The recent gradual slow-down in agricul-


tural productivity growth points to the need for more resources for agricultural science and technology research and development. Given the considerable gestation period needed for original field research to translate into scalable and replicable technology interventions—and for those technologies to be disseminated widely enough to achieve measurable impact— it becomes clear why the pipeline of innovation, discovery, and dissemination must be kept full. Good public policies can do a great deal to lead to the ultimate success and impact of science and technology innovation and create a favor- able environment for technology to make a dif- ference. Public policies can help target innova- tions more successfully. Although a great deal of science and technology research focuses on agricultural production, the “reproductive” do- main of the household (such as women’s ability to care for children) is also in need of science and technology and good policy interventions.22


REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES


Africa Poor nutrition and health remain persistent problems in Africa, where one in four people suffers from malnutrition, 53 percent of preg- nant women are estimated to be anemic, and high rates of infectious disease in rural areas kill a disproportionate number of malnourished children. At the same time, however, there is a new focus on agriculture in the region. The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), for example, calls on African governments to raise agricultural spending to 10 percent of national budgets. It thus presents an opportunity for countries to productively exploit the links among agriculture, nutrition, and health as they revise their agricultural policies and di- rect more funding to that sector. CAADP explicit- ly spells out policies to help increase production of highly nutritious foods.23


Some other initiatives are already underway


to try to leverage agriculture for improving health and nutrition in the region. The West African Health Organization and its partners,


for example, are working regionally to address the need for greater dietary diversity and diet quality by promoting green leafy vegetables, local fruits, indigenous staple foods, and animal source foods.24


At the national level, for ex-


ample, Ghana’s National Development Planning Commission was involved in a program that linked agriculture, nutrition, and health and took responsibility for ensuring that the three sectors worked together at the district level and that communities had the health and agricultural facilities and materials they needed.25


Further progress, though, will depend on


action at the national, district, and local level, but many policymakers at these levels still do not see nutrition as a development issue that should play a role in agricultural planning. With many economic activities dependent on physi- cal labor, factors that affect labor—like under- nutrition and disease—also affect productivity and in turn economic development. Spreading this message and raising the profile of nutrition in African policymaking circles will require ad- vocacy from senior policymakers who champion the issue. Pressure from well-informed media and results-oriented development partners can also help spur government action.26


South Asia Malnutrition is disturbingly high in South Asia. In India, resources should be devoted to improv- ing the nutrition status of the bottom 40 per- cent of people in India by improving the Public Distribution System (which should be extended to include pulses and seed oil), subsidize food prices for the poor, maintain national food self- sufficiency, and raise the production and con- sumption of coarse grains and cereals and other nutritious foods. Investments are also needed in, for example, irrigation, agricultural extension, agricultural technologies, rural infrastructure, and information technology.27


The experience of Bangladesh points to


the challenge of achieving sustainability when designing programs to improve people’s nutri- tion and health. Programs often rely on NGOs for funding and support; when NGO funding stops, so do the programs.28


Nepal has gone from being a food-surplus economy to a food- 9


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