Resource information
The introduction of new high-yielding
varieties of cereals in the 1960s, known as the green
revolution. Changed dramatically the food supply I Asia, as
well as in other countries. The authors examine over an
extended period, the growth consequences for agriculture in
Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Despite geographic
proximity, similar climate, and other shared
characteristics, gains in productivity, and income differed
significantly among the countries. The authors quantify
these differences, and examine their determinants. They find
that the new technology changed the returns to fertilizers,
irrigated land, and capital, all of which proved scarce to
varying degrees, Complementing technology-related changes in
factor use were investments - public and private - driven in
part by policy. The authors find that factor accumulation
played an important role in output growth, and that
accumulations from policy-driven investments in human
capital, and public infrastructure, were important sources
of productivity gains. They conclude that policies that ease
constraints on factor markets, and promote public investment
in people, and infrastructure, provide the best
opportunities for agricultural growth.
