The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requested that the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Research Council (NRC) convene a panel of experts to examine whether publicly funded agricultural research has influenced the structure of U.S. agriculture and, if so, how. The Committee to Review the Role of Publicly Funded Agricultural Research on the Structure of U.S. Agriculture was asked to assess the role of public-sector agricultural research on changes in the size and numbers of farms, with particular emphasis on the evolution of very-large-scale operations.

Agricultural research and development have profoundly increased the quantity and quality of food production in the twentieth century. As populations increase, however, and land and water resources become more scarce, we must improve productivity and efficiency to provide adequate food supplies. Issues such as the environment, genetic diversity, food safety, poverty, human health, animal rights, public versus private responsibilities, and the question of intellectual property rights further complicate this task. Agricultural Science Policy: Changing Global Agendas consists of twelve chapters that describe important issues in agricultural science policy, the relevant facts, current economic thinking, and new results. Topics Include: Changing Global Contexts and Agendas for Agricultural R & D; Productivity Measures and Measurement; Research, Productivity, and Natural Resources; Research for Genetic Improvement; and a Conclusion, which suggests directions for the future. The chapters in this volume will provide researchers and policy makers with a timely review of progress on the existing agenda as well as laying the foundation for a new agenda and new directions for global agricultural science policy in the 21st century. Contributors: Julian M. Alston, University of California-Davis ? Walter J. Armbruster, President of the Farm Foundation ? Peter J. Barry, University of Illinois ? Wilfred Beckerman, University of Oxford ? Derek Byerlee, World Bank ? Barbara J. Craig, Oberlin College ? Robert Evenson, Yale University ? Richard Gray, University of Saskatchewan ? Zvi Griliches, Harvard University ? Paul W. Heisey, U.S. Department of Agriculture ? Frances Homans, University of Minnesota ? Peter Lindert, University of California-Davis ? Stavroula Malla, University of Saskatchewan ? Philip G. Pardey, International Food Policy Research Institute and University of Minnesota ? Prabhu L. Pingali, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center ? Ismail Serageldin, World Bank and the American University in Cairo ? Michael J. Taylor, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, Australia ? Greg Traxler, Auburn University ? James Wilen, University of California-Davis ? Brian Wright, University of California-Berkeley. Published in cooperation with the International Food Policy Research Institute.