Expanding the boundaries of agricultural development

Naylor, Rosamond (2011) Expanding the boundaries of agricultural development. Food Security, 3 (2). pp. 233-251.

PDF - Published Version Restricted to ICRISAT researchers only

Abstract

The challenges of reducing global hunger and poverty are different today than they were 30 years ago. Current challenges include price volatility associated with increased integration of food, energy, and finance markets; the steady progression of climate change; poorly defined land institutions; and a failure to break vicious cycles of malnutrition and infectious disease. Farmland speculation is occurring globally—often at odds with rural poverty alleviation—and food insecurity remains a pressing issue with the estimated number of chronically malnourished people hovering around one billion. Given these patterns, food and agriculture are becoming increasingly ingrained in international security and policy discussions. This paper explores several ways in which the traditional field of agricultural development needs to expand to address the broader issues of international security and human welfare. It focuses on five key interrelated issues: the macroeconomic and energy contexts of agricultural development; climate change; deforestation, land access, and land markets; farming systems and technology for the ultra-poor; and food-health linkages with a specific focus on infectious disease. Recommendations for investments in capacity building, revised curricula, and development projects are made on the basis of evidence presented for each issue. It is clear that academic programs, government agencies, development and aid organizations, and foundations need to dismantle the walls between disciplinary and programmatic fields, and to find new, innovative ways to reach real-world solutions.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	The author thanks Walter Falcon, Sandra Batie, David Battisti, Brooks Browne, Jennifer Burney, Thom Jayne, David Lobell, Gordon Nelson, Sharon Perry, Gary Schoolnik, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful input and comments on the manuscript, and Katherine Niemer Johnson for editing support. The work was funded through Senior Fellow endowment funds provided by Julie Wrigley and Allison and Geoff Rusack, and it was presented at the 25th anniversary celebration of Winrock International on December 9, 2010.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Price volatility – Climate change – Land grabs – Farming systems – Infectious diseases – Capacity building
Author Affiliation:	Program on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University,(Stanford)
Subjects:	Social Sciences > Agricultural Economics
Divisions:	Other Crops
Depositing User:	Mr Siva Shankar
Date Deposited:	10 Feb 2012 10:34
Last Modified:	10 Feb 2012 10:35
Official URL:	http://www.springerlink.com/content/1876-4517/
URI:	http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/3027

Actions (login required)

View Item