April 23: Creating Agricult Technology

Question 1

Even with subsidies, African ____ prices are very high

Answer 1

fertilizers

Question 2

Examples of things used to lower prices via technology

Answer 2

1. Tractors : reduce farm labor cost and expand land area that can be put in production
2. Irrigation: increases crop production by ensuring adequate water supply for same inputs
3. More productive seeds/Green revolution: seeds produce more output for the same # inputs

Question 3

Usage of Irrigation

Answer 3

increases crop production by ensuring adequate water supply for same inputs

Question 4

Usage of tractors

Answer 4

reduce farm labor cost and expand land area that can be put in production

Question 5

Expanding supply with new technology: Prices decrease and quantities consumed _____

1. Who is better off?
2. Who may not be better off dep on elasticities?

Answer 5

decreases

1. Consumers better off
2. Farmers may not be better off // elasticity

Question 6

Success of Green Rev

Answer 6

Large yield increases in developing countries (less in Africa)

Lowered prices in India 18-20% via increased supply

Question 7

Cereal yields are improving where?

Answer 7

globally

Question 8

Fertilizer use still remains low where?

Answer 8

Africa

Question 9

How do we get new Technologies?

Answer 9

1. Local Research & Development:
   - Invest in agricult research in country/state ut produce more food locally
   - benefits will spill out locally and from other countries
2. International R & D: CGIAR creates crops that became the Green Rev
   - Ex) Mexico CIMMYT created crops used in India and Argentina

Question 10

Who should invest in new technologies?

Answer 10

Governments: mobilize resources, coordinate efforts, authority, long-term horiz

Private sector: profit motive, work fast, v localized

Question 11

Local Research & Development:

Answer 11

• Invest in agricult research in country/state ut produce more food locally
• benefits will spill out locally and from other countries

Question 12

International R & D

Answer 12

CGIAR creates crops that became the Green Rev
- Ex) Mexico CIMMYT created crops used in India and Argentina

Question 13

After 1990, low rainfall remained but _______ returned food production to previous levels

Answer 13

new technology

Question 14

Explain the 30+ year dry spell of Western Sahel

Answer 14

1st decade: spent ID new rainfall patterns + assessing adaptation options

2nd decade: generating new crops adapted to new climate conditions through local & international R&D

Last decade: farmers adopted innovations that returned per-capita grain production to previous levels

Question 15

Purpose of granting agricult experiment station in every state?

Answer 15

To provide an implicit subsidy to farmers by funding R&D and extension work to get better technologies to farmers

• Gov funds research
• Research provides new technologies to help farmers
• Technology gets diffused to farmers who then can produce more food for same price
• Food prices in US stay low thx to highly productive farmers

Question 16

Relative investments in agricult R&D are in ____ where it is needed the most

Answer 16

Africa

Question 17

Agricult research in Africa have been more or less successful in producing seed varieties that “travel” well (adapted to many climate zones/soils)?

Why?

Answer 17

Less successful

Private research cannot fill gap in Africa: most private agricultural R&D is for developed world

Question 18

How well does agricult research travel?

Why?

Answer 18

Not well

• Different climate and soils = diff cultivators needed
• In Africa: people and land area outnumber the nuber of agricult. research stations avail.