This book is a history of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a multilateral development bank established 50 years ago to serve Asia and the Pacific. Focusing on the region’s economic development, the evolution of the international development agenda, and the story of ADB itself, this book raises several key questions: What are the outstanding features of regional development to which ADB had to respond? How has the bank grown and evolved in changing circumstances? How did ADB’s successive leaders promote reforms while preserving continuity with the efforts of their predecessors? ADB has played an important role in the transformation of Asia and the Pacific the past 50 years. As ADB continues to evolve and adapt to the region’s changing development landscape, the experiences highlighted in this book can provide valuable insight on how best to serve Asia and the Pacific in the future.

This publication presents an assessment of Cambodia’s agriculture, natural resources, and rural development (ANRRD) sector and provides a strategy and road map for its future development. It identifies the strategic investment priorities of the Government of Cambodia where the Asian Development Bank (ADB) can contribute to ANRRD productivity, value addition, and resource efficiency. ADB support will focus on three key areas: (i) enhancing agricultural productivity through a whole-of-system water resources management approach, (ii) strengthening agricultural value chains, and (iii) improving natural resources management and disaster resilience.

Infrastructure is essential for development. This report presents a snapshot of the current condition of developing Asia's infrastructure---defined here as transport, power, telecommunications, and water supply and sanitation. It examines how much the region has been investing in infrastructure and what will likely be needed through 2030. Finally, it analyzes the financial and institutional challenges that will shape future infrastructure investment and development.

In light of rural Asia's 30-year population increase, this book reviews trends and patterns in the quality of life, identifies and analyzes options for private and public policies for the improvement of the quality of life, and assesses the prospects for the quality of life in the context of globalization, privatization, and technological change.

This publication reviews the practices and policies of Internet Plus agriculture business models in the People's Republic of China (PRC). It analyzes the agriculture value chain model, rural e-commerce platform, and Internet Plus agriculture service model. The Internet Plus rural economy is an emerging driver of comprehensive development in the PRC as a new production management and marketing tool for farmers and farmers' cooperatives. Its potential is seen as a foundation for vitalizing the countryside and key to achieving agricultural modernization.

Cambodia's economic performance over the past decade has been impressive, and poverty reduction has made significant progress. In the 2000s, the contribution of agriculture and agro-industry to overall economic growth has come largely through the accumulation of factors of production---land and labor---as part of an extensive growth of activity, with productivity modestly improving from very low levels. Despite these generally positive signs, there is justifiable concern about Cambodia's ability to seize the opportunities presented. The concern is that the existing set of structural and institutional constraints, unless addressed by appropriate interventions and policies, will slow down economic growth and poverty reduction. These constraints include (i) an insecurity in land tenure, which inhibits investment in productive activities; (ii) low productivity in land and human capital; (iii) a business-enabling environment that is not conducive to formalized investment; (iv) underdeveloped rural roads and irrigation infrastructure; (v) a finance sector that is unable to mobilize significant funds for agricultural and rural development; and (vi) the critical need to strengthen public expenditure management to optimize scarce resources for effective delivery of rural services.

Governments throughout the Asia-Pacific region recognize the catalyzing role of infrastructure investment for sustainable growth. Yet, they are faced with the problem of financing new infrastructure. This book provides the latest evidence on the impact of infrastructure investment on economic and social indicators. Presenting several country studies, the book explains how infrastructure investment can increase output, taxes, trade, and firm productivity. Based on this evidence, the book proposes innovative modes of infrastructure financing. Written by leading international experts in economic analysis of infrastructure, the book is an invaluable source for policy makers to better design infrastructure projects.

Ensuring a secure supply of food is essential, given the world's (and especially Asia's) growing population, high and volatile food prices, increasingly scarce resources, and changing environment. This publication discusses the drivers behind food insecurity in Asia and points to ways to mitigate it.