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FAO provides free access to statistics treasure trove 12-Jul-10 World's largest database of food, hunger and agricultural information now fully accessible online  Free access to FAO database contributes to sustainable development   9 July 2010, Rome - FAO is granting free and open access to its central data repository, FAOSTAT, the world's largest and most comprehensive statistical database on food, agriculture, and hunger, the UN agency announced today.  Previously, it was possible to download without charge a limited amount of information from FAOSTAT - which contains over one million data points covering 210 countries and territories -- but access to larger batches of statistics required a paid annual subscription.  The power of numbers  "We are now providing totally free access to this immense pool of data," said Hafez Ghanem, FAO Assistant Director General for Economic and Social Development. "This information is an important tool in the fight to alleviate poverty, promote sustainable development and eliminate hunger. We're particularly keen on making sure that economists, planners, and policy-makers in the developing world, where that tool is needed most, can get at it and put it to good use."  Ghanem also noted that the move forms part of an ongoing FAO effort to provide easier and more direct access to its vast information assets, an initiative that came out of an independent external evaluation and strategic planning process initiated by FAO's Members in 2008.  "FAOSTAT is a powerful tool that can be used not just to see where hunger occurs, but to drill down and better understand why hunger occurs -- and what might be done to combat it," added Pietro Gennari, FAO Statistics Division Director. "It's especially designed to support monitoring, analysis and informed, evidence-based policy-making specifically related to rural and agricultural development and hunger reduction, the only tool of its kind."  In addition to aiding development

Search About CSDi CSDi is firmly committed to proven, results-based solutions to end suffering and poverty. Our goal is to spread these solutions across the globe through our in-depth field guides and interactive online workshops. Work with us and become the solution. We've trained development professionals... in 103 countries who have developed course projects... impacting over 100,000 people. ~ What our students are saying: I really appreciate the time you have taken to go through correcting assignments.... I am very confident that all your labours are producing lots of learning and stimulation for your students. MATT, IRELAND Facebook Like Box Upcoming Courses ¡Cursos Nuevos en Español! May 17 - July 11 101: From the Ground Up May 17 - July 11 341: Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change May 17 - July 11 Adaptación Basado en la Comunidad-CBA May 17 - July 11 Upcoming Online Development Courses May 2011 Community Based Adaptation: 300 Hands-On Field Activities Donate CSDi, a 501c3, relies on your generous donations for our work, training individuals to be the solution in communities across the globe. News Newsletter: March Newsletter: Project Sustainability: Put the Community in Charge. Field Project of the Month: Rainwater Harvesting: Mexico City Google Translate Translate This Website Powered by Google Tradutor iLearning Experience Student Testimonials International Partnerships Learning Environment Student Field Projects Example Assignment: Kenya Student Countries, Organizations, Project Challenges HANDS-ON FIELD ACTIVITIES FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ADAPTATION Module OL 340: Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change Posted by Tim Magee CSDi is pleased to present a compilation of Community Based Adaptation Field Activities-complete with links to source materials and technical information-compiled from case studies & from projects developed by CSDi field partners & online students. We encourage you to submit activities: Onl

Intellectual Property Rights And Concentration In Agricultural Biotechnology William Lesser Cornell University AgBioForum Fall98 v.1, n.2 The relationships between intellectual property rights (IPRs) and structural change are examined in this paper. Intellectual property rights are a complex, multifaceted area and one in which corporate strategies are poorly understood. Nevertheless, it is argued here that IPRs can affect firm entry, can make vertical integration in downstream industries more or less necessary, and can create financial incentives for downstream mergers and acquisitions. Hence, IPRs can have significant structural impacts. Key words: intellectual property rights; agrobiotechnology; industry structure; research and development (R&D) The later 1990s have been a tumultuous time for merger and acquisition activity among firms involved in agricultural biotechnology. By the end of the third quarter of 1998, Monsanto alone had been involved in 18 acquisitions and had itself agreed and then reneged on a merger with American Home Products. In addition, Monsanto completed overseas acquisitions worth a total of $7.3 billion over two years. Novartis was formed by the merging of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy, while DuPont chose to enter the market through joint ventures; a total of 20 joint ventures valued at over $5 billion (Moore, 1998). These mergers have contributed greatly to a restructuring of the seed industry. Most notably, Monsanto controlled up to 40 percent of seed for the 1998 United States (U.S.) soybean crop and, if approved, full acquisition of Delta & Pine Land will give Monsanto ownership of at least 80 percent of the U.S. cotton seed industry (Kilman & Warren, 1998). This is not the only incidence of major acquisition activity, a previous one occurred about 20 years earlier. Butler and Marion (1985) list 27 mergers during the period 1978-80. The 1980 date is pivotal as it marks some strengthening amendments to the United States Plant Variety Prot

There is a veritable gold rush mentality in the life science world as scientists, entrepreneurs and multinationals are staking claims to the a ~code of lifea (TM) embodied in the worlda (TM)s current stock of plants, animals, microbes and human populations. In response, the communities that see themselves as the custodians of both that traditional knowledge and specific genetic resources have demanded greater recognition of their role in creating and conserving this resource, access to any resulting improvements and a share of the benefits arising from their patrimony. This has precipitated a widespread efforta "in local communities, in the marketplace, in many developing and developed countries and at the talks in the Doha Round of the WTOa "to reconcile the interests and concerns of the two opposing groups. This edited volume explores the legal, economic and political context for the debate about intellectual property rights for traditional knowledge and genetic resources and critically analyses the theory and practice of access and benefits sharing efforts around the world. The book also investigates the current flashpointsa "the David and Goliath battle between Monsanto and Percy Schmeiser over farmersa (TM) rights; the dispute over coexistence of GM and organic production; and the ownership and control of human genetic materials stored in human gene banks around the world.

Learning Resources This page contains learning resources for the e-agriculture.org community.  These are courses and modules focused on e-Agriculture as a field or designed to teach participants skills relevant to areas of e-Agriculture.  If you come across other such resources, we hope you will contribute them. Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK) The Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK) is a partnership-based e-Learning initiative to train individuals and support institutions and networks world-wide in the effective management of agricultural information. IMARK consists of a suite of distance learning resources, tools and communities on information management. IMARK learning materials are being developed as a series of modules available online and on CD-ROM. The modules are being developed using the latest methods in e-learning, providing an interactive environment for self-paced learning. List of IMARK Modules ItrainOnline Multimedia Training Kit  The ItrainOnline MMTK is a growing collection of "workshop kits" for face-to-face training. The materials use a standard set of templates, and offer building blocks for trainers to build their own courses. Materials are available in English, French, Arabic, and Russian, and cover technical skills, content development skills, developing thematic content, organizational development and planning, and ICT policy, advocacy, and the digital divide. CGIAR Online Learning Resources Center From this page you can access a repository of CGIAR Centers' learning objects and other training resources, as well as Web-based training courses. You can access these sites anonymously to search and retrieve information and resources as well as enrol in courses. If you wish to contribute resources or need further information please contact the Learning Resources Team. Thank you for visiting. The Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) This is a partnership of over 120 learning centres (GDLN Affiliates) in nearly

Special Issue "Renewable Agriculture" Quicklinks Special Issue Editors Published Papers Special Issue Information Keywords Planned Papers A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2009) Special Issue Editor Guest Editor Dr. Stephen S. Jones Director, Northwestern Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, Mount Vernon, Washington 98273, USA E-Mail: joness@wsu.edu Published Papers Click here to see a list of 19 papers that have been published in this special issue. Special Issue Information Dear Colleagues, For centuries the perceived need for an immediate and dramatic increase in agricultural production has been a theme throughout the developed world. But only very recently, and with less urgency, has society recognized the need for the true sustainability of agricultural production. For long-term sustainability, agriculture must have the capacity for renewal. Even the most basic forms of agriculture require an input of energy, this in essence is what defines the system as agricultural. Starting with human and animal labor, energy inputs have developed into an industrial system using fertilizers, water, seed, pest control, and other products often brought in from off the farm. While these products may increase production, for the most part they are non-renewable, require vast amounts of fuel to produce and transport, are costly, and may harm the native organisms and environment. Additionally, most seed in industrial agriculture is non-renewable due to legal and genetic mechanisms that make it problematic for farmers to save and replant what they have grown on their farms. Is a renewable agriculture with a high level of productivity possible? What research is underway to test the robustness of current systems when measured against a standard of true long-term sustainability? Stephen S. Jones, Ph. D. Guest Editor   Submission Information All papers should be submitted to

  SPECIAL JOURNAL ISSUE: Property Rights, Collective Action, and Local Conservation of Genetic Resources (World Development) World Development just published its September 2007 issue, which is a special issue with papers from a CAPRi Workshop. World Development, Volume 35, Issue 9, Pages 1481-1594 (September 2007) is a special issue on "Property Rights, Collective Action, and Local Conservation of Genetic Resources" edited by Pablo Eyzaguirre, Monica Di Gregorio and Ruth Meinzen-Dick. The special issue contains the following articles. Earlier versions of all of the papers except the introduction are available as CAPRi working papers on the CAPRi website. Introduction to the Special Issue on "Property Rights, Collective Action, and Local Conservation of Genetic Resources", by Pablo Eyzaguirre, Monica Di Gregorio and Ruth Meinzen-Dick The Impacts of Collective Action and Property Rights on Plant Genetic Resources, by Pablo B. Eyzaguirre and Evan M. Dennis Farmers' Rights and Protection of Traditional Agricultural Knowledge, Stephen B. Brush Protecting Farmers' New Varieties: New Approaches to Rights on Collective Innovations in Plant Genetic Resources, by Rene Salazar, Niels P. Louwaars and Bert Visser Property Rights and the Management of Animal Genetic Resources, by Simon Anderson and Roberta Centonze Are there Customary Rights to Plants? An Inquiry among the Baganda (Uganda), with Special Attention to Gender, by Patricia L. Howard and Gorettie Nabanoga Local Institutions and Plant Genetic Conservation: Exchange of Plant Genetic Resources in Rural Uzbekistan and some Theoretical Implications, by Evan Dennis, Jarilkasin Ilyasov, Eric van Dusen, Sergey Treshkin, Marina Lee and Pablo Eyzaguirre The Dynamics of Farmers' Maize Seed Supply Practices in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico, by Lone B. Badstue, Mauricio R. Bellon, Julien Berthaud, Alejandro Ramírez, Dagoberto Flores and Xóchitl Juárez Those with online access to the journal can access the a

Natural disasters and extreme events in agriculture: impacts and mitigation M. V. K. Siva Kumar, Mannava V. K. Sivakumar, Raymond P. Motha, Haripada P. Das 0 Resenhas Springer, 2005 - 367 páginas Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather, climate and water availability and is adversely affected by the weather and climate-related disasters. Droughts and natural disasters such as floods can result in crop failures, food insecurity, famine, loss of property and life, mass migration and negative national economic growth. It may not be possible to prevent the occurrence of these natural disasters, but the resultant disastrous effects can be reduced considerably through proper planning and effective preparation. Vulnerability associated with the hazards of natural disasters can be controlled to some extent by accurate and timely prediction and by taking counter-measures to reduce their impacts on agriculture. This book based on an expert meeting held in Beijing, China should be of interest to all organizations involved in disasters reduction and mitigation of extreme events. TOC:Preface.- Impacts of Natural Disasters in Agriculture.- The Role of Disaster Preparedness in National Planning.- The Occurrence and Predictability of Extreme Events.- Accessibility of Database Information.- Tools for Forecasting or Warning.- Agrometeorological Impact Assessment.- Damage Assessment of Agrometeorological Relevance.- Impacts of Tropical Cyclones on Chinese Lowland Agriculture.- Frost and High Temperature Injury in China.- Impacts of Sand Storms/Dust Storms on Agriculture.- Disaster Reduction Planning and Response.- Agricultural Drought Policy and Practices in Australia.- Agrometeorological Disaster Risk Management in China.- Degradation of Vegetation and Agricultural Productivity.- Agricultural Drought Mitigation.- Early Detection and Monitoring of Drought and Flood in China.- The Decision of the Center of a Tropical Cyclone.- Application of Remote Sensing and GIS fo

AgEcon Search now contains 40,000 papers in 9 languages from 253 groups. Check out the 40,000th paper. About AgEcon Search AgEcon Search is a free, open access repository of full-text scholarly literature in agricultural and applied economics, including: Working papers Conference papers Journal articles

Presenting its sixth volume in 2009, Food Economics continues to provide an international forum on food economics for practitioners and researchers in industry, academia and government. The journal's aim is to enhance the understanding and efficiency of the worldwide food and agribusiness system. The scope of the journal covers: Resource and agribusiness economics and management Food quality and safety Food supply chains Consumer behaviour and preferences Agricultural and food policies Environmental management and policies Markets and international trade Technological change Rural development Organic and integrated food production Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section C - Food Economics forms part of a trilogy of titles published on behalf of the Nordic Association of Agricultural Scientists (NJF). The series also includes Section A - Animal Science and Section B - Soil & Plant Science. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica A, B and C are available to purchase as a combined subscription.  This provides access to all three journals in the series, and is available to institutional subscribers only. For full pricing information, please view the Taylor & Francis Journals Price List here.

EU intellectual property law and policy Catherine Seville 0 Resenhas Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009 - 431 páginas Intellectual property (IP) is a crucial contributor to economic growth and competitiveness within the EU. This book offers a compact and accessible account of EU intellectual property law and policy, covering copyright, patents, designs, trademarks and the enforcement of rights. The author also addresses aspects of the free movement of goods and services, competition law, customs measures and anti-counterfeiting efforts. Setting EU intellectual property law in its wider international context, this work reveals the framework within which the national IP laws of member states operate. The book seeks to highlight the most important policy issues and arguments of relevance to the EU, both within the Union, and in its relations with the rest of the world. With its the detailed references, cross-referencing and suggestions for further readings, EU Intellectual Property Law and Policy is essential reading for postgraduate students and academic lawyers in IP and EU law. Practitioners seeking a broad account of the area will also appreciate this important contribution.

Appropriate biotechnology in small-scale agriculture: how to reorient research and development. Personal Authors: Author Affiliation: Department of Biology and Society, Faculty of Biology, Free University, De Boelelaan, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Editors: Bunders, J. F. G., Broerse, J. E. W. Document Title: Appropriate biotechnology in small-scale agriculture: how to reorient research and development. Abstract: The first chapter (by the editors) outlines the potential of various biotechnology techniques for developing countries, and the gap between need and access to new technology. Tissue culture, improved biological nitrogen fixation, biological control and diagnostics are seen as the most applicable. Part 1 of the book (by the editors and Steen Joffe) is entitled 'Towards criteria for assessment of project proposals' and consists of the following chapters: a case study: yam tissue culture in the Caribbean; guidelines for assessment of project proposals; and practical implications. The guidelines suggested include meeting specific end-user needs, assessing economic, social, environmental and cultural impacts, having government and institutional support, technical feasibility and safety, superiority to existing options, and building indigenous research capacity. Successful projects are characterized by the vision of entrepreneurs and the opportunities that they see, a formal interdisciplinary team of intermediaries to initiate projects which involve scientists from a range of disciplines, networking and team building through informal channels, a carefully designed preparatory phase in which a rough idea is further specified, legitimized and justified, and a prestigious sponsor to give moral support to the idea. Part 2, 'An interactive bottom-up approach in agricultural research' (by the editors and Annelies Stolp), contains the followng chapters: different approaches to technology development for Third World agriculture; implementation strategies for innov

Title: Agricultural biotechnology in international development. Personal Authors: Author Affiliation: Michigan State Univ., Agricultural Biotechnology for Sustainable Productivity (ABSP), East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Editors: Ives, C. L., Bedford, B. M. Document Title: Agricultural biotechnology in international development Abstract: A conference on biotechnology for agricultural development was held in Pacific Grove, California, in 1997. Subjects included: (1) the Agricultural Biotechnology (AB) for Sustainable Productivity project, which was established in 1991; (2) addressing agricultural development in Egypt through AB; (3) the release of transgenic varieties in centres of origin; (4) current status of AB research in Indonesia; (5) AB and agricultural needs in sub-Saharan Africa; (6) the application of AB to food security crops, such as maize, potato, rice and sweet potato; (7) the application of AB to non-traditional crops, such as banana, date palm, cucurbits and oil palm; (8) AB development, transfer, adaptation and utilization; (9) considering beneficiaries and sustainability while undertaking AB research; (10) rice AB capacity building in Asia; (11) the benefits and costs of international biosafety regulations; (12) cassava biotechnology research; (13) AB capacity building in Peru; (14) the technology transfer system in Thailand; (15) the development of AB business; and (16) bioprospecting in Cost Rica. International, US and developing country issues, perspectives and experiences in developing and accessing ABs are examined. KEYWORDS: TROPAG | Oryza sativa | Zea mays | Musa | Elaeis guineensis | Ipomoea batatas | Phoenix dactylifera | biotechnology | research policies | plant breeding | genetic engineering | technology transfer | agriculture.

Special Issue: Innovation and Dynamic Efficiency in Agricultural Biotechnology Guest editors: James F. Oehmke, Carl Pray, and Anwar Naseem Preface: Innovation and Dynamic Efficiency in Agricultural Biotechnology J.F. Oehmke, C.E. Pray, & A. Naseem Innovation and Dynamic Efficiency in Plant Biotechnology: An Introduction to the Researchable Issues C.E. Pray, J.F. Oehmke, & A. Naseem Who is Doing What? Intellectual Property Rights in a Changing Political Environment: Perspectives on the Types and Administration of Protection W. Lesser Patterns of Public-Sector and Private-Sector Patenting in Agricultural Biotechnology P.W. Heisey, J.L. King, & K. Day Rubenstein Mergers, Acquisitions, and Stocks of Agricultural Biotechnology Intellectual Property J.L. King & D.E. Schimmelpfennig An Innovation Market Approach to Analyzing Impacts of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Plant Biotechnology Industry M. Brennan, C.E. Pray, A. Naseem, & J.F. Oehmke Does Plant Variety Intellectual Property Protection Improve Farm Productivity? Evidence From Cotton Varieties A. Naseem, J.F. Oehmke, & D.E. Schimmelpfennig What are the Current Effects of Industry Structure? Intellectual Property Rights on Research Tools: Incentives or Barriers to Innovation? Case Studies of Rice Genomics and Plant Transformation Technologies C.E. Pray & A. Naseem Property Rights and Incentives to Invest in Seed Varieties: Governmental Regulations in Argentina J.P. Kesan & A.A. Gallo Monopoly Power, Price Discrimination, and Access to Biotechnology Innovations A.K.A. Acquaye & G. Traxler Whither Biotechnology Research? Can Technology Transfer Help Public-Sector Researchers Do More with Less? The Case of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service K. Day Rubenstein & P.W. Heisey Second-Generation GMOs: Where to from Here? K.Y. Jefferson-Moore & G. Traxler Articles Bt Corn Farmer Compliance with Insect Resistance Management Requirements in Minnesota and Wisconsin J. Goldberger, J. Merrill, & T. Hurley Perceptions

The slowdown of growth in Western industrialized nations in the last twenty years, along with the rise of Japan as a major economic and technological power (and enhanced technical sophistication of Taiwan, Korea, and other NICs) has led to what the authors believe to be a "techno-nationalism." This combines a strong belief that technological capabilities of a nation's firms are a key source of their competitive process, with a belief that these capabilities are in a sense national, and can be built by national action. This book is about these national systems of technical innovation. The heart of the work contains studies of seventeen countries--from large market-oriented industrialized ones to several smaller high income ones, including a number of newly industrialized states as well. Clearly written, this work highlights institutions and mechanisms which support technical innovation, showing similarities, differences, and their sources across nations, making this work accessible to students as well as the scholars of innovation.

THE ECONOMICS OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Innovation is acknowledged to be a multidimensional and complex process. Thus, traditional research and development (R&D) expenditures capture only a portion of the sources of and activities involved in innovation. Innovation investment includes: a) basic research; b) product development; c) adoption of new production techniques and technologies; d) organizational change; e) distribution and market changes; f) production organization and access to production factors; and g) training and the development of new skills. Traditional in-house R&D investment is being complemented by external sources of innovation and new knowledge. Recent contributions in the economics of knowledge and innovation highlight that innovation is a cooperative and collective process. Collaboration between firms, and between firms and universities, R&D centres and technology transfer centres is a strategy aimed at the sharing of knowledge and competencies, and obtaining the benefits of technological complementarities. Innovation is rarely the result of individual firm efforts; it generally emerges from the interactions among local firms and institutions within a network of innovators. This research is aimed at identifying, understanding and classifying the different ways firms innovate, distinguishing between internal and external sources. Special emphasis is put on understanding the multiple organizational forms involved in innovation and the problems encountered by economic agents and their organizations in acquiring and coordinating their innovative capabilities. The theoretical framework developed is tested on the automotive industry. Recent publications

The Gene Revolution: GM Crops and Unequal Development Book, Earthscan December 2006 Editor: Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Former Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project/Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, 2005-2006 Ordering Information for this publication Belfer Center Programs or Projects: Science, Technology, and Globalization; Science, Technology, and Public Policy   OVERVIEW The high-yield selective breeding of "the Green Revolution" of the 1960s and '70s is now being overtaken by "the Gene Revolution" - the development and spread of GM crops across the world. With over 90 million hectares already under cultivation and 60 countries conducting research, GM is reviled by some as a vast Pandora's Box and corporate sell-out, while hailed by others as the necessary technological solution to stagnating agricultural output, ballooning populations, climate change and drought. Sandwiched in between are developing and transitional countries where the need to feed vast populations and to compete against the US in international markets are compelling reasons to get on the GM bandwagon. This is the first book to bridge the gap between the "naysayers" and "cheerleaders", and to provide a penetrating examination of the realities, complexities, benefits and pitfalls of GM adoption in developing countries that are desperately fighting poverty while trying to stay afloat in the hyper-competitive global economy. Sakiko Fukuda-Parr is a Visiting Professor at the New School University in New York. She was a Research Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She was Director and chief author of UNDP's Human Development Report from 1995 to 2004 and a member of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Technology. Chapters Introduction: Genetically Modified Crops and National Development Priorities Emergence and Global Spread of GM Crops: Explaining the Role of Institutional Change Institutional Changes in Argentina, Brazil,