Board for International Food and Agricultural Development

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Board for International Food and Agricultural Development

"The Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) is a presidentially-appointed advisory council to USAID, whose primary role is to advise on agriculture, rural development and nutrition issues related to global food insecurity. The Board is comprised of seven members, four of whom must represent the academic community. BIFAD was established by Title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act. Title XII, the ‘Famine Prevention and Freedom from Hunger Act’, was passed by Congress in 1975 to address global food and hunger issues not unlike those faced by the world today."[1]

2003 Presentation on Green Revolution

In a June 2003 meeting, SPARE (Strategic Partnership for Agricultural Research & Education, a committee of BIFAD) chairman Robert Evenson presented on his paper on the Green Revolution that was recently published in Science Magazine.

"He explained that this article should give the Board a useful perspective on development, the global agricultural development experience and the U.S. funding of development as these facts relate to CRSP [Collaborative Research Support Program] activities. Main points covered:
  • 1. Acceptance by host countries of new technologies from the CGIAR centers and the Green Revolution vary from area to area. Diffusion rates are highest in Latin America, next in Asia and slowest in Middle East and North Africa and slowest of all in sub-

Saharan Africa.

  • 2. There is a strong correlation between rate of development, per capita growth of income, use of fertilizers and other technology.
  • 3. There is also a very strong correlation between growth rate and the level of human capital development/ capacity. The only route out of poverty is to build human capacity. If you do not have human capacity, you do not see growth in personal incomes.
  • 4. Historically, it was USAID that built the essential human capacity that allowed for the Green Revolution to occur in the poorest countries. But recently USAID has abandoned much of its support to agriculture, the corner stone of economic development. Now, with the projected importance of biotechnology, renewed investment in developing human capacity is even more necessary and vital for the future of the developing world."[2]

Members

BIFAD Board Members (as of 2011):

Previous members:

Articles and Resources

Related SourceWatch Articles

References

  1. Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, Accessed October 21, 2011.
  2. SUMMARY: 138th BIFAD Meeting held on June 18, 2003, Board for International Food & Agriculture Development (BIFAD).

External Resources

External Articles