This Sourcebook has been prepared to help in implementing the World Bank's current rural strategy, by sharing information on investment options and innovative approaches that will aid the design of future lending programs for agriculture. The Sourcebook provides generic good practices and many examples that demonstrate that investment in agriculture can provide rewarding and sustainable returns to development efforts. The contents have been assembled from all regions and thematic groups of the Bank, and from the experiences of many partners. The Sourcebook is intended as a ready reference for practitioners (World Bank staff and their partners in borrowing countries) seeking summary information on the state of the art about good practice for agricultural investments, and innovative activities that merit close monitoring for potential scaling up. The Sourcebook is divided into eleven self-contained modules. Each module contains three different types of subunits, which can also be stand-alone documents. The Sourcebook thus provides introductions to topics, but not detailed guidelines on " how to " design and implement investments. The standalone nature of each subunit of the Sourcebook allows flexibility and adaptability of the materials, but necessarily results in some replication of the issues covered.