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Enabling the Business of Agriculture

About Enabling the Business of Agriculture

Enabling the Business of Agriculture is a World Bank Group study collecting unique data on the regulations that affect farmers.

Enabling the Business of Agriculture indicators assess whether governments make it easier or harder for farmers to operate their businesses. The indicators provide a tangible measure of progress and identify regulatory obstacles to market integration and entrepreneurship in agriculture. With globally comparable data on regulations covering agricultural inputs, plant health, access to finance and markets, the Enabling the Business of Agriculture data shows large disparities across countries on the strength of regulations and the efficiency of their implementation.

For 2019, Enabling the Business of Agriculture builds on earlier reports by providing a more focused analysis centered on farmers. Between 2013 and 2017, a scoring methodology was developed for measuring regulations across eight areas relevant to agricultural production. In response to the feedback received on the previous reports published in 2015, 2016 and 2017, the indicators have been narrowed to cover the areas that have an impact on a farmer’s day-to-day operations. Indicator development was guided by a review of the academic literature and consultations with civil society organizations, partner institutions, practitioners, public and private sector representatives, researchers and technical experts.