Publications

China is the world’s top fruit and vegetable producer, with vegetable outputs alone totalling 49% of global output. The Chinese market for tropical fruits and vegetables is set to keep on growing at a steady pace in the near future. For least developed country exporters, this market represents...

The coffee sector has a huge potential to contribute to poverty alleviation in East Africa, but the sector’s development is hampered by a lack of savings and credit facilities. Moreover, women’s access to financial services is even more restricted than that of men, and most women in rural areas...

This study invites national legislators as well as all those involved in enhancing the national business environment to consider secured financing schemes that will allow an increase in the amount of credit offered to SMEs. The reasoning is simple: allow as collateral property that SMEs usually...

A comprehensive guide to the fast-growing field of Islamic banking, this publication describes Islamic financial instruments and provides practical examples of how to use them. It focuses on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in the area of export finance.

This guide helps small exporters understand how to obtain finance, outlining the credit process of financial institutions, pre-application preparation, finding appropriate lenders and loan repayment. Models for business plans and loan requests are included. The guide also examines barriers to...

This report was prepared as an input to Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources for the development of their action plan for organic agriculture and trade. It can also serve as a model for a policy for organic in other developing countries as well as give some guidance for existing...

This publication concludes that organic agriculture has much to offer in both mitigation of climate change through its emphasis on closed nutrient cycles and is a particularly resilient and productive system for adaptation strategies. It also raises the issue of whether organic agriculture should be...

The issue of climate change has grown in importance as seen through the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and issues such as “food miles”. ‘Food miles’ is a relatively recent issue which has arisen in the United Kingdom, Germany and other countries over food transportation. This...