In the past three decades, the seed sector has experienced, and is now again experiencing, corporate concentration trends. The fallout of this consolidation is the subject of numerous concerns. However, the seed sector is rather poorly understood. Thus, it is useful to understand it better and...

This paper reviews the tools applied in plant biotechnology and explores the prospects for biotechnology to generate benefits for developing countries. Possible near-term applications are identified. Needed capability in biological research, intellectual property management and biosafety are...

Some entry barriers in agricultural and agro-processing value chains, particularly for smallholder farmers and small/medium-sized processors, can be overcome with innovation and technology adoption. Technologies and innovation in these sectors have been both radical and incremental, ranging...

Economic and population growth increasingly pressure the Earth system. Fertile soils are essential to ensure global food security, requiring high-yielding agro-technological regimes to cope with rising soil degradation and macro-nutrients deficiencies, which may be further exacerbated by climate...

Automation has always played a significant role in the productivity and efficiency of agriculture. This paper explores the role of automation on farms' technical efficiency (TE) in an expanding dairy sector. We use a representative sample of Irish dairy farms that includes detailed data on...

A description of the Basic and Engineering Sciences (SC BES) and Science Policy and Sustainable Development (SC PSD) programmes at UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science in Latin America and the Caribbean is made. An account of the innovation patterns and the relation between science, engineering...

The book consists of eleven chapters: Part I: Introducing a human rights framework and clarifying human rights provisions Chapter 1: The Context, Including Basic Approaches or Understanding Human Rights Chapter 2: The Right to Benefit from Scientific Progress and its Applications Chapter 3: The...

Innovation in agriculture differs from innovation elsewhere in the economy in several important ways. In this chapter we highlight differences arising from (a) the atomistic nature of agricultural production, (b) the spatial specificity of agricultural technologies and the implications for...

Until about 13,000 years ago all humans obtained their food through hunting and gathering, but thereafter people in some parts of the world began a transition to agriculture. Recent data strongly implicate climate change as the driving force behind the agricultural transition in southwest Asia....

Theory, historiography and empirical evidence suggest that agriculture is the key to economic development. This paper examines the extent to which productivity advances in British agriculture in the period 1620-1850 were driven by technological progress. Measuring technology by patents and new...