Innovation systems and technical efficiency in developing-country agriculture
In this article in the Agricultural Economics Journal, the authors argue that policy makers should focus on differences across countries when trying to combat low productivity and formulating global strategies and national policies for agricultural development. They showed how different components of an agricultural innovation system interact, to determine levels of technical inefficiency in developing-country agriculture. Using a model they compared the technological advancement of different countries and found that depending on the level of technological efficiency, different interventions were most effective. In some cases agricultural output is determined by the availability of agricultural labor force, size of arable land and the area of land equipped for irrigation, while in others productivity is boosted by increased fertilizer use and the availability of arable land.