Project: Trade, Rural Poverty & the Environment

Implementation sites: Chile, China, India, Madagascar, Mexico, South Africa and Vietnam

Project duration: June 2003 to June 2008

The central aim of the project is to provide the international community with solid empirical analysis of the impacts of trade liberalization on land and water resources and the rural poor; and to identify policy responses that can enhance trade's contribution to promoting sustainable development.

The project is organized around seven detailed case studies in countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Each study examines a specific locale where trade reforms are affecting the rural poor and ecosystems on which their livelihoods depend. In Vietnam, for example, a team analyzed the environmental and social impacts of export-oriented shrimp aquaculture production in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau.

In each country, outreach teams (led in most cases by the local WWF office) have organized national and provincial workshops to discuss the research findings with key stakeholders, from government ministries and foreign donors to private companies and rural communities. These outreach teams have also developed specific policy recommendations, community projects, and other related interventions that emerge directly from these findings. These are described in further detail on the individual country web pages.

WWF MPO and the World Bank are now producing a book-length synthesis report on the project that includes findings from the seven case studies, analysis by each institution, and a set of joint recommendations and conclusions. Presentations will take place in several countries in mid-2008.

More information is available through the individual country links at left or by contacting the project team.