Assessing the impact of international agricultural research and development programs

Abstract

A number of studies are being conducted to assess the impacts of international agricultural programs. This "second generation" of impact studies can draw on earlier assessments of the production impacts of new, high-yielding rice and wheat varieties, particularly in Asia. New approaches and new data are needed, however, to assess the production impacts of other types of new technology (e.g., pest control methods, seed systems, and post-harvest technology) that are used with other crops and livestock, particularly in Africa and Latin America. Innovative study approaches are also needed to assess the institutional impacts of international programs. Given the high degree of institutional interdependence which characterizes agricultural research and extension it is inappropriate to attribute production impacts at the farm or consumer levels to specific international programs, as has sometimes been done. As an alternative to the narrow production economics framework employed in most previous impact studies, an interdisciplinary approach is outlined. © 1986.