Last November, representatives of development banks, governments, the scientific community, as well as consumer and farmer groups from both rich and poor countries, met in Dublin, Ireland, to consider how agricultural science and technology might reduce hunger and stimulate economic growth in the coming decades.

The meeting was convened by the World Bank, and is part of a project agreed to at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa last summer.

During the "Green Revolution" of the 1960s and 70s, public expenditure on agriculture gave developing world farmers the opportunity to modernize agricultural techniques and buy new equipment, thereby increasing crop yields and rural incomes.

In test plots in northwest Mexico, improved varieties of wheat dramatically increased yields. Much of the reason why these "modern varieties" produced more than traditional varieties was that they were more responsive to controlled irrigation and to petrochemical fertilizers, allowing for much more efficient conversion of industrial inputs into food. The "miracle" seeds quickly spread to Asia, and soon new strains of rice and corn were developed as well. Wheat harvests quadrupled in India and rice harvests tripled in Indonesia.

By the 1970s, the term "revolution" was well deserved, for the new seeds—accompanied by chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and, for the most part, irrigation—had replaced the traditional farming practices of millions of developing world farmers.

Robert Watson, chief scientist and director of the World Bank’s environmental and social sustainability department, says that it is imperative that the public sector continue to support agricultural research and development in the 21st century. "During the last few decades, agricultural science and technology has almost disappeared from the public agenda. Even if private investment in agriculture is growing, the research supported by the private sector is concentrated mainly on commodities produced for the markets of the OECD countries."
A global evaluation of the farming industry is necessary to boost public spending on research and development. This evaluation would study the economic, social and environmental implications of the technological alternatives to organic production and biotechnology. It would look at ways to minimize waste and pollution, and identify more effective uses of natural resources.

This evaluation process would bring together constituencies that represent different, often opposing, views on agriculture and the management water and other natural resources. The ultimate goal is to reduce poverty and hunger in a way that actively preserves the delicate natural resource base of our globe. A transparent, comprehensive and international agricultural evaluation—free of political influence—would bring the world closer to achieving these goals - World Bank.