Greening agriculture for rural development

Abstract

This review examines the importance of agriculture in emerging market and developing economies for employment, livelihoods, and food security, while also addressing the need for more sustainable and equitable practices in the sector. It surveys available evidence to explore how agriculture in these economies might meet these various challenges. The review first examines the key structural characteristics of agriculture in these economies, including its impacts on the environment. It then highlights how agricultural and other complementary sectoral policies could support more sustainable rural development that also allow low-income households to benefit from more environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The emphasis is on cost-effective and innovative policy mechanisms to green agriculture. Reduce rural poverty and support livelihoods and job opportunities. Several policies meet these criteria, including a fossil fuel subsidy swap to fund clean energy investments and dissemination in rural areas; repurposing water subsidies to expand water supply and sanitation services for the rural poor; using proceeds from a carbon tax to fund nature-based solutions; and recycling environmentally harmful subsidies to critical rural investments. The review also discusses the major obstacles to implementing such policies and how they may be overcome through greater transparency, accountability, improved design and complementary policies.