We measure the total benefits from rice varietal improvement research in China and India, using variety adoption and performance data over the last two decades. Genetic or pedigree information is used to partition the total benefits between these two countries and International Rice Research...

Small farms characterize agriculture in Asia. With the fragmentation of land holdings, the average size of farms fell in the region, while the number of small-size holdings increased significantly. These small-scale farmers play an important role for food security and poverty alleviation....

Notwithstanding the ambiguous research and productivity promoting effects of plant variety protections (PVPs) even in developed countries, many developing countries have adopted PVPs in the past few years, in part to comply with their Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)...