search our site     home > key topics   agricultural r&d; and productivity Investigating the creation and diffusion of new technology is important because technological progress is fundamental to economic growth and the long-run economic productivity of U.S. agriculture. Research investments and scientific advances—largely in the public sector—have fueled the tremendous rate of productivity growth in the agricultural sector over the past century. Recent advances in agricultural science and technology have been largely undertaken by the private sector, and have been facilitated by changes in the structure of the agricultural inputs industry, important advances in biological research, and an increased emphasis on intellectual property protection. related subtopics - provide a listing of resources related to subtopics of agricultural r&d; and productivity. Agricultural Productivity Agricultural Research & Development Policy Biotechnology R&D; Industry Concentration and R&D; Intellectual Property Rights Returns to Agricultural Research related briefing rooms - offer an indepth discussion synthesizing ERS research Agricultural Biotechnology Agricultural Research and Productivity Global Resources and Productivity feature Regional Trends in Extension System Resources—The Cooperative Extension Service was established to disseminate information about agriculture and home economics from land-grant universities to the U.S. public. Today, Extension is largely publicly funded and links USDA's educational and research arms, land-grant universities, and related institutions. The number of full-time-equivalent Extension personnel dropped by 12 percent from 1977 to 1997, with the largest declines found in community resource development and 4-H youth programs, two of the four main Extension program areas. Regional personnel FTE allocation patterns were mostly similar to the national ones. AIB-781 (4/03) web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov updated: May 22, 2003  Also at ERS... latest publications (all) • Amber Waves, February 2004 • Have Seed Industry Changes Affected Research Effort? • Amber Waves, November 2003 latest data products (all) • Plant Breeding Research and Development • Trends in Extension Staffing • Agricultural Productivity in the United States resources • Contact an ERS Expert • Calendar of Releases services • Receive E-mail Updates • E-mail This Page • Translate This Page

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