and of electricity for groundwater irrigation are in particular need of reform. While subsidies for these two inputs played a crucial role in achieving India's Green Revolution, they have been criticized during the past decade for benefitting large-scale farmers more than smallholders, placing a fiscal burden on the state, and having negative environmental effects. By analyzing the evolution of these input subsidy policies and examining the political processes involved in efforts to reform them, this study throws new light on the factors that have so far prevented a move toward more pro-poor and environmentally sustainable agricultural input policies in India. The authors show that electoral politics, institutional factors, and policy paradigms or belief systems all play an important role in blocking reform. They identify several policy reform options as well as political strategies that can overcome past obstacles to reform. Community-based policy solutions, new coalitions for policy reform, fresh approaches to the policy debate, innovative and consensus-oriented forms of deliberation, and effective use of research-based knowledge can all make positive contributions to Indian policy reform. The analyses and proposals presented in this study will be a valuable resource for policymakers and stakeholders concerned with the politics of agricultural development.
The aim of this book is to examine the role played by livestock in the agricultural and rural economies of the developing world. It provides a comprehensive study of livestock development within the framework of modern economic theory.
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