Mobile phones, a rarity in many developing countries at the turn of the century, now seem to be everywhere. Between 2000 and 2012, the number of mobile phones in use world- wide grew from fewer than 1 billion to around 6 billion. The mobile revolution is transforming livelihoods, helping to create new businesses, and changing the way we communi- cate. The mobile phone network is already t…
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have always mattered in agriculture. Ever since people have grown crops, raised livestock, and caught fish, they have sought information from one another. What is the most effective planting strategy on steep slopes? Where can I buy the improved seed or feed this year? How can I acquire a land title? Who is paying the highest price at the market…
The global economy is in a broad-based cyclical recovery. Investment, manufacturing and trade are on the rebound. Financing conditions are benign, monetary policies are generally accommodative, and the worst impacts of the recent commodity price collapse have begun to dissipate. However, the global economic outlook remains clouded by a number of risks. These include the possibility of financial…