INNOVATION IN AGRIBUSINESS

Agricultural biotechnology A. Altman, Rita R. Colwell 0 Resenhas Marcel Dekker, 1998 - 770 páginas Integrates available basic biotechnological methodologies with current agricultural practices, providing solutions to specific agricultural needs & problems from plant & crop yield to animal husbandry. Presents & evaluates the limitations of "classical" methodologies & the potential of novel & emergent agriculturally related biotechnologies

What explains the national economic success of the United States, Britain, Germany, and Japan? What can be learned from the long-term championship performances of leading business firms in each country? How important were specific innovations by individual entrepreneurs? And in the end, what is the true nature of capitalist development? The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Thomas K. McCraw and his coauthors present penetrating answers to these questions. Creating Modern Capitalism is the first book to explain for a broad audience the interconnections among technological innovation, management science, the power of entrepreneurship, and national economic growth. The authors approach each question from a comparative framework and with a unique triple focus on national economic systems, particular companies, and individual business leaders. Above all, the book focuses on how specific entrepreneurs influenced the economic success of their countries: Josiah Wedgwood and Henry Royce in Britain; August Thyssen and Georg von Siemens in Germany; Henry Ford, Alfred Sloan, and the two Thomas J. Watsons in the United States; Sakichi Toyoda, Masatoshi Ito, and Toshifumi Suzuki in Japan. The product of a three-year collaborative effort at the Harvard Business School, the book combines cutting-edge scholarship with a finely tuned sense of the art of management. It will engage general readers as well as those with a special interest in entrepreneurship and the evolution of national business systems.

IRRIGATION | Environmental Effects

Over the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in the quantity and quality of research focused on the processes through which technological capabilities are acquired by countries significantly behind the economic frontier, and the institutions that effectively support the catching up process. This book is a splendid contribution to this literature. The concept of a "sectoral innovation system" is well suited for framing studies of these kinds of questions, and serves well to unify the many interesting empirical studies in the book. Some of those studies are success stories, others of less successful cases. Readers new to this body of research will find this book a great introduction. All readers will learn a lot from it about what is required for and involved in economic development.' Richard R. Nelson, Columbia Earth Institute, US and University of Manchester, UK This book examines in detail the features and dynamics of sectoral systems of innovation and production in developing countries. Processes of rapid growth are usually associated with specific sectors such as automobiles, electronics or software, as well as with the transformation of traditional sectors such as agriculture and food. The book shows, however, that the variations across all these sectors in terms of structure and dynamics is so great that a full understanding of these differences is necessary if innovation is to be encouraged and growth sustained. The expert contributors promote this understanding by drawing upon empirical evidence from a wide range of sectoral systems, from traditional to high technology, and across a number of countries. They explore how these systems change and evolve, highlighting policy lessons to be drawn from the analysis. Case studies include the Brazilian aeronautical, pulp and paper industries, the Korean machine tool sector, motorbike manufacture in Thailand and Vietnam, pharmaceuticals and telecommunication equipment in India, ICT in Taiwan, the biofuels s

For most countries, economic development involves a process of "catching up" with leading countries at the time. This is never achieved solely by physical assets and labor alone: also needed are the accumulation of technological capabilities, educational attainment, entrepreneurship, and the development of the necessary institutional infrastructure. One element of this infrastructure is the regime of intellectual property rights (IPR), particularly patents. Patents may promote innovation and catch up, and they may foster formal technology transfer. Yet they may also prove to be barriers for developing countries that intend to acquire technologies through imitation and reverse engineering. The current move to harmonize the IPR system internationally, such as the TRIPS agreement, may thus have unexpected consequences for developing countries. This book explores these issues through an in depth study of eleven countries ranging from early developers (the USA, Nordic Countries and Japan), and Post World War 2 countries (Korea, Taiwan, Israel) to more recent emerging economies (Argentina, Brazil, China, India and Thailand). With contributions from international experts on innovation systems, this book will be an invaluable resource for academics and policymakers in the fields of economic development, innovation studies and intellectual property laws.

What role do users play during innovation? Ever since it was argued that users can also be the sources of innovation, the literature on the role of users during innovation has grown tremendously. In this article, the authors review this growing literature, critique it, and develop some of the research questions that could be explored to contribute to this literature and to the theoretical perspectives that underpin the literature.

Many recent studies maintain that regional characteristics influence the innovative performances, innovation processes and innovation patterns of firms. Based on a representative sample of knowledge-intensive firms in Norway, this paper analyses the innovation output, innovation partners, knowledge sources, and localization of sources and partners for knowledge-intensive firms in three types of region: large urban regions, small urban regions and rural areas.The empirical results contradict some of the assumptions of the literature dealing with agglomeration economies, regional clusters, and so on. We find, for example, that the firms' innovation partners and knowledge sources are quite similar irrespective of location. This may indicate that the relevant innovation systems in knowledge-intensive industries in Norway are sectoral and national rather than regional. The paper also finds that the small urban regions and the rural regions have a higher share of innovating, knowledge-intensive firms than the large urban regions, which may partly be explained by a much higher rate of public funding of innovation activity in the first two regional types. However, the large urban regions have higher new firm formation rates and more radically innovating firms than the other two types of region. The paper discusses to what extent the concept of open innovation may contribute to explaining the empirical results, because firms in large urban regions can rely more on open innovation than firms in other regions.

Offers an evolutionary economics perspective on energy and innovation policies in the wider context of the transition to sustainable development. This work also includes an analysis of the environmental policy implications of evolutionary economics; and a critical examination of Dutch environmental and innovation policies and policy documents.

Modern societies face several structural problems such as transport congestion and greenhouse gas emissions due to the widespread use of fossil fuels. To address these important societal problems and achieve sustainability in the broad sense, major transformations are required, but this poses an enormous challenge given the complexity of the processes involved. Such transformations are called 'transitions' or 'system innovations' and involve changes in a variety of elements, including technology, regulation, user practices and markets, cultural meaning and infrastructure. This book considers two main questions: how do system innovations or transitions come about and how can they be influenced by different actors, in particular by governments. The authors identify the theories which can be used to conceptualise the dynamics of system innovations and discuss the weaknesses in these theories. They also look at the lessons which can be learned from historical examples of transitions, and highlight the instruments and policy tools which can be used to stimulate future system innovations towards sustainability. The expert contributors address these questions using insights from a variety of different disciplines including innovation studies, evolutionary economics, the sociology of technology, environmental analysis and governance studies. The book concludes with an extensive summary of the results and practical suggestions for future research. This important new volume offers an interdisciplinary assessment of how and why system innovations occur. It will engage and inform academics and researchers interested in transitions towards sustainability, and will also be highly relevant for policymakers concerned with environmental issues, structural change and radical innovation.

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar o papel da cidade de Rondonópolis no processo em rede de expansão territorial da soja no cerrado mato-grossense, particularmente no sudeste do estado, desde suas pré-condições à atualidade, buscando como pressupostos dos processos constituidores a herança histórico/territorial, econômica e localizacional que vem se estruturando ao longo de mais de 3 décadas, iniciado no período de 1970, mais especificamente, a partir de meados deste, qual ocorreram as mudanças político/territorial/local/global mediadas pelas mudanças socioeconômicas brasileiras. Assim, a tese está fundada no período em que se deu a divisão do estado, cuja situação colocou Rondonópolis e região em posição privilegiada, passando de área secundária a prioritária para a soja, situação cujas bases podem ser atribuídas à herança histórica de apropriação territorial e produção agropecuária iniciada no período 1950/1960. Nesse sentido, justifica-se nosso caminho teórico-metodológico que nos permitiu ver e compreender melhor a realidade atual, qual seja, o da busca da herança histórico/geográfica na produção da localização, visando os processos localmente (re)construídos em suas especificidades. Deve-se considerar o papel do Estado como imprescindível no processo de desenvolvimento da soja: sua introdução, consolidação e diversificação, seja produzindo o território e/ou como parceiro no processo de construção das infraestruturas e constituição desse ambiente produtivo. O impulso modernizador e urbanizador inaugurado com chegada da soja, a partir de suas pré-condições, ao atribuir posição de destaque a Rondonópolis no contexto da modernização agrária do cerrado mato-grossense, a partir da sua região, fez surgir cidades a partir da soja, especialmente Primavera do Leste e Campo Verde, como dois fortes e característicos exemplos que representam seu surto modernizador cidade/campo, resultando no

Este estudo se pauta no questionamento do atual modelo de desenvolvimento e na busca do chamado desenvolvimento sustentável que, segundo a Organização para a Cooperação Econômica e Desenvolvimento, (OECD), é definido como o uso dos recursos naturais e humanos de forma a garantir as necessidades atuais sem o comprometimento da capacidade de produção para as gerações futuras. Essa nova premissa reivindica e aspira por melhorias na qualidade de vida para o conjunto da população; sob a ótica da análise regional busca compreender como se insere o setor agropecuário da região Oeste do Estado de São Paulo nesse paradigma. É com esse foco que essa tese de doutorado é realizada tendo como objetivos específicos: procurar compreender as condições sociais, econômicas e ambientais, identificando e indicando as localidades com sistemas produtivos com maior ou menor sustentabilidade. Busca-se, assim, também avaliar a capacidade dos indicadores aplicados de captarem os diferentes níveis de sustentabilidade, em especial a sócio-espacial, permitindo que se caminhe em direção de alternativas consistentes, na tentativa de solucionar alguns dos problemas que permeiam a sociedade e os recursos naturais. Para estabelecer as configurações dos municípios que compõem a região Oeste do Estado de São Paulo utiliza-se técnica de análise multivariada (fatorial e agrupamento). Os 150 municípios pertencentes à região Oeste foram os elementos observados e as 33 variáveis selecionadas para caracterizar esses elementos, foram: disponibilidade de mão-de-obra, renda, educação e saúde; distribuição territorial: da concentração da posse da terra, da população e das explorações agropecuárias. Considerou-se ainda a pressão econômica e demográfica sobre o meio ambiente, e da capacidade produtiva decorrente de fatores, como a adoção das práticas agrícolas, C&T, acesso à assistência técnica e mão-de-obra, cujos efeitos podem ser refletidos no í

A presente tese analisa o desenvolvimento do setor agroalimentar brasileiro, no período pós-1990, e suas relações com as oscilações da economia brasileira, com sua inserção internacional e com a política agrícola. O papel dos investimentos, da demanda e dos recursos ociosos ocupa espaço central na análise. A hipótese central é que a dinâmica do setor agroalimentar brasileiro, na década de 1990 e seguinte, foi marcada mais pelo amadurecimento dos investimentos realizados nas décadas de 1970 e 80, do que pela dinâmica da abertura e desmonte da ação do Estado da década de 1990. Baseado na teoria da dinâmica cíclica com formação de recursos ociosos de Ignácio Rangel e com apoio de ampla análise de dados argumentou-se que: 1- o crescimento do setor agroalimentar na década de 1990, e das exportações agrícolas após 1999, foram possíveis pelos investimentos e pela política de desenvolvimento do setor das décadas de 1970 e 80. Os investimentos no setor agroalimentar possuem uma dinâmica cíclica que respondeu a partir da década de 1990 reativamente ao crescimento, e que retornam após 1999 com recursos oficiais e a partir de 2003 com a elevação dos preços internacionais de commodities agrícolas. 2- a trajetória dos sub-setores do setor agroalimentar foi heterogênea, em conseqüência da mesma política macroeconômica. Logo, a diferença dos impactos causados relacionou-se diretamente a trajetória de cada sub-setor no período anterior à abertura em termos de investimentos, de nível tecnológico e em especial quanto as perspectivas de crescimento ou estagnação da demanda. 3- As oscilações da conjuntura, da política macroeconômica e das políticas setoriais são fundamentais. O setor é sensível a distribuição de renda, às taxas de crescimento do PIB e ao aumento do desemprego. Além disso, o setor agroalimentar apresentou um papel político central: na década de 1980, como elemento para o controle da inflação, recebe

O uso do território, que historicamente se dá de forma seletiva e desigual, revela-nos a face geográfica da desigualdade, dada por organizações territoriais e normatizações políticas. O estudo da formação sócio-espacial brasileira mostra-nos que o uso agrícola de nosso território é revelador destas desigualdades. O processo de modernização do território, intensificado com o último regime militar, garantiu a definitiva transformação do meio geográfico em meio técnico, científico e informacional, atendendo às exigências de um mundo cada vez mais atingido pela globalização. Urbanização, industrialização e modernização agrícola, são marcas deste período. A agricultura torna-se uma atividade científica, fortemente dependente da informação e da pesquisa. Esta agricultura modernizada altera as relações cidade-campo e exige a implantação de sistemas de engenharia complexos que garantam a produção, mas essencialmente a circulação, que neste momento precede a produção propriamente dita. O Estado participa de forma generosa, garantido a implantação de redes de circulação e comunicação. Esta agricultura vincula-se diretamente com o mercado externo, onde tem seus preços e produção determinados, levando o país a uma incomoda posição de subordinação, em um modelo novamente agrário-exportador. Por que, então, os agentes desta agricultura modernizada possuem tamanho poder de fazer política?

Water resource management is of paramount importance in agricultural development. Sustained socioeconomic development in countries with irrigated agriculture could be limited by water availability and deterioration in water quality. Consequently, any effort made to improve water use in irrigation practices will have a marked effect on sustainable agriculture and on conservation of soil and water resources. Problems associated with irrigated agriculture have been attributed to poor water management due to lack of knowledge of soil-plant-atmosphere relations, inadequate form of water application, hydrochemical relations triggered by irrigation, and soil's microbiological surroundings. Optimal design and selection of irrigation systems permit high efficiencies and uniform distribution of the applied water. Advanced planning and management of water is needed to ensure a sustainable agricultural process with optimal crop production, considering physical, environmental, financial, and technological restrictions. In addition, drainage techniques have also been developed, allowing removal of excess water from the soil profile. However, there is still a need to optimize water resource use and management to maintain sustainable irrigated agriculture considering water demand, water quality, economic evaluation of water, and decision support systems.

Training Opportunities IAIA recognizes that the training of EIA professionals is a key to effective impact assessments. Through its Training and Professional Development Committee, this section of the IAIA web site will provide members and non-members with information regarding training manuals, training courses, and other aspects of EIA capacity building. IAIA has just begun developing its training network. If you know of information that would make this section more useful, please contact info@iaia.org Training Home UNEP Training Manual Use this link to buy or print a copy of the "Training Resource Manual for Environmental Impact Assessment" (2nd Edition), including Transparencies and Case Studies prepared by the United Nations Environment Program. This 600 page document is a must for any person who is engaged in EIA training. Training Network This link will help EIA professionals use the Internet to find out about training programs and EIA learning resources around the world. Training Course Database Other Manuals and Reports Strategic Environmental Assessment Manual IAIA is pleased to make available, at no cost, the course manual on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), prepared by Maria Rosário Partidário. Dr. Partidário's course on SEA has been the best-attended training session at IAIA's annual meetings for many years, and gets high ratings from attendees for its presentation of SEA current practices, future demands and capacity building needs. International Study of the Effectiveness of Environmental Assessment - Final Report IAIA is pleased to make available, at no cost, the final report on "Environmental assessment in a changing world : evaluating practice to improve performance" prepared by Barry Sadler. The two year international EA effectiveness study, commissioned by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and IAIA and taken forward by an international consortium of countries and international agencies, remains a landmark review of th

Sustainable financing of protected areas: a global review of challenges and options Lucy Emerton, Joshua Bishop, Lee Thomas 0 Resenhas IUCN, 2006 - 9

Prophet of innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and creative destruction Thomas K. McCraw 15 Resenhas Harvard University Press, 2007 - 719 páginas Producer: Heron & Crane Pan Am, Gimbel's, Pullman, Douglas Aircraft, Digital Equipment Corporation, British Leyland--all once as strong as dinosaurs, all now just as extinct. Destruction of businesses, fortunes, products, and careers is the price of progress toward a better material life. No one understood this bedrock economic principle better than Joseph A. Schumpeter. "Creative destruction," he said, is the driving force of capitalism. Described by John Kenneth Galbraith as "the most sophisticated conservative" of the twentieth century, Schumpeter made his mark as the prophet of incessant change. His vision was stark: Nearly all businesses fail, victims of innovation by their competitors. Businesspeople ignore this lesson at their peril--to survive, they must be entrepreneurial and think strategically. Yet in Schumpeter's view, the general prosperity produced by the "capitalist engine" far outweighs the wreckage it leaves behind. During a tumultuous life spanning two world wars, the Great Depression, and the early Cold War, Schumpeter reinvented himself many times. From boy wonder in turn-of-the-century Vienna to captivating Harvard professor, he was stalked by tragedy and haunted by the specter of his rival, John Maynard Keynes. By 1983--the centennial of the birth of both men--Forbes christened Schumpeter, not Keynes, the best navigator through the turbulent seas of globalization. Time has proved that assessment accurate. Prophet of Innovation is also the private story of a man rescued repeatedly by women who loved him and put his well-being above their own. Without them, he would likely have perished, so fierce were the conflicts between his reason and his emotions. Drawing on all of Schumpeter's writings, including many intimate diaries and letters never before used, this biography paints the full portrait of a magn

La Via Campesina, Brazilian Peasants, and the Agribusiness Model of Agriculture: Towards an Alternative Model of Agrarian Democratic GovernanceMarie-Josée Massicotte Abstract Until recently, few people seemed aware of the importance of peasants,trade, and food politics in today's political economic system. With the foodcrisis and the related financial, ecological, and energy crises, however, thesituation changed drastically. An increasing number of people, analysts, andgovernment officials are talking seriously about the need to transform theagribusiness model of agriculture that is devastating the ecosystem and smallscalefarming. With about half of the world population living in thecountryside, agriculture and agrarian reform have resurfaced as majorcontentious sociopolitical, cultural, and economic issues.1 In response tothe profound impact trade liberalization has on rural communities aroundthe world, mobilized small-scale farmers and peasants are emerging as keyplayers within alter-globalization movements.

This detailed account of the politics of opening agricultural markets explains how the institutional context of international negotiations alters the balance of interests at the domestic level to favor trade liberalization despite opposition from powerful farm groups. Historically, agriculture stands out as a sector in which countries stubbornly defend domestic programs, and agricultural issues have been the most frequent source of trade disputes in the postwar trading system. While much protection remains, agricultural trade negotiations have resulted in substantial concessions as well as negotiation collapses.Food Fights over Free Tradeshows that the liberalization that has occurred has been due to the role of international institutions. Christina Davis examines the past thirty years of U.S. agricultural trade negotiations with Japan and Europe based on statistical analysis of an original dataset, case studies, and in-depth interviews with over one hundred negotiators and politicians. She shows how the use of issue linkage and international law in the negotiation structure transforms narrow interest group politics into a more broad-based decision process that considers the larger stakes of the negotiation. Even when U.S. threats and the spiraling budget costs of agricultural protection have failed to bring policy change, the agenda, rules, and procedures of trade negotiations have often provided the necessary leverage to open Japanese and European markets. This book represents a major contribution to understanding the negotiation process, agricultural politics, and the impact of international institutions on domestic politics. « Menos

First published in 1993, this title explores the underlying ideologies and decision-making procedures that codify the rules of the post-World War II liberal, now defunct Soviet socialist, mercantilist and South preferential trade regimes. Food Fights presents a rich case study and rigorous data analysis of organised agrictultural trade that uncovers similarities between these diverse economic systems and identifies the principle trends governing the new global economy.