Cameroon, with her numerous resources, still epends on foreign aid while the rate of poverty remains high. Thus, even though historical evidence gives impetus to the impasse over role of developmental aid, from the top down approach through to development as a springboard raising states from the doldrums of poverty, it is still very difficult to draw a substantial relationship between developmental aid and poverty reduction. Against this backdrop of controversy, I find it apt to put Cameroon on a balance scale. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to critically assess the implications of developmental aid on poverty reduction and agro-rural development in Cameroon, using the RUMPI Area Development Project in the South West region of Cameroon as a case study. The study will situate and contextualize the top-down and bottom-up approaches to development within the basis of a Cameroonian perspective, using the Sachs-Easterly debate. The RUMPI Project was introduced with the objective of improving agriculture and empowering the rural woman; thereby fighting poverty within the South West region of Cameroon. Despite its criticism of the barriers to development created by corruption, political pressure and limited use of local and grass-root partnerships, the study, in assessing these failures also tries to outline vital ways in which the project can be improved upon.

Understanding climate change is not only complex but also extensive. Humanity has never embarked on such a huge challenge of trans-national scope: a problem that began in the past continues now and will be continuing for a long time in the future. Nepalese have also significantly felt the impact of global climate change. The scenarios of climate change indicate that the increased temperatures will cause snow-melt which will result in floods, droughts, and uneven weather patterns. The impact of such unexpected climate hazards and weather patterns have already been felt and will continue to be felt in Nepal. These climate change-induced hazards and risks particularly threaten the agriculture sector, which results in food insecurity and makes poor and vulnerable people face increasingly unanticipated impacts to their lives and wellbeing. This paper explores the climate vulnerability of the Nepalese in terms of their physical, social, economic and primarily agricultural losses due to the increasing impact of climate change. The paper argues the need for a timely adaptation of measures to maintain an environment suitable for agriculture and for the well-being of the population residing in the area.

This case study investigates the KIKO currency option that has been a social issue in recent years among developing countries, especially Korea, where the financial derivatives market is in a state of rapid growth. The forward transaction which becomes a basis of derivatives is intended to hedge risks that may be caused by a future change in asset prices. Although it originates from a simple form of agricultural transactions, there currently exists a variety of derivatives in more sophisticated forms. In the Korean agricultural industry, the need to use such derivatives is great, as there is a huge risk of price fluctuation in agricultural products due to frequent adverse weather. In addition, many developing countries with export-led industrial structures similar to Korea’s, of necessity must resort to currency hedging as a method of reducing relevant risk. However, in most cases, the lack of understanding about financial derivatives results in an inappropriate application of these derivatives. The KIKO in this study represents such cases. Since 2007, KIKO has been sold in Korea to many small- and medium-sized export companies for the purpose of currency hedging when the exchange rate between the Korean won and the U.S. dollar was in a downward spiral. The main focus of this study is a case which is most representative of KIKO. As inflation rapidly increased during the financial crisis in the U.S. at the end of 2007, derivatives became a hot issue in the courts rather than in the financial markets. This case study investigates what KIKO and the fierce legal debates over it imply, from the perspective of the option of value evaluation in order to suggest not only a direction in which companies can utilize financial derivatives, but also a roadmap for the future derivatives market.

In recent times, NFC technology adaptations for smartphones have been increasing. This study proposes the adaptation of agri-food business models based on NFC technology and presents the basic technological characteristics of NFC. An NFC tag can store more information than prior tagging technology methods, such as QR codes, and provides a better user experience. Based on the unique features of NFC, this study suggests an NFC business model application for the agri-food business.

The Asian food market has been growing recently, due to the role played by major Asian countries, which include Korea, China, and Japan. This study is purposed to investigate the potential of the food market in these Northeast Asian countries and to suggest future direction for global food companies. For in-depth analysis, this study is limited in scope to the confectionery market and analyzes that market within two frameworks: first, the ‘Market Attractiveness Matrix’ which transforms the ‘BCG Matrix’ to fit into the food market in order to analyze the flow in the Asian confectionery market; and second, analysis of the potential growth of the market using a Category Development Index (CDI), which aids in understanding the growth potential of a market. The European food market has recently reached its capacity and is now experiencing a low growth rate (Data Monitor, 2011). It is time for food companies to find a new ‘blue ocean’ to avoid fierce competition in the mature markets of Europe. Therefore, this analysis of the confectionery market, using the Market Attractiveness Matrix and CDI will suggest opportune directions for global food companies.