Technical Change in Thailand and Indonesian Agriculture:
Measurement, Socio-economic Impact and Policy Implications
The Poverty Research Centre in the Division of Economics in RSPAS, ANU is undertaking a three year project on Technical Change in Thai and Indonesian Agriculture. This project is being conducted in collaboration with the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Thailand (BIOTEC); Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; Institut Pertanian Bogor, Indonesia (Bogor Agricultural University) and the Indonesian Centre for Agricultural Socioeconomics and Policy Studies, Indonesia (CASEPS).
Research on the socio-economic effects of technology development is a high priority in Thailand and Indonesia. This project aims to identify agricultural industries that have shown productivity growth and determine why they have grown — is it biotechnical change such as improved crop varieties and cultivation methods, mechanisation, management improvements, or other reasons? Researchers will examine the economic and social effects of this technological change, including effects on agricultural trade, income distribution and poverty. They will assemble a large data set encompassing eight major agricultural sectors and undertake a statistical analysis of the rate and factor-saving biases of technical progress in each sector.
The project is funded by a research grant of $399,799 from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
