This case study of technical change in maize production in Malawi seeks to answer the question of whether the diffusion of improved maize seed and fertilizer among Malawian smallholder farmers will create the sharp yield ...

Combine-users in Punjab's rice-wheat zone tend to be large owner operators who harvest a total of over 20 hectares in either wheat or rice. Although a slightly higher proportion combine rice, those who combine wheat ...

This paper develops a theoretical model for analyzing gene bank management decisions regarding the search for traits of economic value in ex situ collections of wheat. The model is applied to data on the probability of ...

This study was undertaken to estimate the economic impact of efforts since 1973 by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to develop spring bread wheat varieties resistant to leaf rust caused by ...

Spatial diversity indicators may serve an important function for policymakers as they seek to manage crop genetic diversity and potential externalities associated with diffusion of some types of genetically improved crops. ...

This paper proposes a preliminary conceptual framework designed to support strategic decisions about which crop populations-in a well-defined reference area within a crop's center of diversity-are suitable candidates for ...

Descriptive data from the sample survey of households in the study communities enable us to profile the characteristics of: (1) farm households; (2) the maize populations they grow, based on their own descriptors and the ...

This study uses an approach derived from models of the private and public characteristics of goods to illustrate (1) the overriding importance of variety attributes in farmers' decisions to allocate area among varieties ...

Identifying the appropriate germplasm to be improved is a key component of any participatory breeding effort because of its implications for impacts on social welfare and genetic diversity. This paper describes a method ...

Sources of yield growth in wheat are investigated based on a stylized framework of technical change. Evidence suggests that the relative contribution of input intensification to yield growth has diminished in recent years ...