Technological Abundance for Global Agriculture: The Role of Biotechnology

Science and innovation have always been the key forces behind agricultural growth in particular and economic transformation in general. More specifically, the ability to add value to agricultural production via the application of scientific knowledge to entrepreneurial activities stands out as one of the most important lessons of economic history. The Green Revolution played a critical role in helping to overcome chronic food shortages in Latin America and Asia. The Green Revolution was a result of both the creation of new institutional arrangements aimed at using existing technology to improve agricultural productivity, as well as new scientific breakthroughs leading to superior agricultural inputs, particularly improved strains of wheat and rice. In the wake of the recent global economic crisis and continually high food prices, the international community is reviewing its outlook on human welfare and prosperity. Much of the current concern on how to foster development and prosperity in developing countries reflects the consequences of recent neglect of sustainable agriculture and infrastructure as drivers of development. But all is not lost. Instead, those developing countries that have not yet fully embraced agricultural technology now have the chance to benefit from preexisting scientific advances in agriculture, particularly in biotechnology. Areas of the developing world lagging in the utilization and accumulation of technology have the ability not only to catch up to industrial leaders in biotechnology, but also to attain their own level of research growth

Building New Agricultural Universities in Africa

There is an urgent need to create a new generation of innovation-oriented agricultural that efficiently bring together agricultural research, training, commercialization, and extension. This paper calls for upgrading the training, extension, and commercialization functions of existing national agricultural research institutes (NARIs). This would build on a strong research tradition, ongoing training efforts, connections with the private sector and farmers, and extensive international partnerships. Upgrading NARIs in this manner would also lay the foundation for the emergence of the first generation of research universities in Africa with an initial focus on agriculture. The creation of agricultural innovation universities would serve as a starting point for broader efforts in Africa to strengthen the role of science, technology, and innovation in economic transformation. The paper provides a roadmap that can be used to guide the proposed reform efforts

Global Governance and Technology

human development, technology

Evolutionary technological change: the case of fuel ethanol in developing countries

This study suggests an evolutionary approach to the analysis of energy technology policy. The approach emphasizes economic fluctuations, technological change and Institutional re-organization through time. The liquid fuel sub-sectors of Zimbabwe and Kenya constitute different technological systems adapted to the production and utilization of different energy forms. They represent different market niches In a techno-economic landscape. Gasoline occupies a central role In the energy budget. The 1973- 74 oil crisis created major fluctuations which made it possible to introduce fuel ethanol as an alternative liquid fuel. The process of realising the ethanol niche was largely dependent on the existence of technological options whose technical and financial characteristics allowed them to compete favourably with conventional 1iquid fuels. Niche realization also required the modification of the adoptive terrain to reduce the obstacles to the introduction of the new technological systems. The entire process takes an evolutionary perspective because it involves the generation. selection and retention of technological options under constantly changing conditions. Moreover. the technological systems continue to undergo or require incremental Improvements after they have been installed. Such improvements require the generation of plant-level technical knowledge and often lead to the accumulation of local technological capacity. A glance at the evolutionary path reveals periods of gradual change. punctuated by moments of increased innovations which are often linked to periods of major fluctuations. The process is associated with a complex network of institutional arrangements which are also re-organized either in response to fluctuations or in anticipation of emerging niche opportunities. Institutions play a central role because the process is not random, it is purposive and based on socio-economic expectations. It is precisely this point that led to major differences In the process of niche realization In Zimbabwe and Kenya. although both countries were presented with the same technological options. The study draws a wide range of technology policy and research implications from these differences

Enhancing Food Security in an Era of Global Climate Change: An Executive Session on Grand Challenges of the Sustainability Transition

The goal of the workshop was to build a more strategic and integrated perspective on the threats and opportunities latent in the food / climate issue, and to discuss the hard challenges of moving forward toward common goals in a private, off-the-record setting. An executive session convened by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Venice International University on June 6-9, 2010, attracted more than 25 of the world's leading experts from the fields of policy, science, and business to San Servolo Island for an intensive three- day session (see text for a list of the participants). The discussions were off-the-record, with each participant present in his or her own capacity, rather than representing an organization. The session was one in a series on Grand Challenges of the Sustainability Transition organized by the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University with the generous support of the Italy’s Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea. This particular session was held in cooperation with the new Mega Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security being developed by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Earth System Science Partnership. This summary report of the session is our synthesis of the main points and arguments that emerged from the discussions. It does not represent a consensus document, since no effort was made at the session to arrive at a single consensus view. Rather, we report here on what we heard to be the major themes discussed at the session. Any errors or misrepresentations remain solely our responsibility

Development that works, March 31, 2011

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Conference Series, On March 31, 2011, more than 100 people participated in a conference titled “Development That Works,” sponsored by Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future in collaboration with the BU Global Development program. In the pages that follow, four essays written by Boston University graduate students capture the salient points and overarching themes from the four sessions, each of which featured presentations by outstanding scholars and practitioners working in the field of development. The conference agenda and speakers’ biographies are included following the essays.The theme and the title of the conference—”Development That Works”—stemmed from the conference organizers’ desire to explore, from a groundlevel perspective, what programs, policies, and practices have been shown—or appear to have the potential—to achieve sustained, long-term advances in development in various parts of the world. The intent was not to simply showcase “success stories,” but rather to explore the larger concepts and opportunities that have resulted in development that is meaningful and sustainable over time. The presentations and discussions focused on critical assessments of why and how some programs take hold, and what can be learned from them. From the influence of global economic structures to innovative private sector programs and the need to evaluate development programs at the “granular” level, the expert panelists provided well-informed and often provocative perspectives on what is and isn’t working in development programs today, and what could work better in the future

Health Innovation Networks to Help Developing Countries Address Neglected Diseases

There is a great unmet need for health technologies to address diseases of the poor in developing countries. At the same time, there is a rapidly growing capability to undertake health innovation in many developing countries (Innovative Developing Countries - IDCs). The more advanced IDCs have the greatest capacity to develop, manufacture, ensure safety, and market new health products and to develop, test and introduce new health policies or strategies. They are distinguished by their rapidly growing strength in health innovation as illustrated by increasing patenting and publishing activities; increasing investments in technology by both the public and private research based sectors; rapidly growing number of health technology companies ; and proactive health systems able to analyze, evaluate and adopt new practices and technologies. This innovation capability provides a currently underleveraged opportunity to accelerate the development of new products, policies or strategies for diseases of the poor. We are therefore calling for the formation of an Initiative for Health Product Innovation in Developing Countries. Its primary mission will be to accelerate the translation of new knowledge into health innovations relevant to the diseases of the poor and to economic growth, taking into account national priorities and sensitivities. The Initiative could promote innovation, within and among IDCs, through programs to: (i) support research on health innovation systems; (ii) promote collaboration and coordination among countries to develop, disseminate and implement good practices and policies; and (iii) implement demonstration projects. Such an Initiative would help maximize existing and growing investments by developing countries in health research, and complement global efforts to address health disparities and achieve the Millennium Development Goals