World Bank Economist Derek Byerlee To Speak On "The Global Food Challenge"
WILLIAMSTOWN - Derek Byerlee, co-director of the World Bank's World Development Report 2008, will give a talk titled "The Global Food Challenge" at Williams College on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The event, scheduled for 2:45 p.m. in Weston Hall, room 10, is free and open to the public.Byerlee, an Australian, has dedicated his wide-ranging career to agriculture in developing countries. He has spent more than 20 years living in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, including practical experience from working with farmers directly.
Byerlee has held a range of positions with the World Bank, most recently as rural strategy adviser for the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the World Bank, and as lead economist for agricultural and rural development operations in Ethiopia and Sudan.
He is currently exploring how agriculture can be an effective instrument for economic development, particularly development that aids the poor.
Before joining the World Bank, Byerlee was director of the economics program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico and an associate professor at Michigan State University.
Byerlee has contributed widely to the economics of agricultural research and technical change. He is the author of numerous articles on the efficiency of research systems, spillovers, risk and uncertainty, and sustaining productivity in post-green revolution agriculture. He is also recognized for his notable work in forging fresh collaboration between scientists, economists, and farmers.
Byerlee was elected a fellow of the American Agricultural Economics Association in 2004.
