The use of microfinance to enhance income generation and job opportunities among the poor is a popular tool for governments and non-governmental organisations involved in raising standards of living in developing countries. Providing very poor families with small loans to invest in their micro enterprises, Village Bank empowers them to create their own jobs, increase their incomes, and increase their families' well-being. As women are more likely to spend the majority of their personal incomes on improving the family situation, this economic empowerment greatly benefits their children, who are generally more likely to attend school and have better nutrition.

Governments need the capacity to manage price instability and its social consequences; but in countries where people suffer most, they are least able to respond, because of limited fiscal and institutional resources. This article argues that policies used by middle- and high-income countries are unsuitable for poorer, agricultural countries; it recommends instead that these nations promote broader access to land and raise land productivity. The authors explain why instruments used by richer countries, such as those that control prices and cheapen food, fail in poorer countries. They describe the features of smallholder farmers in poorer countries, drawing upon evidence from India, Peru, and Guatemala to demonstrate how subsistence farming can be part of policy responses to the distress of a food crisis in both the short and medium term. They call upon donors to improve their understanding of and support for small-scale, subsistence-oriented farming.

Rising food prices in the late 2000s sparked protests, sometimes violent, around the globe. These public expressions of outrage were only the tip of the iceberg. Many countries have a legacy of food wars. In sub-Saharan Africa, at least 14 countries faced severe food insecurity as a result of conflict, civil strife, forced displacement, or damage from past wars. Armed violence leads to ongoing cycles of food loss which have an impact on food availability, access, and nutrition. In turn, food insecurity can contribute to conflict, although the exact sequence tends to involve complex factors, including environmental scarcities and identity-based competition for access to and control over what are perceived to be limited resources. Policy attention is urgently needed to address these dynamics. Efforts to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable populations, to raise agricultural production, to build resilient food systems that contribute to global food and nutrition security, and to protect low-income people with safety nets must not lose sight of conflict legacies, especially in Africa. Programme-implementation strategies must proceed in a manner that will dampen, not heighten, conflict potential.

Global Value Chains (GVCs) serve as significant sources of employment for developing countries, with various impacts upon their labour markets and workers. While participation in GVCs is important for economic upgrading, there is concern about a ‘race to the bottom’ happening in global competition. This paper attempts to understand how economic upgrading and decent working conditions interact in the proliferating GVCs, by looking at the garment exporting countries in Asia. It argues that worker profiles as well as local economic and labour market conditions have important implications on how competitiveness plays out in terms of working conditions.

This article discusses the impact of the ongoing global economic crisis on the Indonesian agro-food sector. It compares the current situation with the crisis of 1997–98 and examines whether the liberalisation of the Indonesian economy (and the agro-food sector specifically) in the post-1999 period has increased the exposure of Indonesian food producers and consumers to the volatility associated with global financial and commodity markets. During the 1997–98 crisis, the Indonesian state (with the support of the international development community) instituted structural reforms and increased stabilisation measures to mitigate the effects of the crisis. The author considers whether those measures are still in place to offset the shocks of the current crisis, and what effect they have had on Indonesian food producers and consumers. The question of consumer demand in a recessionary time has particular relevance for those Indonesian agro-food producers who diversified into high-value-added commodities (such as organics) in the past decade.

This paper addresses the question of whether microfinance and conditional cash transfers can be effective in alleviating poverty in the Latin American region, and provides a comprehensive assessment of each of these programmes using data and evaluation reports from 19 countries in the Latin American region, analysed in the context of six operational and impact criteria. The research shows that microfinance may be better suited for those living on US$2 per day or higher, while conditional cash transfers may be more beneficial for those living in extreme poverty. Neither programme offers a ‘magic bullet’ solution for poverty eradication, but they can provide positive outcomes when prescribed in combination.

The Indian government is implementing a package of food-based safety-net programmes to resist disastrous food insecurity. Crucial programmes are (1) the Targeted Public Distribution Scheme, (2) the wage-employment programme (direct cash transfer as wages), and (3) a number of direct nutrition programmes for feeding children. This article explores the implementation of these programmes at district levels in the state of West Bengal, and in particular the extremely disadvantaged district of Purulia. West Bengal was selected for study because it has a decentralised governance structure and the distinctive mark of uninterrupted governance by the Left Parties under the leadership of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) since 1977. Data presented, supported by related field evidence, show a mixed record of combating hunger in West Bengal relative to other states. In a number of respects, but not all, progress has been made over time. Overall, the democratic structure of the panchayats in West Bengal enables the free flow of information, which helps the government to avert mishap.

Based on fieldwork carried out on Islamic Relief's relief programme for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, this article contributes to the debate on whether Muslim aid agencies bring added value when working with Muslim beneficiaries in Muslim areas. The author explores the significance of religion in relations between actors in the aid process and argues that a common religion does not necessarily override political, social, and cultural divisions. The article questions whether it is useful to claim that Muslim solidarity exists in the aid process when in practice it is difficult to have any meaningful engagement with religion in the field.