In order to achieve economic efficiency, research organizations have established rigorous, quantitative methods for priority setting. One such organization, the Rockefeller Foundation, has drawn on this report to help determine the research goals it should emphasize in its funding. A review of the problem of priority setting is presented followed by a discussion of approaches that have been used previously. Several chapters demonstrate how a number of areas of plant science research have contributed to gains in rice productivity and also assess the current challenges of genetic improvement and pest control. The economic framework for priority setting and previous methods are reviewed, followed by a series of country case studies which provide more practical applications.

The purpose of this book is to present a comprehensive picture of the role of rice in the food and agricultural sectors of Asian nations.

It meets a long-felt need for a comprehensive analysis of cotton crop at the micro level; focussing on cost-return structure, farm-size and efficiency, labour absorption, elasticity of supply with respect to fixed inputs and variable inputs, demand for variable inputs with respect to cotton price, etc. It will prove an essential reading not only to the academics but also to the planners, policy-makers and government agencies. Review The Study aims at analysing the cost and return structure, determinants of yield, yield gap, supply and demand elasticities, absorption of labour and economic efficiency of the two farmer groups producing the LRA-5166 and MCU-5 varieties of cotton in two blocks of district Madurai. On the whole study offers a major base of techniques and systematic orientation of a research design. Dr. H.P. Singh, Review Projector (India), Vol. 8, Nos. 4-6.

Study conducted in the Birbhum District, West Bengal, India.

Crop loss assessment: background, rationale, and concepts; Component technology for crop loss assessment; Applications of pest and loss assessment technology to pest management.