Full text (78 Kb) |
Institution: International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR)
E-mail: p.perrault@cgiar.org
Biosummary:
Paul T. Perrault is an agricultural economist by training but has been involved in institutional development in developing countries (Rwanda, Congo, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire) for most of his career. He joined ISNAR in 1990 as a senior research officer and led its management programme for eight years. He is now posted in India at the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) to help that institution contribute more effectively to the strengthening of the Indian NARS. His interests are in organisational performance and institutional change.
Title: "Poverty Alleviation, Agricultural Research and Research Management: Evidence from Indian Villages." Co-author: B.S. Chadel
Theme: 4B
The evidence from the past 40 years in India (World Bank 1997) suggests that economic growth alone accounts for more than 80% of poverty reduction as measured by the head count measure. Yet the number of poor has nearly doubled over the same period going from 164 million in 1951 to 312 million in 1993-94. One could say that the social burden of poverty has been lessened in terms of the proportion of those below the poverty line, but it would seem that the plight of the poor has not really changed. Those who were poor then, or their children, have remained poor and more were added to the roll. Under such circumstances, one could question the impact economic growth has really had for the poor, and it would seem important to analyze the forces acting at the individual level to see how economic development has missed the poor and to see what role improved agricultural technologies played, if any, in reaching the poor.