Recent advances in genetic engineering now allow biological inventions to be programmed in a fashion resembling the restrictive programming of digital media. These biological "lock-out" systems restrict unauthorized use of genetically engineered seeds in much the same way that digital rights...

This paper suggests four models that could link US and Chinese investment and yield productive new avenues for commercial collaboration. All four models focus on animal protein supply chain technologies. That is because agricultural innovation in this realm is of particular importance to...

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Ghana, together with the Natural Resources Institute of the United Kingdom and with input from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration convened a one-day Policy Dialogue Forum on “Broadening Monitoring and Evaluation...

In this paper I analyze the 'Nitrogen Paradox' stated by Robert Allen in his interpretation of the English Agricultural Revolution as an adaptive response to the agro-climatic impacts of the last phase of the Little Ice Age. The colder and more humid climate during the second half of the 17th...

This paper studies how innovation reacts to climate change and shapes its economic impacts, focusing on US agriculture. We show in a model that directed innovation can either mitigate or exacerbate climate change's economic damage depending on whether new technology is on average a substitute...

In this paper I analyze the ÔNitrogen ParadoxÕ stated by Robert Allen in his interpretation of the English Agricultural Revolution as an adaptive response to the agro-climatic impacts of the last phase of the Little Ice Age. The colder and more humid climate during the second half of the 17th...

Soil acidity is crucial for crop yields. Acidic soils decrease the availability of important nutrients to plants, causing lower yields. This applies to both naturally occurring nutrients and fertilizer. A well-known remedy is to provide soils with alkaline materials, like ground limestone. This...

Innovation and insurance are two important options for the agricultural sector to adapt to climate change. However, how these two options interact with each other has not been documented in the literature. This paper intends to fill this gap by investigating the effects of crop insurance on...