National Academies Press: OpenBook

Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (2009)

Chapter: Appendix A: Committee Statement of Task

« Previous: 8 Priorities for Emerging Technologies
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Committee Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2009. Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12455.
×
Page 249
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Committee Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2009. Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12455.
×
Page 250
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Committee Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2009. Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12455.
×
Page 251
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Committee Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2009. Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12455.
×
Page 252

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

Appendixes

Appendix A Committee Statement of Task A multinational, multidisciplinary committee will study the poten- tial for new scientific information and technological tools to assist farmers in Africa and South Asia in the production of food and fiber. The study will consider the potential impacts of existing and nascent technologies and ex- plore novel, possibly far-reaching, solutions to problems facing developing country farmers, including research pursuits that are only in a conceptual stage. The committee will organize workshops to bring agricultural scien- tists together with scientists working on advanced technologies and tech- nological systems in different disciplines. The study committee will develop a framework for ranking the ideas that emerge from the workshops and prepare a consensus report that presents its findings, including categories of specific needs and the scientific and technological breakthroughs that could address those needs. The report will discuss the relative merits of different research approaches and technological directions, including the probable time frame and level of effort required to achieve particular breakthroughs and applications, and the relative potential of different technologies to positively impact farming in the developing world. 251

Next: Appendix B: Biographic Sketches of Committee Members »
Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $65.00 Buy Ebook | $54.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Increased agricultural productivity is a major stepping stone on the path out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, but farmers there face tremendous challenges improving production. Poor soil, inefficient water use, and a lack of access to plant breeding resources, nutritious animal feed, high quality seed, and fuel and electricity-combined with some of the most extreme environmental conditions on Earth-have made yields in crop and animal production far lower in these regions than world averages.

Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia identifies sixty emerging technologies with the potential to significantly improve agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Eighteen technologies are recommended for immediate development or further exploration. Scientists from all backgrounds have an opportunity to become involved in bringing these and other technologies to fruition. The opportunities suggested in this book offer new approaches that can synergize with each other and with many other activities to transform agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!