The recent escalation of world food prices – particularly for cereals - prompted mass public indignation and demonstrations in many countries, from the price of tortilla flour in Mexico to that of rice in the Philippines and pasta in Italy. The crisis has important implications for future government trade and food security policies, as countries re-evaluate their reliance on potentially more volatile world markets to augment domestic supplies of staple foods. This book examines how government policies caused and responded to soaring world prices in the particular case of rice, which is the world's most important source of calories for the poor. Comparable case studies of policy reactions in different countries, principally across Asia, but also including the USA, provide the understanding necessary to evaluate the impact of trade policy on the food security of poor farmers and consumers. They also provide important insights into the concerns of developing countries that are relevant for future international trade negotiations in key agricultural commodities. As a result, more appropriate policies can be put in place to ensure more stable food supplies in the future. Published with the Food and Agriculture (FAO) Organization of the United Nations

Recent advances in gastroenterology and hepatology as well as new findings in biliary and pancreatic diseases are presented in the proceedings of the 86th annual congress of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology. From the hundreds of papers delivered at the congress, 70 were selected for inclusion here. Opening with special lectures on gastroenterology in the new millennium, ulcerative colitis-pathophysiology and therapy, and life style-related diseases and gastroenterology, the volume is divided into sections reflecting the major concerns of researchers in the science of digestive diseases in Japan today: apoptosis in digestive organs, nitric oxide, transcription factors in digestive organs, antigen-presenting cells, pathology of inflammatory bowel disease, NSAID-induced gastric lesions, microcirculation in digestive diseases, hepatic regeneration, and hepatic fibrosis.