Marie Michael Library

Assessing and attributing the benefits from varietal improvement research in Brazil

Pardey, Philip G.; Alston, Julian M.; Chan-Kang, Connie; Magalhaes, Eduardo C.; Vosti, Stephen A.

This report provides an assessment of the economic benefits to Brazil since the early 1980s from varietal improvements in upland rice, edible beans, and soybeans.  Information is provided on the genetic and breeding histories of each crop as well as crop-improvement research in Brazil to estimate the benefits attributable to the research done by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and other agencies. The authors highlight the importance of addressing attribution questions in evaluating public research investments, develop some methods for doing so, and illustrate how to apply them.