Agricultural Research, Livelihoods, And Poverty: Studies Of Economic And Social Impacts In Six : Countries

Until recently, poverty reduction was a secondary goal of agricultural research, which focused primarily on high yields, increases in food production, and reductions in food prices. Now the challenge lies in building strategies that address the needs of the poor. This volume studies the impact of agricultural research on poverty and how it can contribute to further poverty reduction. It measures the direct impacts of agricultural research experienced by farmers who adopt the resulting technologies as well as indirect impacts affecting broader populations as the new technologies transform the economic and social landscape. A set of seven case studies spread across three continents shows how poverty reduction can be attributed to different technologies and how these affect different social and economic groups. The essays demonstrate the challenges and concerns that agricultural scientists face in meeting the needs of poor farmers and in negotiating the many debates regarding poverty. The volume concludes by identifying the factors that researchers need to keep in mind when designing research programmes--policies, political processes, local governance, trust, and confidence, as well as the asset base, vulnerabilities, and priorities of poor people. Addressing these issues will ultimately increase the ability of agricultural research to improve their lives. The volume will be useful to agricultural scientists and researchers, multilateral donor agencies, agricultural policymakers, and students of agrarian policy and development at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
About Author :
Michelle Adato and Ruth Meinzen-Dick are Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Contents :
List of Figures List of Tables List of Boxes Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: Evolving Concerns in the Study of Impact Integrating Social and Economic Analyses to Study Impacts on Livelihoods and Poverty: Conceptual Frameworks and Research Methods Rice Research, Technological Progress, and Poverty: The Bangladesh Case Assessing the Impact of Vegetable and Fishpond Technologies on Poverty in Rural Bangladesh Impact of Agroforestry-Based Soil Fertility Replenishment Practices on the Poor in Western Kenya Assessing the Impact of High-Yield Varieties of Maize in Resettlement Areas of Zimbabwe Improved Maize Germplasm, Creolization, and Poverty: The Case of Tuxpeno-Derived Material in Mexico National and International Agricultural Research and Rural Poverty: The Case of Rice Research in India and China Agricultural Research and Urban Poverty in China and India Impacts of Agricultural Research on Poverty: Synthesis of Findings and Implications for Future Directions Contributors Index