A Meta-analysis of Rates of Return to Agricultural R&D

A Meta-analysis of Rates of Return to Agricultural R&D
Author: Julian M. Alston
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 163
Release: 2000
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0896291162

Analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting foof needs of the developing world on a sustainable basis, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries.

Promoting Investment in Agriculture for Increased Production and Productivity

Promoting Investment in Agriculture for Increased Production and Productivity
Author: Saifullah Syed
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 108
Release: 2013-11-15
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1780643888

Investing in agriculture is one of the most effective ways of reducing hunger and poverty, promoting agricultural productivity and enhancing environmental sustainability. Covering the development of sustainable agriculture, food production and food security, this paper explains the relationship between all levels of investment and their interdependence to be successful. It also describes how to drive increased investment, at what stage and where, providing a useful overview of investment in agriculture for policymakers and researchers.

Rural Wealth Creation

Rural Wealth Creation
Author: John L. Pender
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2014-06-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1135121966

This book investigates the role of wealth in achieving sustainable rural economic development. The authors define wealth as all assets net of liabilities that can contribute to well-being, and they provide examples of many forms of capital – physical, financial, human, natural, social, and others. They propose a conceptual framework for rural wealth creation that considers how multiple forms of wealth provide opportunities for rural development, and how development strategies affect the dynamics of wealth. They also provide a new accounting framework for measuring wealth stocks and flows. These conceptual frameworks are employed in case study chapters on measuring rural wealth and on rural wealth creation strategies. Rural Wealth Creation makes numerous contributions to research on sustainable rural development. Important distinctions are drawn to help guide wealth measurement, such as the difference between the wealth located within a region and the wealth owned by residents of a region, and privately owned versus publicly owned wealth. Case study chapters illustrate these distinctions and demonstrate how different forms of wealth can be measured. Several key hypotheses are proposed about the process of rural wealth creation, and these are investigated by case study chapters assessing common rural development strategies, such as promoting rural energy industries and amenity-based development. Based on these case studies, a typology of rural wealth creation strategies is proposed and an approach to mapping the potential of such strategies in different contexts is demonstrated. This book will be relevant to students, researchers, and policy makers looking at rural community development, sustainable economic development, and wealth measurement.

Publicly Funded Agricultural Research and the Changing Structure of U.S. Agriculture

Publicly Funded Agricultural Research and the Changing Structure of U.S. Agriculture
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2002-03-18
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309170346

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requested that the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Research Council (NRC) convene a panel of experts to examine whether publicly funded agricultural research has influenced the structure of U.S. agriculture and, if so, how. The Committee to Review the Role of Publicly Funded Agricultural Research on the Structure of U.S. Agriculture was asked to assess the role of public-sector agricultural research on changes in the size and numbers of farms, with particular emphasis on the evolution of very-large-scale operations.

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education in the Field

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education in the Field
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 456
Release: 1991-02-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309045789

Interest is growing in sustainable agriculture, which involves the use of productive and profitable farming practices that take advantage of natural biological processes to conserve resources, reduce inputs, protect the environment, and enhance public health. Continuing research is helping to demonstrate the ways that many factorsâ€"economics, biology, policy, and traditionâ€"interact in sustainable agriculture systems. This book contains the proceedings of a workshop on the findings of a broad range of research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The areas of study, such as integrated pest management, alternative cropping and tillage systems, and comparisons with more conventional approaches, are essential to developing and adopting profitable and sustainable farming systems.

Trends and Impacts of Foreign Investment in Developing Country Agriculture

Trends and Impacts of Foreign Investment in Developing Country Agriculture
Author: Pascal Liu
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2013
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Substantial increases in agricultural investments in developing countries are needed to combat poverty and realize food security and nutrition goals. There is evidence that agricultural investments can generate a wide range of developmental benefits, but these benefits cannot be expected to arise automatically and some forms of large-scale investment carry risks for host countries. Although there has been much debate about the potential benefits and risks of international investment, there is no systematic evidence on the actual impacts on the host country and their determinants. In order to acquire an in-depth understanding of potential benefits, constraints and costs of foreign investment in agriculture and of the business models that are more conducive to development, FAO has undertaken research in developing countries.This publication summarizes the results of this research, in particular through the presentation of the main findings of case studies in nine developing countries. It presents case studies on policies to attract foreign investment in agriculture and their impacts on national economic development in selected countries in Africa, Asian and Latin America.

Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030

Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2019-04-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309473926

For nearly a century, scientific advances have fueled progress in U.S. agriculture to enable American producers to deliver safe and abundant food domestically and provide a trade surplus in bulk and high-value agricultural commodities and foods. Today, the U.S. food and agricultural enterprise faces formidable challenges that will test its long-term sustainability, competitiveness, and resilience. On its current path, future productivity in the U.S. agricultural system is likely to come with trade-offs. The success of agriculture is tied to natural systems, and these systems are showing signs of stress, even more so with the change in climate. More than a third of the food produced is unconsumed, an unacceptable loss of food and nutrients at a time of heightened global food demand. Increased food animal production to meet greater demand will generate more greenhouse gas emissions and excess animal waste. The U.S. food supply is generally secure, but is not immune to the costly and deadly shocks of continuing outbreaks of food-borne illness or to the constant threat of pests and pathogens to crops, livestock, and poultry. U.S. farmers and producers are at the front lines and will need more tools to manage the pressures they face. Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030 identifies innovative, emerging scientific advances for making the U.S. food and agricultural system more efficient, resilient, and sustainable. This report explores the availability of relatively new scientific developments across all disciplines that could accelerate progress toward these goals. It identifies the most promising scientific breakthroughs that could have the greatest positive impact on food and agriculture, and that are possible to achieve in the next decade (by 2030).

Agriculture Investment Sourcebook

Agriculture Investment Sourcebook
Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 536
Release: 2005-04-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0821383523

Investing to promote agricultural growth and poverty reduction is a central pillar of the World Bank's current rural strategy, 'Reaching the Rural Poor' (2003). This 'Sourcebook' addresses how to implement the rural strategy, by sharing information on investment options and identifying innovative approaches that will aid the design of future lending programs for agriculture. It provides generic good practices and many examples that demonstrate investment in agriculture can provide rewarding and sustainable returns to development efforts. It is divided into eleven self-contained modules. Each module contains three different types of subunits that can also be stand-alone documents: I. Module Overview II. Agricultural Investment Notes III. Innovative Activity Profiles. The stand-alone nature of the subunits allows flexibility and adaptability of the material. Selected readings and web links are also provided for readers who seek more in-depth information. The 'Sourcebook' draws on a wide range of experiences from donor agencies, governments, institutions, and other groups active in agricultural development. It is an invaluable reference tool for policy makers, professionals, academics and students, and anyone with an interest in agricultural investments.

The Profits of Power

The Profits of Power
Author: Christopher Udry
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

We examine the impact of ambiguous and contested land rights on investment and productivity in agricultural in Akwapim, Ghana. We show that individuals who hold powerful positions in a local political hierarchy have more secure tenure rights, and that as a consequence they invest more in land fertility and have substantially higher output. The intensity of investments on different plots cultivated by a given individual correspond to that individual's security of tenure over those specific plots, and in turn to the individual's position in the political hierarchy relevant to those specific plots. We interpret these results in the context of a simple model of the political allocation of land rights in local matrilineages.

Rising Global Interest in Farmland

Rising Global Interest in Farmland
Author: Klaus Deininger
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2011
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

This book aims to provide key pieces of information needed for informed debate about large-scale land acquisition by drawing on the experience from past land expansions, discussing predictions for potential future demand, and providing empirical evidence of what is happening on the ground in the countries most affected by the recent increase in demand for land. It complements demand side considerations with a detailed assessment of the amount of land, whether currently cultivated or not, that might potentially be available for agricultural cultivation at the global and country levels. It then describes in some detail the policies in place to manage land acquisition processes and analyzes how these policies may affect outcomes. This information can help governments in land abundant countries to assess how best to integrate increased demand for land into their rural development strategies and provide opportunities and benefits to all involved, including existing smallholders. This is particularly important as many of these countries also have high yield gaps. It also highlights how, in cases where land acquisition by large investors makes sense from a social, economic, and environmental perspective, governments can create an environment that can help to attract outside investment that contributes to broad-based growth and poverty reduction.