Research

Impact of the US-Colombia FTA on the small farm economy in Colombia

This in-depth economic study assesses the potential effect of agricultural provisions in the US-Colombia FTA on Colombia’s small-scale farmers using data from official and reputable sources to carry out a comparative statics analysis.  It concludes that a significant number of small farm households would see substantial drops in their income as a result of the FTA. This would result in a deeper vulnerability for a population that has already been disproportionally affected by Colombia's internal conflict.

This FTA would force Colombian agricultural products to compete without any protection against US subsidized commodities.  As a result, according to this study, Colombia’s 1.8 million small farmers would see their net agricultural income fall by over 16 percent on average.  The damage would be concentrated among nearly 400,000 small farmers, most of whom now earn less than the minimum wage but who would lose between 48 and 70 percent of their income.  If 400,000 small farmers, who on average have less than five years of formal education, lose their livelihoods, their employment options will be limited.  They are likely to take up coca cultivation, engross the files of illegal armed groups, or migrate to urban areas to join some 5 million Colombians – over 10 percent of Colombia’s total population - forcibly displaced from the countryside over the last 12 years, the great majority of whom live in extreme poverty.

Ghana's Oil Readiness Report

Civil society groups in Ghana have produced a report on the country’s readiness to deal with the challenges and meet the expectations of joining the league of oil producing nations.

Inventory of Farmworker Issues and Protections in the United States

The "Inventory of Farmworker Issues and Protections in the United States" is the product of a unique for-profit/NGO joint venture of the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation and United Farm Workers (UFW), with support from Oxfam America. By compiling and analyzing data from multiple federal, state, and private sources, it renders the most comprehensive picture yet of the reality faced by America’s least-valued yet critically important workforce.

Exploring the links between international business and poverty reduction

The Coca-Cola/SABMiller value chain impacts in Zambia and El Salvador

Under pressure: Reducing disaster risk and enhancing US emergency response capacity in an era of climate change

With disasters—and particularly climate-related disasters—on the rise, the global humanitarian response system is under increased pressure to assist growing numbers of people.

Horn of Africa Risk Transfer for Adaptation (HARITA) quarterly report: October 2010–December 2010

Rural resilience series