The 17th Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, held March 14-18, 2016, at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C., gathered stakeholders from government, the development community, private sector, and academia to discuss land policy issues worldwide. ISET-PI was represented by Pati Mamardashvili, head of our Agricultural Policy Research Center (APRC).

Scaling up Responsible Land Governance was the main theme of this year’s conference. Participants shared the most effective practices of land policy design and lessons learned from policy implementation from around the world. How can governments ensure transparent, inclusive, and sustainable land policies? How do technological progress and improved access to information contribute to more secure land tenure in developing countries? What is the relationship between the size of agricultural plots and productivity?

On the basis of contacts made at the conference, ISET-PI will pursue collaboration with the World Bank’s Enabling the Business of Agriculture project which studies regulations that impact the functioning of markets in the agriculture and agribusiness sectors. We will also seek research collaboration with other Georgian participants in the conference, TSU Ph.D. Student Nino Beraia and Professor Marina Natsvaladze.