IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/jeapmx/v09y2007i01ns1464333207002652.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

International Agricultural Research As A Source Of Environmental Impacts: Challenges And Possibilities

Author

Listed:
  • MICHAEL NELSON

    (Centro de Investigación y Planificación del Medio Ambiente, Bucharest 046, Segundo piso, Depto D, Providencia, Santiago, Chile)

  • MYWISH K. MAREDIA

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, 321 Agriculture Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1039, USA)

Abstract

This paper deals with conceptual and methodological issues arising inex postenvironmental impact assessment of agricultural research. It presents a case study of approaches used (and not used) and challenges associated with theex postassessment of environmental impacts of research supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The paper illustrates the difficulty of tracking the global effects of agricultural research on natural resources due to a diffused and complex set of decision variables effecting intensification and expansion of land in agriculture, primarily in developing countries. The central point inex postimpact assessment concerns costs and benefits (in terms of relevant budget constraints and time frame for decision) of in-depth empirical versus qualitative analysis. Within this context we conclude that the empirical counterfactual approach ("with" and "without" research) is not an option. As a second best alternative, it is inferred from cases and global statistics that: in specific instances the introduction of high yielding varieties did have unintended impacts on natural resources, in part due to policy distortion and in part due to unforeseen chain reactions in the ecosystems. But on net balance, increased yields attributable to international agricultural research have had positive environmental impacts in the form of net land saving.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Nelson & Mywish K. Maredia, 2007. "International Agricultural Research As A Source Of Environmental Impacts: Challenges And Possibilities," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(01), pages 103-119.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:jeapmx:v:09:y:2007:i:01:n:s1464333207002652
    DOI: 10.1142/S1464333207002652
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1464333207002652
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1142/S1464333207002652?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Weight, David & Kelly, Valerie A., 1999. "Fertilizer Impacts on Soils and Crops of Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Security International Development Papers 54050, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    2. Pingali, Prabhu L. & Rosegrant, Mark W., 1994. "Confronting the environmental consequences of the Green Revolution in Asia:," EPTD discussion papers 2, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Umali, D.L., 1993. "Irrigation-Induced Salinity; A growing Problem for Development and Environment," Papers 215, World Bank - Technical Papers.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kifle, Mulubrehan & Gebremicael, T.G. & Girmay, Abbadi & Gebremedihin, Teferi, 2017. "Effect of surge flow and alternate irrigation on the irrigation efficiency and water productivity of onion in the semi-arid areas of North Ethiopia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 69-76.
    2. Mark W. Rosegrant & Ruth S. Meinzen‐Dick, 1996. "Water Resources in the Asia‐Pacific Region: Managing Scarcity," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 10(2), pages 32-53, November.
    3. Larson,Donald F. & Muraoka,Rie & Otsuka,Keijiro, 2016. "On the central role of small farms in African rural development strategies," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7710, The World Bank.
    4. Clay, Daniel C. & Kelly, Valerie A. & Mpyisi, Edson & Reardon, Thomas, 2001. "Input Use and Conservation Investments among Farm Households in Rwanda: Patterns and Determinants," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 57053, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    5. World Bank, 2004. "Drainage for Gain : Integrated Solutions to Drainage in Land and Water Management," World Bank Publications - Reports 14419, The World Bank Group.
    6. Singh, Jai & Pal Singh, Jai, 1995. "Land degradation and economic sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 77-86, October.
    7. Fan, Shenngen & Hazell, Peter & Haque, T., 2000. "Targeting public investments by agro-ecological zone to achieve growth and poverty alleviation goals in rural India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 411-428, August.
    8. Barmon, Basanta Kumar & Osanami, Fumio & Kondo, Takumi, 2006. "Economic Evaluation of Rice-Prawn Gher Farming System on Soil Fertility for Modern Variety (MV) Paddy Production in Bangladesh," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25355, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. James Sumberg & John Thompson & Philip Woodhouse, 2013. "Why agronomy in the developing world has become contentious," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 71-83, March.
    10. Pingali, Prabhu L. & Heisey, Paul W., 1999. "Cereal Crop Productivity in Developing Countries: Past Trends and Future Prospects," Economics Working Papers 7682, CIMMYT: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
    11. Williams, Timothy Olalekan & Faures, J.-M. & Namara, R. & Snyder, K., 2020. "Large-scale irrigated farming system: the potential and challenges to improve food security, livelihoods and ecosystem management," IWMI Books, Reports H049740, International Water Management Institute.
    12. Sonja Radosavljevic & L. Jamila Haider & Steven J. Lade & Maja Schluter, 2020. "Effective alleviation of rural poverty depends on the interplay between productivity, nutrients, water and soil quality," Papers 2004.05229, arXiv.org.
    13. Conceição, Pedro & Levine, Sebastian & Lipton, Michael & Warren-Rodríguez, Alex, 2016. "Toward a food secure future: Ensuring food security for sustainable human development in Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1-9.
    14. Alain Ayong Le Kama & Agnès Tomini, 2012. "Water Conservation versus Soil Salinity Control," Working Papers hal-04141151, HAL.
    15. Rosegrant, Mark W. & Schleyer, Renato Gazmuri & Yadav, Satya N., 1995. "Water policy for efficient agricultural diversification: market-based approaches," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 203-223, June.
    16. Levine, N. Kendra & Mason, Nicole M. & Morgan, Stephen N., 2016. "Do input subsidies crowd in or crowd out other soil fertility management practices? Panel survey evidence from Zambia," 2016 Fifth International Conference, September 23-26, 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 246393, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    17. Crawford, Eric W. & Jayne, Thomas S. & Kelly, Valerie A., 2005. "Alternative Approaches for Promoting Fertilizer Use in Africa, with Particular Reference to the Role of Fertilizer Subsidies," Staff Paper Series 11557, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    18. Robin J. Lovell & Carol Shennan & Nguyen Ngoc Thuy, 2021. "Sustainable and conventional intensification: how gendered livelihoods influence farming practice adoption in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 7089-7116, May.
    19. Crawford, Eric W. & Kelly, Valerie A., 2001. "Evaluating Measures To Improve Agricultural Input Use," Staff Paper Series 11686, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    20. Johann, Kirsten & Mapila, Mariam & Okello, Julius J. & De, Sourovi, 2013. "Managing Agricultural Commercialization for Inclusive Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers 206518, University of Pretoria, Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wsi:jeapmx:v:09:y:2007:i:01:n:s1464333207002652. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tai Tone Lim (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.worldscinet.com/jeapm/jeapm.shtml .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.