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The livelihoods of the world's poor rise and fall with the fate of agriculture. Enhancing the ability of smallholders to connect with the knowledge, networks, and institutions necessary to improve their productivity, food security, and employment opportunities is a fundamental development challenge. Where once rural areas were largely disconnected from the greater world, today, networks of information and communication technologies (ICTs) enmesh the globe and represent a transformational opportunity for rural populations, both as producers and consumers. However, climate change and price fluctuations in the global food market remind us that realizing this opportunity requires a long-term commitment to mobilizing appropriate resources and expertise. It is for this reason that we are particularly pleased to introduce the ICT in agriculture e-sourcebook. This resource was designed to support practitioners, decision-makers, and development partners who work at the intersection of ICT and agriculture. The authors hope is that it becomes a practical guide in understanding current trends, implementing appropriate interventions, and evaluating the impact of those programs. It combines cutting-edge expertise in ICT with empirical knowledge of a wide range of agricultural sectors, from governance to supply chain management. As an online knowledge source, it will continue to evolve and be updated to reflect the emerging and changing challenges and opportunities facing the sector. This activity was carried out as part of the program on creating sustainable businesses in the knowledge economy, for which the Government of Finland provided generous support. The publication represents a partnership of infoDev and the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the World Bank Group, with significant contributions from outside experts.

Activism --- Agriculture --- Cities --- Communities --- Cooperatives --- Disadvantaged Groups --- E-Commerce --- Education --- Gender --- Human Rights --- Ict Policy and Strategies --- Industry --- Information and Communication Technologies --- Leadership --- Marketing --- Networking --- Primary Education --- Rural Development --- Rural Markets --- Rural Non-Farm Income Generation --- Rural Policies and Institutions --- Rural Services and Infrastructure --- Schools --- Social Development --- Technical Assistance --- Technology Industry --- Telecommunications --- Youth

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An appropriate rural investment climate (RIC) is essential for rural businesses to be successful and generate employment and income in their communities. Improving the investment climate could facilitate income-generation activities in both farm and nonfarm sectors, thus reducing rural poverty. Nonfarm sector focused growth, combined with agricultural growth, and has been shown by Delgado and others (1998) to have a significant impact on the local economy through the generation of employment and income. This study is the first to focus on both farm and nonfarm enterprises in its 2010 surveys of RIC in Yemen, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Mozambique unlike six previous RIC assessment (RICA) pilot projects that focused only on nonfarm enterprises. This report assesses the weaknesses and strengths of all RIC components in farm and nonfarm enterprises of the four countries surveyed, and recommends measures to address the weaknesses. The report identifies similar business obstacles for farm and nonfarm enterprises and four critical areas of the RIC to be improved. The results of the RICA are based on analyses of obstacles perceived by rural entrepreneurs and on assessments by RIC indicators, enterprise entry and exit, and enterprise performance. To have maximum synergy effects, farm and nonfarm enterprises should be promoted together.

Access to Finance --- Access to Information --- Accounting --- Agribusiness --- Agribusiness & Markets --- Agriculture --- Bankruptcy --- Capacity Building --- Collateral --- Commercial Banks --- Corruption --- Cost-Benefit analysis --- Economic Development --- Economies of Scale --- Entrepreneurs --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Literacy --- Financial Management --- Fiscal Policy --- Gender --- Household Income --- Human Capital --- Inequality --- Information Technology --- Insurance --- Interest Rates --- Investment Climate --- Knowledge Gaps --- Labor Market --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Marketing --- Microfinance Institutions --- Mobility --- Productivity --- Profitability --- Property Rights --- Public Service Delivery --- Roads --- Rural Development --- Rural Non-Farm Income Generation --- Rural Policies and Institutions --- Rural Services and Infrastructure --- Rural Transport --- Savings --- Technical Assistance --- Transaction Costs --- Transport --- Transport Costs --- Transport Economics Policy and Planning --- Urban Areas --- Vehicles --- Wages