The Rice Crisis
The Rice Crisis

Author: David Dawe

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-07-26

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 1136530398

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The recent escalation of world food prices – particularly for cereals - prompted mass public indignation and demonstrations in many countries, from the price of tortilla flour in Mexico to that of rice in the Philippines and pasta in Italy. The crisis has important implications for future government trade and food security policies, as countries re-evaluate their reliance on potentially more volatile world markets to augment domestic supplies of staple foods. This book examines how government policies caused and responded to soaring world prices in the particular case of rice, which is the world's most important source of calories for the poor. Comparable case studies of policy reactions in different countries, principally across Asia, but also including the USA, provide the understanding necessary to evaluate the impact of trade policy on the food security of poor farmers and consumers. They also provide important insights into the concerns of developing countries that are relevant for future international trade negotiations in key agricultural commodities. As a result, more appropriate policies can be put in place to ensure more stable food supplies in the future. Published with the Food and Agriculture (FAO) Organization of the United Nations

Sugar and the Origins of Modern Philippine Society
Sugar and the Origins of Modern Philippine Society

Author: John A. Larkin

Publisher:

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 9780520079564

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The sugar industry has been a vital part of the economic and social life of modern Philippine society. Under Spanish and American colonialism, sugar cultivation and export became one of the chief commercial industries in the Philippines. Both the Filipino people and the colonizing forces participated in the sugar industry; a few profited enormously. John Larkin examines how the international sugar market and local culture forged two types of society, one based on plantation agriculture, the other on tenant farming. Larkin investigates the history of the two most important sugar-producing regions, Negros Occidental and Pampanga. He depicts the impact of colonial economic forces on the rise of the elite plantation-owning class, the subsequent gap that developed between the extraordinarily wealthy and the impoverished, and the nation's dependence on the international market. Larkin concludes that the sugar industry resulted in stunted economic development, wide cleavages among the Filipino people, and an imbalance of political power - all effects that are still felt today. Sugar and the Origins of Modern Philippine Society is an indispensable contribution to our understanding of Southeast Asian history and the industry vital to the evolution of the Philippines.

Historical Dictionary of the Philippines
Historical Dictionary of the Philippines

Author: Artemio R. Guillermo

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 653

ISBN-13: 0810872463

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The Historical Dictionary of the Philippines, Third Edition contains a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries.

Handbook of Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction
Handbook of Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction

Author: Ben Wisner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-03-29

Total Pages: 1191

ISBN-13: 113691868X

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The Handbook provides a comprehensive statement and reference point for hazard and disaster research, policy making, and practice in an international and multi-disciplinary context. It offers critical reviews and appraisals of current state of the art and future development of conceptual, theoretical and practical approaches as well as empirical knowledge and available tools. Organized into five inter-related sections, this Handbook contains sixty-five contributions from leading scholars. Section one situates hazards and disasters in their broad political, cultural, economic, and environmental context. Section two contains treatments of potentially damaging natural events/phenomena organized by major earth system. Section three critically reviews progress in responding to disasters including warning, relief and recovery. Section four addresses mitigation of potential loss and prevention of disasters under two sub-headings: governance, advocacy and self-help, and communication and participation. Section five ends with a concluding chapter by the editors. The engaging international contributions reflect upon the politics and policy of how we think about and practice applied hazard research and disaster risk reduction. This Handbook provides a wealth of interdisciplinary information and will appeal to students and practitioners interested in Geography, Environment Studies and Development Studies.