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Ce rapport présente l'analyse des systèmes d'information économique agricole pour quatre filières aux USA : le blé et les pommes de terre dans l'état de Washington, les porcs dans l'Iowa et les tomates fraîches en Californie. Il comprend les résultats de l'enquête (numéro 211), leur analyse statistique et une synthèse. L'accent est mis sur la division du travail dans la production et la diffusion des services d'aide à la décision économique.

Satellite derived measurements are essential inputs to monitor water management and agricultural production for improving regional food security. Near real-time satellites observations can be used to mitigate the adverse impacts of extreme events and promote climate resilience. Population growth and demand of resources in developing countries will increase vulnerability in agriculture production and are likely to be exacerbated by the effects of climate change. This paper introduces wetness and temperature products as important factors in decision and policy making, especially in regions with sparse surface observations. These objective satellite data serve as: (1) an early detector of growing conditions and thus food supply; (2) an index for insurance programs (i.e. risk management) that can more quickly trigger release of catastrophic bonds to farmers to mitigate crop failure impact; (3) an important educational and informational tool in crop selection, resource management, and other adaptation or mitigation strategies; (4) an important tool in food aid and transport; (5) and management of water resource allocation. The two new indices (surface wetness and temperature) are meant to complement currently available datasets, such as the greenness index, soil moisture measurements, and river guages.

There is evidence that obesity is a risk to health and longevity of life. This is the first paper to use crosscountry data to analyze the effect of obesity levels on life expectancy, the trade-off between health expenditure and obesity levels, and differential effect of obesity on genders. We develop a conceptual model and empirically test it using a panel data of 183 countries for the years 2007 - 2014. The life expectancy and obesity national data provides us a vantage point of the world food situation. The theory and the empirical results suggest that average life expectancy is a concave function of average obesity and indicate that low obesity levels on average are indicators of existence of undernutrition. We find that while obesity is a major problem- its impact on life expectancy is mostly mitigated by medical expenditure in developed countries, undernutrition and lack of medical expenditure in developing countries is even a more severe problem. This is because the marginal benefit of medical expenditure in a low obesity country (implying undernutrition) has larger impact on life expectancy than medical expenditure in country with high obesity country.

Can farmers adapt to climate change by altering weather conditions on their fields? We define the concept of "Micro-Climate Engineering" (MCE), where farmers change the effective temperatures on their crops by means of shading or heating, and document such implementation by California pistachio growers. With rising winter temperatures and declining winter chill portions, pistachio growers in California could face adverse climatic conditions within 20 years. Treating dormant trees with a chemical mix, acting as a shading technology, has shown to increase winter chill count to acceptable levels. Modeling a market with heterogeneous sub-climates, we run simulations to estimate potential gains from MCE in the year 2030 for California pistachio. Our results show an expected yearly welfare gain ranging between $1-4 billion. However, heterogeneous baseline climate creates clear winners and losers from this technology. Applying the concept of MCE more broadly, we point to its potential benefits in general as an adaptation technique, while also noting its potential for widening the global gap in climate change damage incidence, depending on heterogeneity in baseline climates, economic conditions, and market power. Acknowledgement

Paying for the provision of environmental services is a recent policy innovation attracting much attention in both developed and developing countries. This innovation, referred to as ‘payments for ecosystem services’ (when the emphasis is on enhancing ‘nature’ services) or ‘payments for environmental services’ (when amenities provided by the built environment are also included) is referred to here as PES. PES programs aim to harness market forces to obtain more efficient environmental outcomes. Since so many opportunities for PES programs could involve farmers in poor regions, international aid agencies and private donors, looking for a double dividend, increasingly consider using PES programs as a potential way of meeting both social and environmental objectives.

More than 250,000 children go blind every year because of Vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A intake can be enhanced by consuming Golden Rice—a genetically engineered variety of rice. It was available for commercialization in 2002, but approval has been delayed. We estimate that this delay has resulted in 600,000 to 1.2 million additional cases of blindness.

The International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR) held its 15th annual conference near Rome, Italy in June 2011. The theme of the conference was sustainability, and this topic was addressed through numerous presentations from academia, government, and industry. Numerous presentations from developing countries highlighted the adoption benefits of the biotechnologies in these countries

Water allocations as well as water quality and health concerns are often due to inadequate policies and institutions, which pose major challenges for policy reform. The necessary ingredients of such reform include four elements: rules to improve the decision-making process about water projects, principles to improve water allocation, incentives for water conservation, and incentives to improve water quality. The paper shows that improved policies and incentives can address many of the global water problems and lead to environmental sustainability while addressing distributional issues. Some of the reforms may hurt the poor in the short run through higher water prices, but may provide them better access to water and reduce the toll of unsustainable water use in the long run. The direct and indirect implications of increasing prices of energy for water reforms are also discussed

Primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), traditionally considered a problem of childhood, can also be detected during adulthood. However, while the concept regarding the therapeutic management of VUR in children has undergone revolutionary changes, moving from surgical to conservative approach, the optimal therapeutic approach in adult reflux is poorly addressed and is still unknown. Herein, we review clinical and therapeutic approaches of VUR in pediatric population as published throughout the years. With the introduction of Deflux injection as a minimally invasive procedure, we identify a beginning of a new trend that further extends the indications for endoscopic injections, including its introduction to adult patients as well.