Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., May 6, 2003 — Two recent publications — a new book and an article in the prestigious magazine Science — highlight the work of Robert E. Evenson, professor of economics at Yale University, and Douglas Gollin, associate professor of economics at Williams College.
Their article “Assessing the Impact of the Green Revolution 1960 to 2000” appeared in the May 2 edition of Science. They are also co-editors of the book “Crop Variety Improvement and Its Effects: The Impact of International Research” (CABI Publishing, 2003).
The article in Science summarizes findings of a recent study of productivity impacts of crop genetic improvement research in developing countries. The study found that over the period 1960 to 2000, new crop varieties contributed to large increases in production, but unevenly across crops and regions.
“Increased food production has contributed to lower food prices globally,” Evenson and Gollin write. Average caloric intake has risen as a result of lower food prices with corresponding gains in health and life expectancy. “But some farmers and farm workers experience real losses from the Green Revolution largely because they were located in less favorable agroecological zones.”
In general, while basic science generated advances, public suspicion of new agricultural technologies has caused development agencies to shift funding away from agricultural research. But, “if the past offers guidance for the future, a strong public sector role will continue to be needed,” Evenson and Gollin said. “Continued green revolutions will depend on strong programs of national and internationalpublic sector research.”
Evenson and Gollin’s new book is an extensive report on the productivity impact of agricultural research on crop food production. It contains a series of reports on 11 crops: rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, barley, lentils, cassava, groundnut, potato, and beans. The book includes descriptive data and econometric models used to evaluate the impact of research on the 11 crops and in three country case studies (Brazil, China, and India).
The research was sponsored by the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an organization that has been working for more than 40 years to develop innovative ways to breed new varieties of staple food crops throughout the world.
Evenson’s research interests focus on agricultural households in developing countries, economics of invention, and technical change. At Yale he teaches microeconomics, economic development, economics of technology, and agricultural development. He received his B.A. from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. In addition to being a member of the department of economics, he is a member of the Economic Growth Research Center at Yale.
Gollin’s research interests focus on development and growth, agricultural economics, macroeconomics, and applications of dynamic equilibrium models.
At Williams, he teaches undergraduate courses on development economics, economic theory, and natural resource economics, and graduate courses at Williams College Center for Development Economics. He received his A.B. from Harvard University in 1983, his M.A. in international relations from Yale University in 1988, and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Minnesota in 1996.
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Williams College is consistently ranked one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges. The college’s 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their undergraduate teaching. The achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in research. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student’s financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted. Founded in 1793, it is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college is located in Williamstown, Mass. To visit the college on the Internet: www.williams.edu
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Published May 6, 2003
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